The word venery comes from hunting, and means the naming of groups of animals. Since most people don't hunt flowers (present group excepted), it doesn't surprise me that there are no collective names for them Sarah Sent from my iPhone > On Aug 14, 2015, at 12:05, John Ralph Carpenter via pbs <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> wrote: > > "But I am not aware of any collective naming of flowers". A bunch? A posy? > An arrangement? > >> On 14 August 2015 at 01:45, Judy Glattstein <jgglatt@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> O.K. Call it what you will - sword lily, gladiolus, pluralize as gladioli, >> "common speak" as gladiola - my whole reason for posting was not to start a >> dialog on the proper name for more than one gladiolus. It was to say "Isn't >> this a nice thing for the corn and soybean farmer to do, raise a whole lot >> of these corms and donate the flowers for hospital patients." Which >> apparently was so minor a thought as to be completely overlooked. >> >> In venery there are some wonderful collective nouns, in some instances >> refined as to whether the group - geese in this instance - are in the air >> (a skein or wedge), on the ground (a flock or gaggle), or on the water (a >> plump of geese.) But I am not aware of any collective naming of flowers. >> >> Judy >> >> _______________________________________________ >> pbs mailing list >> pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >> http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php >> http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ >> > > > > -- > Ralph Carpenter > 2 & 3 Stone Cottages > Chilmington Green > Great Chart > Ashford > Kent TN23 3DW > > 01233 637567 > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/