Plant labels carry  quite a bit of information.  For complete information and illustrations, see our guide Understanding Plant Labels at NYBG.

Usually, the following are listed (from top to bottom):

Common name of plant (if it has one) -- Common names can sometimes be confusing as a plant may have more than one and multiple plants can have the same common name; the botanical name is more definitive:

Botanical name  i.e. genus and species -- Sometimes a subspecies name will also be added. See this link for a detailed description of botanical nomenclature.

Cultivar name -- If the plant is a cultivated variety (i.e. developed by a gardener) then this will be indicated in single quotes.  Or the name given to the cultivar by the developer will be given.  If the plant is a hybrid then the name will have an “x” and some indication of the parents of the hybrid.

Family -- The family to which this genus belongs will be listed, usually in capital letters.

Country of origin -- Sometimes the country to which the plant is native to will be given.

Finally, the label may have the date when the specimen was planted.

An example label would be:

Tanyosha or umbrella pine – common name.

Pinus densiflora -  genus and species.

‘Umbraculifera' – cultivar name

PINACEAE – the family to which pines belong.

This label would probably not list the country of origin as it is not the native species.

Courtesy of NYBG Plant Information