Know the plant.
Find the name.
Type a common name to find the botanical (Latin) name, or type a botanical name to find what gardeners call it. 1,250+ trees, shrubs, palms, and more — with Cape Nursery's full wholesale range highlighted.
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One tool, two directions
Why plants have two names — and why the Latin one matters.
Every plant you grow, specify, or walk past has two names: the common name (the one you say out loud) and the botanical name (the one written in italics on labels and landscape plans). Common names are comfortable but unreliable — "bluebell" refers to at least four unrelated plants depending on which continent you're standing on, and "lilly pilly" covers around a dozen different species across the Syzygium, Acmena, and Waterhousea genera.
Botanical names fix that problem. They come from the binomial nomenclature system Carl Linnaeus formalised in 1753, and they give every plant exactly one scientific name accepted worldwide — so Syzygium australe is the same plant whether you're reading a specification in Sydney, a plant label in Seattle, or a monograph in São Paulo. The first word is the genus (always capitalised), the second is the species epithet (always lowercase), and anything inside single quotes is a cultivar name (a human-selected variant), as in Syzygium australe 'Resilience'.
How to read a botanical name
Once you know a few common Latin and Greek roots, botanical names become genuinely descriptive — they usually tell you something about how the plant looks, where it grows, or who found it. Here's a starter set of words that turn up constantly in Australian plant names:
When the botanical name saves you money
If you're a landscape contractor quoting a job, the botanical name is the difference between supplying the plant the architect specified and supplying something that merely shares a common name. A "flowering cherry" could mean Prunus serrulata, Prunus x yedoensis, or half a dozen Prunus subhirtella cultivars — each with different mature sizes, flowering windows, and prices. If you're a home gardener, botanical names are how you find out whether the "native lilly pilly" your neighbour recommends is Syzygium australe (which handles coastal exposure beautifully) or Syzygium smithii (which sulks in salt spray).
Botanical names also update. Taxonomists regularly revise genus boundaries based on DNA evidence — which is why older references call weeping bottlebrush Callistemon viminalis while newer ones use Melaleuca viminalis, and why some Australian lilly pillies have shuffled between Syzygium, Acmena, and Eugenia over the past half-century. When that happens, the old name usually lives on as a synonym, and good plant databases (including this one) match both.
Tips for remembering botanical names
- Learn the genus first, species later. Once you know Eucalyptus is the gum-tree genus, the species epithets (regnans, pauciflora, globulus) become details layered on a framework.
- Say them out loud. Latin pronunciation in horticulture is informal — there's no pronunciation police — so don't let fear of sounding wrong stop you. "Sih-ZIG-ee-um", "uh-KAY-shuh", "how-we-ah".
- Notice family patterns. Plants in the same family (Myrtaceae, Proteaceae, Rosaceae) often share traits. If you know Callistemon is Myrtaceae, you already know its flowers are likely to be brush-like with prominent stamens.
- Use the search above. Type the common name, read the botanical, click through a few times and the patterns start to stick.
Looking for deeper reference material? The Australian Plant Name Index (APNI) at the Australian National Botanic Gardens is the authoritative national register, and the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria publishes ongoing taxonomic research.
FAQ — plant names, this tool, and how to use it.
What's the difference between a botanical name and a scientific name?
They're the same thing. "Botanical name", "scientific name", and "Latin name" all refer to the formal two-part name assigned under the International Code of Nomenclature — like Syzygium australe or Corymbia citriodora. "Botanical" is the term you see on plant labels; "scientific" is the one you see in academic writing. Use whichever feels natural.
Why do some plants have more than one botanical name?
Because taxonomy is living science. When botanists compare plant DNA, anatomy, or reproductive biology, they sometimes conclude that a species has been sitting in the wrong genus — or that two supposedly different species are actually one. When that happens, the plant is reclassified and given a new accepted name.
The old name becomes a synonym. For example, Callistemon viminalis (weeping bottlebrush) was reclassified into Melaleuca viminalis in 2006, but many nurseries and gardeners still use the older name. This tool searches both.
How do I pronounce botanical names correctly?
There's no single correct pronunciation. Horticultural Latin is a pragmatic trade dialect rather than classical Latin, and regional accents vary enormously. As long as you're understood, you're pronouncing it fine.
A few rough rules: every vowel is usually pronounced (so Syzygium is "sih-ZIG-ee-um", not "SIZ-jee-um"); -ii endings are "ee-eye" (smithii = "SMITH-ee-eye"); and a c before e or i is soft, like an s (Acer = "AY-ser").
What does the word in single quotes mean, like Syzygium australe 'Resilience'?
That's the cultivar name — short for "cultivated variety". Cultivars are plants selected or bred by humans for specific traits: denser foliage, better disease resistance, a dwarf habit, a different leaf colour. They're genetically distinct from the wild species but aren't considered separate species themselves.
Cultivar names are written in single quotes with each word capitalised: 'Resilience', 'Royal Flame', 'Red Robin'. They're protected under Plant Breeder's Rights in many countries, and for nursery catalogues they're usually the most important part of the name — the cultivar is what determines whether a plant will perform as expected.
How do I use this tool for a landscape specification?
Two main use cases. Reading a spec you've been given — paste each botanical name into the search to get the common name, habit, and origin at a glance, so you can sanity-check the plant palette before pricing the job. Writing a spec yourself — search common names to find the botanical equivalents, then copy the formatted Latin names into your schedule.
Results tagged "Grown by Cape Nursery" link through to sizes, availability, and pricing on the main site — useful if you want to quickly see what's available in advanced stock.
Where does the plant data come from?
The database is hand-curated from horticultural references, Australian nursery catalogues, and published botanical literature. Cape Nursery's 97-species wholesale range is cross-referenced against the main database so that our stock appears in results whenever a user's search matches.
It's not exhaustive — there are roughly 390,000 recognised plant species worldwide — but it covers the trees, shrubs, palms, and common ornamentals that turn up in Australian landscape work and domestic gardens. If something's missing, let us know.
Does this tool work for rare or unusual plants?
The database prioritises plants you're likely to encounter — cultivated species, common natives, widely-grown ornamentals, and commercial landscape stock. Rare natives, obscure cultivars, and plants from outside the Australian and adjacent floras are less comprehensively covered.
For specialist research, the Australian Plant Name Index and Kew's Plants of the World Online are the authoritative references with hundreds of thousands of entries.
Is this tool free? Can I link to it or use it in my work?
Completely free. No signup, no login, no ads. You can link to a specific search by copying the URL after you type — the ?q=... parameter makes every search shareable. Landscape designers, teachers, and students are welcome to reference it in their work.
If you find it useful, a link back or a mention is appreciated but not required.