Names That Fool You
Common names can mislead. None of these plants is quite what its name says, which is why scientists give every plant a Latin name that means the same thing everywhere.
Asparagus Fern
बन कुरिलो
Asparagus sp.
It looks feathery like a fern, but it flowers and makes berries, which ferns never do. It’s a relative of the asparagus we eat.
Foxtail Fern
बन कुरिलो
Asparagus densiflorus ‘Myers’
Not a fern either: another asparagus. Its fluffy plumes are made of tiny needle-like stems, and it stores water in swollen roots.
Dwarf Mondo Grass
बन कसुर
Ophiopogon japonicus ‘Nana’
It grows in grassy tufts, but it’s in the asparagus family, not the grass family. Grasses don’t have lilac flowers or blue berries, and this plant has both.
Miniature Rose
गुलाबको फूल
Rosa chinensis
Roses are said to have thorns, but botanists call them prickles: outgrowths of the stem’s skin that snap off cleanly. True thorns are sharp, woody branches.
Amaryllis
Hippeastrum sp.
The big bulb flower sold as amaryllis is really a Hippeastrum from South America. The true Amaryllis is a different plant from South Africa.
Geranium
Pelargonium sp.
Garden “geraniums” are really Pelargoniums from South Africa; true geraniums are a different genus. Many have leaves that release a scent when you rub them.
Chinese Lantern
Abutilon sp.
Also called flowering maple for its maple-like leaves, but it’s in the mallow family with hibiscus. Its hanging, lantern-shaped flowers give it its other name.
Crape Myrtle
असारे फूल
Lagerstroemia indica
Its species name, indica, means “of India,” but it comes from China and nearby countries, and it isn’t a true myrtle either. Its crinkled petals look like crepe paper.
Tuberose
रजनीगन्धा
Polianthes tuberosa
Not a rose, and not a “tube rose” either: the name comes from tuberosa, Latin for its swollen, tuber-like roots. Its white flowers are among the most fragrant at night.
Star Jasmine
प्रेम लता
Trachelospermum jasminoides
A fragrant, twining vine with white pinwheel flowers, but it is a relative of oleander, not a true jasmine.
Ponytail Palm
Beaucarnea recurvata
Not a palm but a relative of agave and asparagus. Its swollen trunk base stores water for dry times.
Starfish Cactus
Orbea variegata
Not a cactus but a milkweed relative from South Africa. Its star-shaped, speckled flowers smell like rotting meat, which draws the flies that pollinate it.
More in Looks, Scents, and Surprises
The garden is alive and changes through the year. Some plants flower, fruit, or rest only in certain seasons, so what you see depends on when you visit.
See them for yourself
Every plant here grows on our campus in Bhaktapur. Walk the garden on your visit.
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