I laugh at these plant names
17.7.2023
Translation: machine translated
When looking for houseplants, I keep coming across strange plants. And names. These are the four craziest on Galaxus.
When I hear modern children's names like Jason-Jeremy, my earlobes roll up. Some older name creations also make me cringe. How can you take a newborn baby in your arms these days, pinch its chubby cheeks and say: "We'll call you Kunigunde"?
Just as often as with children's names, I have to shake my head when I'm looking for new houseplants. These are the weirdest names I've found on Galaxus:
1. ivy mare
The people who gave this plant its name don't seem to have a clue when it comes to tooting and blowing. I can still recognise a resemblance to ivy, which also climbs trees. But with a tute? What is that supposed to be? A toad? A funnel? With a little imagination, you could describe the leaves as funnel-shaped. I think the English name Devil's Ivy is more accurate. This is because the exotic plant is poisonous, robust and hard to keep down. Suitable for a devil.
2. golliwoog
Pardon me? This plant is called like Golliwog? The children's doll with racist connotations that was a bestseller until the 1970s? Okay, the plant's name does contain one more "o" than that of the doll. Nevertheless, its small bushy leaves are very reminiscent of the doll's frizzy hair. And how else would you come up with the name? I have not received an answer from suppliers such as Golli-Thek.
At least: On Galaxus, the plant is referred to as "creeping beauty cushion", as it can also be called.
When I think of a "creeping cushion", my flowering imagination conjures up a living, posh sofa crawling across the ground, but let's not go there. The plant is said to be ideal as a food plant for turtles, birds, cats and rodents. I would have to add it to the list of healthy guinea pig food:
3. ponytail or elephant foot
Now what? This plant appears to be neither a fish nor a bird - or is it a horse and an elephant at the same time? In a way, it is. The bulging trunk is reminiscent of the foot of a pachyderm and its leaves sticking out at the top look like hair hanging out of a hair elastic. This is why the plant is called both a ponytail and an elephant's foot. And finally, it is neither a palm nor a tree, but belongs to the agave family.
4. Mrs Iceton
Yes, you read that right. This plant is a Missus (spouse unknown). With its green, yellow and red foliage, it has certainly cast a spell over many a (plant) lover. At least it wouldn't be surprising, as "Mrs" also used to describe a mistress.
How Mrs Iceton got her name is a mystery. I couldn't find anything via the online plant shop Feey, which has a huge encyclopaedia of plants. Marie Henze from the online plant shop Mary and Plants has a hunch: "The name was probably given by a grower or gardener. When naming plant varieties, human-like names are often used to give them a personal or appealing character." However, she does not know who "Mrs Iceton" was. According to Marie Henze, she can't find anything about it in her botanical books.
Mrs Iceton will probably remain a wonder shrub. That's what she's called, by the way. That almost sounds normal.
What unusual plants do you know? Tell me in a comment.
Cover photo: Shutterstock/Lazy Panda
Darina Schweizer
Senior Editor
Darina.Schweizer@digitecgalaxus.chI like anything that has four legs or roots. The books I enjoy let me peer into the abyss of the human psyche. Unlike those wretched mountains that are forever blocking the view – especially of the sea. Lighthouses are a great place for getting some fresh air too, you know?
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