09/01/2026
A brief study in plant names as they relate to cat names. Slightly NSFW:
The father of this litter of kittens is named Jack-in-the-pulpit, after the American plant Arisaema triphyllium. Other names for Jack-in-the-pulpit include Bog Onion, Wild Turnip, and Brown Dragon. With the possible exception of Dragon, none of these common names are good for a kitten.
The UK also has a plant called Jack-in-the-pulpit, although it's more commonly known as the Cuckoo-Pint (Arum maculatum). Due to it's rather unique appearance, most common names--and there are over 150--are not-so-thinly-veiled references to s*x. They include Lords and Ladies, Jacks and Jills, Naked Boys, Stallions and Mares, etc. I think you get the picture. Even the "pint" in Cuckoo-pint is an old reference to genitalia. For what I think are fairly obvious reasons, I am not naming any kittens after the Cuckoo-pint.
Oleander has already been used at the shelter this year and is a girl's name to me, as are other common names, such as Rosebay or Rose Laurel.
If the kitten were black, I'd name him Blackberry, since that's where he was living. But he's brown, so that's a no-go, and Bramble doesn't seem quite right, either.
I could name him after his mother, but we've already used Jimson and Thornapple this year.
Therefore, these are the names I'm considering for the new boy--and only these names. Feel free to vote on your favorites.
Periwinkle, Nerium(genus Nerium, species oleander), Balandre (another name for Oleander), Arum (for Arum maculatum), Wake-Robin(another name for the cuckoo-pint, and the only one that doesn't seem to be b***y), Jonquil, Hemlock, Mandrake.
Extra credit trivia if you've made it this far: Jack-in-the-pulpit is one of several plants that can change their gender. Young plants are usually male, but as they mature they often change to female, or they may show both male and female flowers. This process is called "s*x expression change." So if someone tells you that in nature things don't change their gender, you can refer them here.
