What's in a name? This is Hedge Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica). It's quite common in the countryside and I introduced it to the garden because I'm fond of wayside wildflowers. As Piet Oudulf says in his book Dream Plants for the Natural Garden: "There is something to be said for having this plant in the garden, with its deep dark red spike-like inflorescence". However he includes it in the 'Troublesome' section noting that it spreads and seeds.
 When I write about a particular plant in this diary I generally give the common name and the Latin name. Botanists prefer to use the Latin name because it is the globally recognized nomenclature whereas common names vary from country to country and often from locality to locality. But it's worth bearing in mind that the "Latin" name ain't what the Romans spoke.
 Botanical Latin and the binomial system was invented by Carl Linnaeus (born 1707, died 1778). Actually it would be more accurate to say he formalized it and expanded it hugely thereby creating the basis for modern botany. He it was who named the genera 'Stachys' after the Greek word which means "an ear of grain" (a reference to the inflorescence), and he called this one 'sylvatica' referring to woodland.
 Monty Python once asked: "What have the Romans ever done for us?" Not much in this case because Stachys sylvatica was named by a Swedish guy using a Greek word in the 18th. century!
  The common names of plants are worth considering. They too can tell us something about a plant's characteristics and history. For example when the name ends with "wort" it indicates that it was once perceived to have medicinal properties and "woundwort" tells us what for. "Hedge" provides a useful botanical pointer. I rarely see this plant growing in the woods, certainly not deep in them; hedgerows are its main habitat.