5 Funny Common Names and Their Origins

Many plants have various common names. They usually vary from place to place. These names can be pretty silly, for example there are Dragon's Blood Trees, Hens and Chicks, and Mother-In-Law’s-Cushion.  A lot of plants get their common names from the way they look. Bleeding heart, for example, looks like a heart with a drop below it. But some plants get their names from what they are traditionally used for. Here are five of those plants with silly names that do what they are named to do. 

Sneezeweed, Helenium autumnale 

Sneezeweed got it's name from the Native Americans and early settlers who used it as snuff. They crushed the flowers and inhaled them to induce sneezing which was thought to rid the body of evil spirits. It was also used medicinally to treat fevers and head colds.

Horny Goat Weed, Epimedium 

Can you guess what Horny Goat Weed is used for? Bow-chicka-wow-wow.. yes. It's used as an herbal supplement for sexual performance problems including erectile dysfunction and to arouse sexual desire. But, according to WebMD, it's also used for "weak back and knees, joint pain, osteoarthritis, mental and physical fatigue, memory loss, high blood pressure, heart disease, bronchitis, liver disease, HIV/AIDS, polio, a blood disorder called chronic leucopenia, viral infections of the heart, bone loss after menopause, weak bones (osteoporosis), and as a tonic". That's quite the plant. 

Soapwort, Saponaria officinalis

Soapwort contains saponins which when boiled in water lather up just like our modern soap which uses phosphates to do that job. It can also be used as a shampoo. Check out this link for liquid soap and shampoo recipes with soapwort. (The -wort part of the name comes from an ancient English term meaning plant.)

Chokecherry, Prunus Virginiana

Many Native American tribes used this plant as a food and medicine. European settlers learned from the natives about the health properties of the plant and began using it to treat coughs and colds. But it had many other medicinal uses as well, such as helping inflammation of the bowel, diarrhea, stomach cramps, cholera, digestive problems, gangrenous wounds, sores, pains, severe burns and wounds.

Spleenwort or Miltwaste, Asplenium ceterach

Spleenwort, also called Miltwaste, got it's name because it was thought to cure disorders of the milt or spleen. The genus, Asplenium, is derived from the Greek word for spleen. This is an old belief based on the doctrine of signatures, that the fern was useful for ailments of the spleen, due to the spleen-shaped sori on the backs of the fronds.