Bath schoolboy Peter gives plant a name to remember
A tongue-twisting plant that has just begun blooming after 30 years has a new name – thanks to a 12-year-old boy from Bath.
Horticultural experts picked the suggestion of Prior Park College pupil Peter Phillips as the new title for the emmenopterys henryi tree.
Peter, from Bear Flat, came up with the idea of "man yang tree" for the plant at Cambridge Botanic Garden, drawing on the interests of one of his ancestors
Man yang was the favourite Chinese plant collector of his great, great uncle Augustine Henry, who first discovered the tree in China in 1887.
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Peter won a competition organised by the Cambridge News newspaper.
A spokeswoman for the Cambridge University garden told the paper: "Our customer service teams report that around three-quarters of visitors immediately ask on arrival how to find the 'Chinese tree from the news', but since staff and visitors alike were finding the botanical name a real tongue twister, the help of Cambridge News readers has been very useful in finding an everyday name that would reflect the qualities of tree."
Its botanical name consists of emmenopterys, meaning 'lasting wing', while henryi refers to Irish plant hunter Henry.
The specimen had gone largely unnoticed by the visiting public and had never been in need of a common name until September, when it burst into flower for the first time ever.
Garden curator Dr Tim Upson said: "While scientific names will always remain the only reliable way to make sure that, botanists and gardeners around the world are all referring to the same plant, botanical Latin can be difficult for many.
"Locally and nationally, common names can help engage people with the plant's story. So we're going to make up a new plant label for our tree to include Peter's lovely suggestion."
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