Plant lovers often look at lists of plants or seeds for sale in the winter to plan their gardens for the coming year. Those lists usually have two names for each plant: a common name and a botanical, or scientific name. The botanical name is not in English, which makes a lot of people unsure about what it means or how to say it. The language is Latin. Its purpose is to help growers be sure that the plant they bring home is the one they wanted to buy. The problem with common names is that they are nicknames, or informal names, for plants. Many plants can share a common name. One plant can also have many common names. You can see how this can cause misunderstandings. For example, you may have heard the name “geranium.” The common name for the true Geranium is perennial cranesbill. The container plant people call the geranium is actually a Pelargonium.