Unique Nature Names

This may be a bit quirky to make it as a name, especially in first place. If you love it, you might try it in the middle.

Slate, Stone and Steel are on the rise, so why not Shale?

Clove is a spice name that is a tad more piquant than Saffron or Cinnamon. It might get more attention now as a member of The Hunger Games family of names.

Name of the licorice plant, this spice comes in the shape of a star, giving this name an extra level of sweetness.

Obsolete Swanhild gives way to oh-so-modern Swan, joining the flock of newly fashionable bird names such as Wren and Lark. In France, the Swann spelling is fashionable for both sexes. But Swan carries an image of grace, though perhaps also a bit of languor. It's a lovely and original name, right for our times.

More uncommon and powerful than garden varieties like Rose and Lily. Named for Scottish botanist Dr Alexander Garden.

Molten rock from volcanos, and now a red-hot baby name possibility.

A plausible color name, it was chosen by the singer Sting as a middle name for his daughter, after a character in the Gormenghast fantasy trilogy, of which he's a big fan.

Though some forward-looking parents are now choosing wood-related names like Oak, Pine, and Ash, this generic option would be even more avant garde.

Fragrant herb often used for cooking, but scarcely as a name.

Unusual choice that was the original name of children's illustrator Tasha Tudor, but is an interesting elaboration of Star, taking it into avian territory.

Even among the range of blue names on the current baby naming palette -- Blue itself, Azure, Cerulean, Teal, Aqua, Cyan, Indigo -- Cobalt remains the most unusual, not to mention the most masculine.

This name for the sweetbriar shrub is a bit too reminiscent of eggplant.

Dark, woody name that's brings to mind rich panelling, beautiful colors and luxury.

A gem named for its green hue.

Wildflower may be the ultimate hippie name, added to the lexicon by Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden when they chose it as one of their daughter's middle names. It's generic in the way that Flora and River are, as opposed to Iris and Nile, say. But it has a certain free and creative charm.

Jonquil is an unusual flower name that is less outlandish than Daffodil and less common than Daisy. It just might appeal to parents seeking a singular botanical option.

Unlike most flower names, Jonquil wasn't introduced until the 1940s, and saw some usage in the U.K. during the forties and fifties.

Birch is a rarely used nature name that calls to mind the lovely image of the tall, strong but graceful white-barked tree.

This evocative name of a dramatic tropical Indian fig tree is ready to move west.

A bit too bad-boy (think bars, beer, Harley) for us, as well as being the name of a grain.