diff --git a/lib/OpenLayers/Format/WMSDescribeLayer/v1_1.js b/lib/OpenLayers/Format/WMSDescribeLayer/v1_1.js
index cc951af348..cd174435a7 100644
--- a/lib/OpenLayers/Format/WMSDescribeLayer/v1_1.js
+++ b/lib/OpenLayers/Format/WMSDescribeLayer/v1_1.js
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ OpenLayers.Format.WMSDescribeLayer.v1_1 = OpenLayers.Class(
             childNode = children[i];
             nodeName = childNode.nodeName; 
             if (nodeName == 'LayerDescription') {
+                var layerName = childNode.getAttribute('name');
                 var owsType = '';
                 var owsURL = '';
                 var typeName = '';
@@ -85,7 +86,8 @@ OpenLayers.Format.WMSDescribeLayer.v1_1 = OpenLayers.Class(
                         typeName = query[0].getAttribute('typename');
                     }
                 }
-                describelayer.push({owsType: owsType, owsURL: owsURL, typeName: typeName}); 
+                describelayer.push({layerName: layerName, owsType: owsType, 
+                    owsURL: owsURL, typeName: typeName}); 
             }
         }
         return describelayer;
diff --git a/tests/Format/WMSDescribeLayer.html b/tests/Format/WMSDescribeLayer.html
index 7c962a6da3..30ebaffc82 100644
--- a/tests/Format/WMSDescribeLayer.html
+++ b/tests/Format/WMSDescribeLayer.html
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
     <script type="text/javascript">
     
     function test_read_WMSDescribeLayer(t) {
-        t.plan(4);
+        t.plan(5);
        
         var parser = new OpenLayers.Format.WMSDescribeLayer();
 
@@ -29,6 +29,9 @@
         t.eq(res[0].typeName, "topp:states",
             "Properly parses typeName");
 
+        t.eq(res[0].layerName, "topp:states",
+            "Properly parses name");
+
     }
 
     </script>