Common Names--Pick Your Favorite

Common names are so inconsistent! It seems like every plant I look up has two or three common names.   

Do you call this Louisiana sagewort or white sage or...  (Artemisia ludoviciana)

Common names are what we "normally" call a plant, for example when we are speaking with friends. So they are names that are familiar to speaker and listener. Since most of us spend most of our time speaking with people who live within a few miles of us, common names easily became local names, varying across the map.

Plant Story--Thyme Lawn

When I retired, I had lots of thyme.

That's because I removed the grass from my lawn and planted thyme in that space. I reasoned that the front lawn was never needed for a picnic or a croquet game and mowing was tedious. It has worked wonderfully. The small plants I planted have spread to cover all the space:

The lawn just after it was planted.