Given previous discussions in these topics:
As long as one troll is doing it somewhere other than iNat, so that it can be used as a primary source, it becomes an official common name, I guess?
It was called Fogfruit for a while on iNat. When I inquired about that some years ago it was revised to Frogfruit. I assumed it was a typo at the time but apparently not, just a variation on the common name.
Gallant Soldier. I think it’s pretty obvious that the name is a pun – someone thinking, “What word or words in English kinda sound like Galinsoga?” And then the other species in the genus kept up the theme with different modifiers.
I find these two interesting, not because of the name in particular, but of what happened to them.
See, both of these plants used to be in the genus Cooperia. But it turns out…
The one currently named in honor of Drummond was not originally named for him. And then the one that wasn’t… used to be named after him.
Warning: Incoming pedantic-humorous rant. Please take lightly and with a laugh or two.
They changed the one with drummondii to not
And then THEY CHANGED THE OTHER ONE TO DRUMMONDII
AND THE COMMON NAME IS DRUMMOND’S RAINLILY
Why. You decide that this rainlily is named after Thomas Drummond. No, in honor of Thomas Drummond. And then decide, wait no the other one is now named after Drummond. WHY DIDN’T THEY JUST KEEP THE SPECIES NAME? It’s just a confusing thing for everyone involved. Go though an old book and see Cooperia drummondii and go “Oh yeah that’s probably Zephyranthes drummondii”
BUT NO
And then which one is the real Drummond’s Rainlily?
The new one?
The OG?
OK. Change the genus name. I’m fine with that. Genetic studies and whatnot, relationships between organisms, that’s taxonomy.
But pulling the species name out of one… and slapping it to the end of another…
…that is a recipe for pandemonium
Might as well name the other one drummondiana
At least then Drummond will now have two rain lilies named in his honor
Smh
I do admit that this bothers me, perhaps more than it should. Oh yes, another thing is that there are actually several Drummond botanists.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Drummond_(botanist)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Drummond_(botanist)
See, two of them! They were brothers! How will I know which botanist is being referred to? I suppose the rainlily (ignoring the nomenclatural toss-up) would honor both of them…
And wait, there’s still more:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Lawson_Drummond
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Ramsay_Drummond
And those two are botanists too! A whole hereditary line!
Oh, and don’t get me started on the Commelins and Commelina…
