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unusual facts about common name



Alabama heelsplitter

The phrase Alabama heelsplitter has been used as a common name for two different species of American river mussels, freshwater bivalves, both of which can be found in Alabama.

Cortinarius vanduzerensis

A common name for the species is the "pointed Cortinarius", while the specific epithet vanduzerensis refers to the H.B. van Duzer Forest where the species was originally collected.

Dryas octopetala

Dryas octopetala (common names include mountain avens, white dryas, and white dryad) is an Arctic–alpine flowering plant in the family Rosaceae.

Green-bellied Hummingbird

The western taxa of the Andean slopes and the eastern taxa of the Tepui region are sometimes considered separate species, with the former retaining the scientific and common name, while the latter is named the Copper-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia cupreicauda, with races duidae and laireti), also sometimes placed in the genus Saucerottia.

Ischnura heterosticta

Ischnura heterosticta, one of at least two species with the common name Common Bluetail, is a common Australian damselfly of the family Coenagrionidae.

Poecilotheria metallica

P. metallica was first discovered in the town of Gooty, a fact reflected in some of its common names: Gooty sapphire ornamental tree spider, Gooty sapphire, and Gooty tarantula.

Sylvilagus palustris hefneri

Sylvilagus palustris hefneri (Lazell, 1984), common name Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit, is an endangered subspecies of Marsh Rabbit named after Playboy founder Hugh Hefner.

Tsuga

The common name hemlock is derived from a perceived similarity in the smell of its crushed foliage to that of the unrelated plant poison hemlock.


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Arroyo Seco Parkway

Though the common name used by the public had become "Arroyo Seco Freeway" over the years, it was officially a "Parkway" until November 16, 1954, when the California Highway Commission changed its name to the Pasadena Freeway.

Ash Meadows pebblesnail

The common name of this species is taken from the name of the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada.

Ban Dongphayom

While there is no common name for phayom in the English language, Philippine mahogany is a mixture of Shorea genera.

Beach pea

Lathyrus littoralis, a species of wild pea known by the common name silky beach pea.

Benzene hexachloride

(erroneously) any of the isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane, in particular the gamma isomer with the common name Lindane

Bird cherry

Bird cherry is a common name for the European plant, Prunus padus

Blandford fly

The Blandford fly's English common name derives from a major outbreak of people being bitten around the town of Blandford Forum in Dorset, England, in the 1960s and 1970s.

Bonamia ovalifolia

Bonamia ovalifolia is a species of flowering plant in the morning glory family known by the common name bigpod lady's nightcap.

Calliteara pudibunda

The Dutch common name for the moth (Meriansborstel) is named for famous butterfly and insect painter Anna Maria Sibylla Merian.

Calophyllum antillanum

Galba, its common name in Trinidad, may have been the origin of the stage name of Grenadian-born calypsonian, Sir Galba.

Campanula rapunculus

Campanula rapunculus, common name rampion bellflower, rampion, or rover bellflower, is a species of bellflower (Campanula) in the family Campanulaceae.

Catalufa

The word catalufa is also used in several Caribbean countries as the Spanish or French language common name for a number of other Priacanthidae species.

Cheng

Cheng Han, a common name for the Chinese state of Cheng (304-338 AD) and its successor, the state of Han

Clavus viduus

Clavus viduus, common name the black-banded clava, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Drilliidae.

Coastal cutthroat trout

These markings are responsible for the common name "cutthroat" given to the trout by outdoor writer Charles Hallock in an 1884 article in The American Angler.

Cockscomb

Celosia cristata, a common name of a flower resembling the head of a rooster

Cryptantha flavoculata

Cryptantha flavoculata is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name roughseed cryptantha.

Dasylirion durangense

Dasylirion durangense, common name "sotol," is a perennial plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to Durango, Chihuahua and Sonora, Mexico.

Dolphin Gull

The modern scientific name Leucophaeus scoresbii, together with the obsolete common name "Scoresby's Gull", commemorates the English explorer William Scoresby (1789–1857).

Dynamic duo

The Dynamic Duo, a common name for a series of professional wrestling tag teams during the 1980s and 1990s

Elephant ear tree

The common name elephant ear tree typically refers to Enterolobium cyclocarpum (Guanacaste)

Fat Hen

Hen and chicks, common name for a group of small succulent flowering plants native to Europe and northern Africa

Frangipane

A certain Frangipane was perfumier to Louis XIII of France, hence the common name of the flowering tropical trees that are actually in the genus Plumeria.

Galium parisiense

Galium parisiense is a species of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae known by the common name wall bedstraw.

Haliclystus auricula

In 2010, Natural England, The Guardian and the Oxford University Museum of Natural History ran a competition asking members of the public to provide a common name for this species.

Heal-all

Heal-all is a common name for the plant Prunella vulgaris

Helleborus niger

Although the flowers resemble wild roses (and despite its common name), Christmas rose does not belong to the rose family (Rosaceae).

Hydrocotyle umbellata

Its English common name is manyflower marsh pennywort or dollarweed.

Interstate 90 floating bridge

Interstate 90 floating bridge is the common name for the twin floating bridges that carry Interstate 90 across Lake Washington between Seattle and Mercer Island.

Knotweed

Knotweed is a common name for plants in several genera in the Polygonaceae family

Launea nudicaulis

Launea nudicaulis is a species of plant which is endemic to India where it is known under a common name bhatal and is found in Hazara, Mansehra, Multan, Rawalpindi and Scinde districts of Punjab and Lahore.

Lumbricus badensis

It is endemic to the upper-elevation spruce forests of Germany's Black Forest, where its common name is Badischer Riesenregenwurm (literal translation: "giant rainworm of Baden").

Mahoroba

"The Man-yō Mahoroba Line" became in use for the common name of the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) Sakurai Line on March 13, 2010, the day of the diagram revision of JR Group.

Monardella australis

Monardella australis is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name southern monardella.

Moonseed

Cocculus, a genus of woody vines and shrubs with the common name moonseed

Mount Jefferson

Mount Jefferson is a common name for mountains in the United States, usually referring to Thomas Jefferson, the country's third president.

Nassariidae

Nassariidae, common name nassa mud snails (USA), or dog whelks (UK), are a taxonomic family of small to medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Neogastropoda.

Navarretia hamata

Navarretia hamata is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common name hooked pincushionplant.

Pike Committee

The Pike Committee is the common name for the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence during the period when it was chaired by Democratic Representative Otis G. Pike of New York.

Pilar, Goa

The headquarter of the Missionary Society of St. Francis Xavier is located at Pilar, hence the common name of Pilar Society given to the missionaries of Saint Francis Xavier.

Pityopus

Pityopus is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the heath family containing the single species Pityopus californica, which is known by the common name pinefoot.

Pyralis pictalis

The term "Poplar" in its common name does not refer to the trees, but to Poplar, London, where type specimen – from such an introduction – was caught.

Rosebay

Chamerion angustifolium, a herbaceous plant in the Onagraceae family, sometimes referred to by the common name rosebay in Britain

Santonica

Santonica, the common name for a plant (Artemisia cina)

Sitotroga cerealella

Its common name refers to Angoumois, the pre-revolutionary province of France from which it was first scientifically described by G.-A. Olivier in 1789.

Veronica aphylla

Veronica aphylla, common name leafless stemmed speedwell, is a plant belonging to the family Plantaginaceae.

VUB night frog

Both the specific name, "vrijeuni", and the acronym in the common name, "VUB", refer to Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the Free University of Brussels.

Xanthorrhoea macronema

The common name is the Bottlebrush Grass Tree This plant features yellow flowers resembling Banksias or Bottlebrushes, around 10 cm long.