How Abelia Got It's Name

Many plants are named after the person who discovered them. And, the Abelia is no exception to this rule. There are several varieties of this plant, but the name Abelia is attributed to the man who first brought the Chinese version to Britain.

The botanical name of the plant is Abelia and it's family is Caprifoliaceae. It has glossy leaves and delicate flowers. This plant can be found in many gardens and is very popular.

Abelia is named after Dr. Clarke Abel. He accompanied Lord Amherst on an expedition to China in 1817 that suffered many disasters. At the time of the expedition, Britains were not granted access to China. It is thought this was because of British interference with the opium trade in China. Britains were also thought to be quite arrogant by the Chinese government.

Lord Amherst was sent by the British government to China to negotiate an agreement with the emperor. The Chinese thought the British ambassadors were not respectful enough to their emperor. The British embassy was dismissed and the members of the group were escorted out of the country.

Dr. Abel would have liked to explored the mainland of China, but it was not permitted at the time of his trip. He did, however, manage to get a sample of Abelia chinensis back to England. This sample was the only one to survive his trip. The ship on which he traveled was wrecked and his box of seeds and samples was not considered important enough to be taken on the rescue boat. What was left on the ship was captured and burned by Malaysian pirates. British ambassadors were not permitted on the Chinese mainland again until the treaty of Nanking in 1842, twenty-five years later.

Luckily, Dr. Abel's sample of Abelia chinensis was at another location and survived the shipwreck. In this way, he was able to bring home the sample of the plant and it was named after him.

The Abelia has red or pink flowers. It blooms from midsummer through the autumn months. It is considered humorous that no variety of this plant produces yellow flowers. This is because of the difficulties given by the Chinese to the British ambassadors during the trip on which the Abelia was discovered.

The Abelia is a common addition to many gardens. Most people have no idea where the name originated. Some gardeners, however, find it interesting to learn more about the plants they choose to grow in their home flower gardens.

SOURCE

Wells, Diana. "100 Flowers and How They Got Their Names". Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. North Carolina, USA. 1997.