"A Rose by Any Other Name."

[Lesley Cox]

While looking among the E's in the RHS Dictionary I came across a fabulous plant name - Echinofossulocactus coptonogonos. I've always had a fondness for crazy words like that, and invite Forumists to contribute their own favourites. My late mother always made a point of mentioning Metasequoia glyptostroboides to garden visitors and I'm sure there are other out there worth a mention.

This thread will certainly be among the top 10 of "Silly Subjects" which Maggi will judge at the end of the year.

[Heather Smith]

Lovely. Name that plant while giving a talk to a local gardening society and they will look at you in awe! (always assuming you can remember it yourself).

[Maggi Young]

I prefer the old name, Orphanidisea gaultherioides to the new name of Epigaea, and I adore the plant, too.
I like to mention Roscoeas on account of their family, Zingiberaceae ! Fab!

[Anthony Darby]

A name that will always stick in my memory is Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus (a type of moss), only because I had come closest to spelling it correctly in a field report my undergraduate class had to write up.

[PEAK]

This is a nice new topic Lesley, I have to admit that I actually grow that Echinofossulocactus. A bid sadly the whole genus has now returned to the old name Stenocactus, a name less interesting.
Staying with cacti one of my favourites are Austrocephalocereus dolichospermaticus

[Maggi Young]

There could be a sub-plot to this story: the smallest plant with the longest name, complete with photo, preferably.

[Diane Clement]

Yes, we also grow Echinofossulocactus, the name runs nicely off the tongue.  Here's some more to throw into the daft name stakes:
Silybum marianum (my firewall setting at work deems this as "an inappropriate search term")
Happlopappus diplopappus

[Maggi Young]

What we need now is the Errol Cosh clone of Echinofossulocactus, that could get a tongue rolling into a reef knot!

("Errol Cosh clone": see Tulipomania nouveau thread)

[David Shaw]

Ah, Maggie, that give me the opening to bring in Potentially Confusing Thread Titles.
Per will be delighted to know that he had me thinking for quite a while about Tulipomania nouveau but I did catch on before looking this genus up in the books
A second title was Crocus Crossing. I was disappointed to find that this did not relate to road traffic signs in Norwich and Neustadt!

[Maggi Young]

A  rich vein of potential there, David! Thank you for not mentioning the Erectile Dysfunction thread of the Meconopsis page. 

[PEAK]

Yes David, I have to admit being i bit proud of the name of that thread
I have a few suggestions for this thread in line with the Meconopsis, but will hold them for myself
Coming back to names, Kew have recently transfered among other genera Eremurus and Hemerocallis to the family Xanthorrhoeaceae!!

Cheers

[annew]

I've always had a soft spot for Tchihatchewia, pronounced to provoke the response "Bless you!"

[David Shaw]

Maggie, there are limits to where even I will go

[DaveM]

A great thread Lesley, that I just can't resist. A favourite of mine is Catalpa bignonioides, but no picture sadly. ... ..

So I'll just have to submit the Silversword from the Hawaiian Island of Haleakala: Argyroxiphium sandwichense..    just try saying it... ...
And attached, see pic, courtesy of a fellow geologist friend of mine who hiked across the island a few years ago. Sadly, I have not managed to get myself a visit yet....

I am reminded that the BD and his good lady showed a sizeable non-flowering rosette a few years ago. Ian/Maggi, did you manage to flower it??

[Maggi Young]

We flowered some. Dave. One whopper went to Secret Squirrel the Glenrothes Greenfinger for its retirement.. I think it flowered, too. No good seedfrom them sadly. They are monocarpic.
It is, in my opinion, the most silvery of silver plants. Very beautiful and a pleasure to have grown and shown it.