In the Opinion essay entitled "Racist Relics: An Ugly Blight On Our Botanical Nomenclature," the author, Melvin Hunter, finds it sad that various racially offensive plant names have slipped into the vernacular of gardening. I find it even sadder that, with all the truly significant problems facing minorities in America, anyone considers the eradication of such names as a matter of anything but the lowest priority.
To the best of my knowledge, neither a black nor a Native American child has had the course of his or her life significantly altered by an improperly named houseplant. The same cannot be said, however, of various real problems-- gangs, drugs, poverty, violence, and unemployment. As I see it, the activities of Hunter and those like him fall into the category of "How to `fight racism' without leaving the comfort of your chair." This, I feel, might have been a more appropriate title...
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