Format: ORAL

Jaime E. Frye

Newfields, Indianapolis, USA

Botany is deeply intertwined with the history of colonialism, racism, and imperialism that bleed into both its everyday and botanical naming. Common names often travel through time with little consideration as to where they come from or why we continue to use them. That is due to change. In 2020, the Plant Nomenclature Taxonomy Community of the American Public Gardens Association in conjunction with the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries set forth to create a resource providing context for words within existing, currently used English language common names that hold the potential to be problematic. Over 30 data contributing North American institutions and 49 individual volunteers donated time and energy into the development of the initial attempt at this Potentially Problematic Common Name Project. This body of work can be used as a resource or spark a discussion for English speaking professionals that use, write with, or publish plant names (botanical or common). This includes herbaria employees, librarians, plant recorders, curators, interpretation specialists, educators, volunteers, and docents anyone that interacts with guests, colleagues, or other professionals using language that has potential for positivity or harm. Thinking more about the words used within the botanical profession and its history can create a more rich, inclusive environment for anyone interacting with public horticulture. A single project barely scratches the surface, but it can create a jumping off point to begin holding the inclusiveness of the language we employ to a higher esteem, to begin the evaluation of the content held in the bowels of existing databases, to acknowledge the unjust practices of the past, and to have meaningful conversations around language use. Hear the story of this project about words and their power.