We had some Canadian visitors yesterday, parents of someone I'd met on a
newsgroup. We were taking them round the garden when they stopped to look
at a Lavatera and called it a 'hollyhock' It was an interesting example of
how the Latin names do help in these circumstances. But foolishly, I forgot
to ask them what Canadians call what we call a hollyhock! Does anyone
happen to know?

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

On Sun, 22 Jul 2007 19:12:39 +0100, Sacha wrote
(in article ) :

We had some Canadian visitors yesterday, parents of someone I'd met on a
newsgroup. We were taking them round the garden when they stopped to look
at a Lavatera and called it a 'hollyhock' It was an interesting example of
how the Latin names do help in these circumstances. But foolishly, I forgot
to ask them what Canadians call what we call a hollyhock! Does anyone
happen to know?



I don't, but have a cousin who lived in Canada many years and is a keen
gardener. I will email her and ask her (unless you get a response in the
meantime). Back soon!

--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
Burne-Jones/William Morris window in Shropshire church with conservation
churchyard:
http://www.whitton-stmarys.org.uk

In message , Sacha
writes
We had some Canadian visitors yesterday, parents of someone I'd met on a
newsgroup. We were taking them round the garden when they stopped to look
at a Lavatera and called it a 'hollyhock' It was an interesting example of
how the Latin names do help in these circumstances. But foolishly, I forgot
to ask them what Canadians call what we call a hollyhock! Does anyone
happen to know?

Canadians call hollyhocks (Alcea sp, especially Alcea rosea) hollyhocks.

I've seen Lavatera's (Lavatera trimestris in that case) called
hollyhocks by an Englishman before - and when my grandmother acquired
Lavatera x clementii 'Rosea' the name under which she acquired it was
Hibiscus. Unless you have reason to believe that they are too familiar
with the plants to make a mistake in identification, I'd put it down as
an error.

Hollyhock is applied to plants outside Alcea; the Australians apply it
to a couple of species of Malva (ex Lavatera) and the Americans to some
species (at least) of Sphaeralcea and Iliamna. The Canadians might
follow the Americans in this.

http://www.malvaceae.info/Index/Vern...hp?genus=Alcea
http://www.malvaceae.info/Index/Vern...attern=hollyho
ck

--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

On 22/7/07 21:39, in article lid, "Stewart Robert
Hinsley" wrote:

In message , Sacha
writes
We had some Canadian visitors yesterday, parents of someone I'd met on a
newsgroup. We were taking them round the garden when they stopped to look
at a Lavatera and called it a 'hollyhock' It was an interesting example of
how the Latin names do help in these circumstances. But foolishly, I forgot
to ask them what Canadians call what we call a hollyhock! Does anyone
happen to know?

Canadians call hollyhocks (Alcea sp, especially Alcea rosea) hollyhocks.

I've seen Lavatera's (Lavatera trimestris in that case) called
hollyhocks by an Englishman before - and when my grandmother acquired
Lavatera x clementii 'Rosea' the name under which she acquired it was
Hibiscus. Unless you have reason to believe that they are too familiar
with the plants to make a mistake in identification, I'd put it down as
an error.

Hollyhock is applied to plants outside Alcea; the Australians apply it
to a couple of species of Malva (ex Lavatera) and the Americans to some
species (at least) of Sphaeralcea and Iliamna. The Canadians might
follow the Americans in this.

http://www.malvaceae.info/Index/Vern...hp?genus=Alcea
http://www.malvaceae.info/Index/Vern...attern=hollyho
ck

Interesting info, Stewart, thank you. And thanks to Sally, too for
enquiring. It was silly of me not to ask them what they'd call a hollyhock!
They also called Hebe a Veronica, which was the old name for it, I believe
but were surprised to hear it had been re-classified here. Their gardening
conditions are challenging, to put it mildly, living as they do, not far
from the northern US border with Canada.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

On Sun, 22 Jul 2007 19:31:41 +0100, Sally Thompson wrote
(in article et):

On Sun, 22 Jul 2007 19:12:39 +0100, Sacha wrote
(in article ) :

We had some Canadian visitors yesterday, parents of someone I'd met on a
newsgroup. We were taking them round the garden when they stopped to look
at a Lavatera and called it a 'hollyhock' It was an interesting example of
how the Latin names do help in these circumstances. But foolishly, I forgot
to ask them what Canadians call what we call a hollyhock! Does anyone
happen to know?



I don't, but have a cousin who lived in Canada many years and is a keen
gardener. I will email her and ask her (unless you get a response in the
meantime). Back soon!



Sacha, here is the answer verbatim from my cousin:

Not sure I know the answer to this but a few points: I grew Hollyhocks in
Canada and called them Hollyhocks. The shrub version of Lavatera doesn't
grow in Ontario - too cold in the winter, but could well be grown in
Vancouver. If it does I don't know what they call it, but Lavatera is
sometimes called the 'Hollyhock bush' in some English country areas. The
flowers are similar. I did grow the bienniel version of Mallow (Lavatera
trimestris) and the flowers of some varieties are also very much like the
shrub. Common names are very confusing. How's this: I nursed along a
Hibiscus in Ontario. It was called Rose of Sharon. Here Rose of Sharon is a
form of Hypericum; Hibiscus is sometimes called Mallow and is also called Sun
Rose. Cistus is also called Sun Rose as is Helianthumum. Now I'm confused.
As you say that's why Latin names are so useful.

Not sure if this helps :-)


--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
Burne-Jones/William Morris window in Shropshire church with conservation
churchyard:
http://www.whitton-stmarys.org.uk

On 23/7/07 11:46, in article
, "Sally Thompson"
wrote:

On Sun, 22 Jul 2007 19:31:41 +0100, Sally Thompson wrote
(in article et):

On Sun, 22 Jul 2007 19:12:39 +0100, Sacha wrote
(in article ) :

We had some Canadian visitors yesterday, parents of someone I'd met on a
newsgroup. We were taking them round the garden when they stopped to look
at a Lavatera and called it a 'hollyhock' It was an interesting example of
how the Latin names do help in these circumstances. But foolishly, I forgot
to ask them what Canadians call what we call a hollyhock! Does anyone
happen to know?



I don't, but have a cousin who lived in Canada many years and is a keen
gardener. I will email her and ask her (unless you get a response in the
meantime). Back soon!



Sacha, here is the answer verbatim from my cousin:

Not sure I know the answer to this but a few points: I grew Hollyhocks in
Canada and called them Hollyhocks. The shrub version of Lavatera doesn't
grow in Ontario - too cold in the winter, but could well be grown in
Vancouver. If it does I don't know what they call it, but Lavatera is
sometimes called the 'Hollyhock bush' in some English country areas. The
flowers are similar. I did grow the bienniel version of Mallow (Lavatera
trimestris) and the flowers of some varieties are also very much like the
shrub. Common names are very confusing. How's this: I nursed along a
Hibiscus in Ontario. It was called Rose of Sharon. Here Rose of Sharon is a
form of Hypericum; Hibiscus is sometimes called Mallow and is also called Sun
Rose. Cistus is also called Sun Rose as is Helianthumum. Now I'm confused.
As you say that's why Latin names are so useful.

Not sure if this helps :-)


Yes it does, because you've prodded my memory into gear. I'd forgotten that
at first glance they said "Oh, that's Rose of Sharon" and then quickly said
"no, it's a hollyhock". We were completely bemused because there was no
Hypericum nearby and they were looking at a Lavatera. In its own strange
way, all is now explained. Thank you. ;-) I think their confusion may
well have been because they do indeed live in Ontario in Niagara on the
Lake, which sounds a delightful place but not a gardener's paradise,
climate-wise. Presumably, they don't grow it themselves. I think they said
they could keep roses going but obviously all their Pelargoniums are in pots
and are taken down into a dry, frost-free cellar for the winter, as are
other tender things. They grow masses of Dahlias and laboriously dig them
up, store them and re-plant them every year. They saw our Dahlias
imperialis and excelsa and are going to try to find them which is going to
give their neighbours a shock. ;-)
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'