Have you ever heard of these weird plant names? From “nosebleed” to “pussytoes,” there are some fun and bizarre names for our green friends. Learn how the plants below received such unique names!
5 Weird Plant Names
Swine’s Snout
This name is unusual because it refers to not one, but TWO plants. Swine’s Snout is a wildflower; after it has matured and is ready to develop seeds, the flower closes up and resembles the most prominent part of a pig’s face. It’s also another nickname for a dandelion!
Speaking of which, the name dandelion itself is rather strange; it stems from the French dent-de-lion, meaning “lion’s tooth” (a reference to the plant’s toothed leaves)!
Nosebleed
Also called yarrow, this ferny-leafed plant looks nothing like a nose! However, its leaves have been used for centuries to both stop and start nosebleeds.
Bird’s Nest
This wildflower gets its name from the lacy clusters of tiny white flowers that often have one reddish-brown flower in the center. Once the flower has been pollinated, the entire cluster forms a cup that resembles a bird’s nest. Bird’s nest is also known as Queen Anne’s Lace and wild carrot.
Bugbane
Bugbane. Photo by H. Zell/Wikimedia Commons.
Talk about ominous! This plant gets its name from its long spikes of flowers, which put off a strong fragrance that is said to repel some insects but attract others. It’s also known by an equally displeasing name: Snakeroot!
Pussytoes
Do you think the small fuzzy flower heads look like toes (pads) of tiny kitten’s paws? When the “toes” are open, there are numerous small white flowers. If you saw this perennial flower on the ground, you’d see that it’s also quite small and only reaches one foot high, like a small cat underfoot. If you’d like to plant pussytoes, they love rock gardens, and they don’t mind dry weather.
Jennifer is the Digital Editor at The Old Farmer’s Almanac. She is an active equestrian and spends much of her free time at the barn. When she’s not riding, she loves caring for her collection of house plants, baking, and playing in her gardens. Read More from Jennifer Keating
My favorite weird plant name is for Phlya nodiflora, commonly known as Turkey Tangle Frog Fruit. It appears to be an insignificant ground cover, but it is more important than it looks. It is the larval host for several species of butterfly including Phaon Crescent (Phyciodes phaon), White Peacock (Anartia jatrophae) and Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia). It is a vine that can run for several yards along the ground and I have observed several species of birds, including bald eagles, collecting it, presumably for nesting material.