Cavan Allen

Incorrect: Microsorium
Correct: Microsorum
Reason - Microsorium is an old misspelling passed along through the years

Incorrect : Rotala indica
Correct: Rotala rotundifolia
Reason - R. rotundifolia was introduced as indica over 40 years ago but is still often sold as indica. The two plants are different species that look similar as emersed plants but different submersed.

Please see here:
Rotala rotundifolia

Incorrect: Cryptocoryne balansae
Correct: Cryptocoryne crispatula var. balansae
Reason - balanse is one of the varieties of crispatula and not a species of its own.

http://www.nationaalherbarium.nl/Cry...y/bal/bal.html

Incorrect: Cryptocoryne usteriana when refering to C aponogetifolia
Correct: Cryptocoryne aponogetifolia
Reason - C. aponogetifolia is widely misnamed as C. usteriana. C. aponogetifolia has all green, long, strap-like leaves with no purple or red color in the undersides. C. usteriana is a different species with shorter, more tapered leaves, which in some varieties have purple undersides.
See http://www.nationaalherbarium.nl/Cry...y/apo/apo.html
for pictures of C. aponogetifolia.

See http://www.nationaalherbarium.nl/Cry...y/ust/ust.html
for pictures of C. usteriana

Incorrect: Anubias nana
Correct: Anubias barteri var. nana
Reason: nana is a variety of barteri and not a species of its own

Incorrect: Telanthera roseafolia, Alternanthera roseafolia, Alternanthera lilacina
Correct: Alternanthera reineckii
Reason - Telanthera is an outdated genus name. roseafolia and lilacina are types of reineckii

Please see here:
http://www.tropica.com/productcard.asp?id=023
http://www.tropica.com/productcard.asp?id=023B

Incorrect: Echinodorus compacta
Correct: Echinodorus parviflorus?
Reason - There is no such thing as Echinodorus compacta. It is most likely a trade name. The normal variety of E. parviflorus (not 'Tropica') is rare in the hobby, so most plants sold as 'compacta' are most likely small specimens of bleheri.

Incorrect: Echinodorus major or E. maior---a mispelling of major.
Correct: Echinodorus martii
Reason - E. major is an outdated name that is still circulating among some aquatic plant dealers.

Other trade names masquerading as valid species are: Rotala magenta, Hygrophila sunset and Ludwigia mullertii.

Incorrect: Nomaphila stricta, Hygrophila angustifolia, H. siamensis
Correct: Hygrophila corymbosa
Reason: Nomaphila is an invalid genus name. The latter are types of corymbosa.

Please see here:
http://www.tropica.com/productcard.asp?id=053
http://www.tropica.com/productcard.asp?id=053A

Incorrect: Rotala 'nanjean', najean
Correct: Rotala sp. 'Nanjenshan'

Nanjenshan is a location. 'Nanjean' is a misspelling.


Also, species names in scientific names are not capitalized. That is, Hygrophila polysperma is correct and Hygrophila Polysperma is not. Besides, the former is easier to type and makes scanning a list of plants a lot easier.

Can anyone else point out any more commonly misidentified or misnamed plants?