There are any number of plants with the word, “dog” in their name: Dogwood, Dog bane, Dog rose, Mad-dog skullcap (so named because it was supposedly a cure for rabies). You get the idea.
Some “dog plants,” are more specifically named, i.e., the Texas Dog Pear, a mat-forming cactus with clumps reaching 4 to 6 inches tall and 3 to 9 feet in diameter. Pretty when bloomed, you don’t want to get too close to this one:
Texas Dog Pear
But there are also plants with dog breed names, such as the Dalmatian Toadflax and the Dandie Dinmont Fuchsia (see below):
While the Dandie Dinmont Fuchsia was specifically named for the breed, there are many plants popularly known by the same name as a breed, and we may never know if they came by the name with the dog in mind. The Aeonium “Greyhound,” for example, is one of the most ornamental of all the succulents, but it is neither gray nor sleek. The Dalmation Bellflower, an herbaceous plant, is pretty and purple – but not spotted. The Chihuahua Sage isn’t tiny, and the Glebionis coronaria, better known as the Beagle Daisy, doesn’t wander, doesn’t bay, but it is a friendly flower!
The Siberian Husky’s Tail (aka the Siberian Squill), Bulldog Rose, Greyhound Lily, Spaniel Rose, Beagle Bay Iris, and the Gerbera daisy known as the “Schnauzer Mix” – these are all plants we’ve come across with breed names, but scant information exists as to how they came by their names. We’ll keep looking!