4 Why such names? 

SUCCULENT NAMES 
Many a would-be cactus fan is frightened away from this hobby 
because of the tongue-twisting names of the plants. It is true that a 
person enjoys a plant more if he can call it by name—unfortunately 
the cactus isn’t always where you can point to it when discussing it. 
And there is even a greater satisfaction if a grower can gurgle the 
scientific names, if it’s only to astonish admiring friends! 2 
The average beginner will start with the common names and use 
them until he finds that his collection has enlarged to the point 
where he must use scientific names in ordering new plants. The 
objection to common names is that the same name may be used in 
different localities for different plants, with the result that if you use 
common names when buying you may have several plants alike but 
with various names. On page 59 we have listed the best known 
‘common names in the hope that all dealers will attach them to the 
plant designated. In this book we have used common names as much 
as possible. 
In the meantime use the common names and enjoy your plants 
but try to master the scientific terms, especially for the main groups 
called “‘genera” (genus when speaking of one group). If you have 
not acquired a pronouncing dictionary for succulent terms, say them 
anyway—you will get them as nearly correct as your friends! 
For classification, all plants have two names the same as indi- 
viduals, The surname of a person tells the family to which he belongs 
while the given name indicates the particular individual in that 
family. In plant names the order is reversed. For example, in 
Mammiullaria elongata, the word Mammillaria denotes a group of 
closely related plants (corresponding to the family or surname), 
while the second name refers to a specific plant named and described 
as elongata (corresponding to the given name). 
