Botanic Gardens and Empire

The Guardian posted an article on the linkage between botanic gardens and empire.   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/02/the-guardian-view-on-botanical-gardens-inextricably-linked-to-empire 

It's worth a read and it's correct as far as it goes.  However, it is important to remember that botanic gardens and herbaria grew out of the need to train medical doctors in Europe about medicinal plants.   The oldest botanic garden is considered to be the Hortus simplicum in Padua, established in 1545. 

This medical association with horticulture also influenced Linnaeus to use Latin-based names.  In turn that led to sort of linguistic colonialism as common names were pushed out of favor, replaced by the more rigorous scientific binomials.  

That said, something is lost when we ignore common names.  There is wisdom stored in the local, informal names that people have used for their plants.  

“It is no secret. All power is one in source and end, I think. Years and distances, stars and candles, water and wind and wizardry, the craft in a man's hand and the wisdom in a tree's root: they all arise together. My name, and yours, and the true name of the sun, or a spring of water, or an unborn child, all are syllables of the great word that is very slowly spoken by the shining of the stars. There is no other power. No other name.”

                                        -- Ursula K. Le Guin