The names of the plants

Every plant in the garden is (hopefully) labelled. This plant label is an indispensable part of botanical gardens as a means to convey information.

The label always contains the German name of the species and its scientific name. This name always consists of at least two words: the first word refers to the genus, the second characterises the species.

The scientific name is followed (usually abbreviated) by the name of the botanist who first described the plant species and gave it its scientific name. Many labels contain the abbreviation "L.", which stands for the botanist Carl von Linné, who invented scientific nomenclature and was the first to describe countless plant species.

Most labels also show the family name (‘-aceae’) and information about the distribution of the plant.