The species was first described by Linnaeus in 1753 and he gave it the specific epithet of siliquastrum  which is derived from the Latin word siliqua, meaning "pod".
The generic name comes from the Greek kerkis, a "shuttle", which refers to the resemblance shown to this weaver's tool by the flat, woody seedpods.

There are several varieties and subspecies including:-
var.
hebecarpa Bornm.

nothosubsp.
yaltikirii (Ponert) Govaerts
var.
siliquastrum
var.
alba Weston
The species was first described by Linnaeus in 1753 and he gave it the specific epithet of siliquastrum  which is derived from the Latin word siliqua, meaning "pod". The generic name comes from the Greek kerkis, a "shuttle", which refers to the resemblance shown to this weaver's tool by the flat, woody seedpods.
There are several varieties and subspecies including:-
var. hebecarpa Bornm.
nothosubsp. yaltikirii (Ponert) Govaerts
var. siliquastrum
var. alba Weston
Cercis siliquastrum