It is thought that the Anglo-Saxon term “erda,” which meaning ground or soil, is where the name “Earth” first appeared. The Earth was once thought to be the center of the cosmos, around which all other celestial bodies rotated. The Earth was given the names Gaia and Terra by the Greeks and their respective goddesses of the Earth, respectively.
Today, the third planet from the sun, which is the only one known to support life, is referred to as Earth. It is also the biggest of our solar system’s four rocky planets. Like the names of other planets like Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, the term Earth is always capitalized because it is a proper noun.
The capitalization guidelines for plant names can be a little perplexing. The common names of plants are typically not capitalized, although the scientific names are. For instance, while a rose’s scientific name, Rosa, is capitalized, its colloquial name, Rosa, is not. A common name is capitalized if it originates from a proper noun, though. For instance, the common name is capitalized when a rose is named after a person, such as the “Mister Lincoln” rose.
Another example of a plant name that may be confusing is hydrangea. The scientific name of the hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla, is capitalized but not the popular name. This is due to the fact that the scientific name is composed of the name of the genus (Hydrangea) and the name of the species (macrophylla).
The word “dandelion” is not capitalized because it is not a proper noun. The common term “dandelion” refers to a genus of flowering plants in the Asteraceae family. Taraxacum officinale is the dandelion’s scientific name.
In conclusion, the term “erda” from the Anglo-Saxon language, which signifies ground or soil, is the source of the name “Earth.” Since the name is a proper noun, it is always capitalized. The normal convention for plant names is that scientific names be capitalized, whereas common names are not. A common name is capitalized if it originates from a proper noun, though. One example of a plant name where the scientific name is capitalized but the popular name is not is hydrangea. Finally, as dandelions are not proper nouns, they are not capitalized.