GET TO KNOW WHAT YOU GROW

Understanding plant families and Latin names can make you a more confident, more observant kitchen gardener.

- 

Plant taxonomy may sound technical, but at its heart it's simply a way of organising plants so we can understand them better.

The moment you can recognise a plant's family – or decode a few clues in its Latin name - everything from crop rotation to seed saving becomes easier.

Latin names aren't there for show. They're miniature descriptions. Once you learn to read them, you gain quick insights into what a plant looks like, how it grows, and what it needs to thrive.

For example:

• microphylla — small leaves

• macrophylla — large leaves

• alba — white

• rubra — red

• repens — creeping or trailing

• officinalis — historically medicinal

• angustifolia — narrow-leaved

• maritima — coastal, wind-tolerant

These little epithets (the second word in a Latin name) can tell you more about a plant than the common name ever will.

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

When plants are young it’s easy to mistake one for another. Seedlings of herbs, salad crops and weeds can look surprisingly alike. That's where families come in. Plants in the same family share key characteristics, such as flower structure, leaf arrangement or growth habit. They often need similar conditions and are vulnerable to the same pests and diseases.

For example, members of the mint family (Lamiaceae) typically have:

• square stems

• opposite leaves

• aromatic oils

• two-lipped flowers

If you spot these traits, you can identify mint relatives immediately – even without a label. Understanding families also helps you make better choices and flag anything that looks ‘out of place’.