A botanical name is a formal

scientific name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bo ...

conforming to the ''

International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants The ''International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants'' (ICN) is the set of rules and recommendations dealing with the formal botanical names that are given to plants, fungi and a few other groups of organisms, all those "trad ...

'' (ICN) and, if it concerns a plant cultigen, the additional cultivar or Group epithets must conform to the '' International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants'' (ICNCP). The code of nomenclature covers "all organisms traditionally treated as algae,

fungi A fungus (plural, : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of Eukaryote, eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and Mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified ...

, or plants, whether fossil or non-fossil, including blue-green algae ( Cyanobacteria), chytrids, oomycetes, slime moulds and

photosynthetic Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored in c ...

protists with their taxonomically related non-photosynthetic groups (but excluding Microsporidia)." The purpose of a formal name is to have a single name that is accepted and used worldwide for a particular plant or plant group. For example, the botanical name '' Bellis perennis'' denotes a plant species which is native to most of the countries of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

and the Middle East, where it has accumulated various names in many languages. Later, the plant was introduced worldwide, bringing it into contact with more languages. English names for this plant species include: daisy, English daisy, and lawn daisy. The cultivar ''Bellis perennis'' 'Aucubifolia' is a golden-variegated horticultural selection of this species.

Type specimens and circumscription

The botanical name itself is fixed by a

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

, which is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralize the defining features of that particular taxon. The usefulness of botanical names is limited by the fact that taxonomic groups are not fixed in size; a taxon may have a varying circumscription, depending on the

taxonomic system Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

, thus, the group that a particular botanical name refers to can be quite small according to some people and quite big according to others. For example, the traditional view of the family Malvaceae has been expanded in some modern approaches to include what were formerly considered to be several closely related families. Some botanical names refer to groups that are very stable (for example Equisetaceae, Magnoliaceae) while for other names a careful check is needed to see which circumscription is being used (for example

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

, Amygdaloideae, '' Taraxacum officinale'').

Forms of plant names

Depending on rank, botanical names may be in one part (

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

and above), two parts (various situations below the rank of genus) or three parts (below the rank of species). The names of cultivated plants are not necessarily similar to the botanical names, since they may instead involve "unambiguous common names" of species or genera. Cultivated plant names may also have an extra component, bringing a maximum of four parts: ;in one part : Plantae (the plants) : Marchantiophyta (the liverworts) : Magnoliopsida (class including the family Magnoliaceae) : Liliidae (subclass including the family Liliaceae) : Pinophyta (the conifers) :

Fagaceae The Fagaceae are a family of flowering plants that includes beeches, chestnuts and oaks, and comprises eight genera with about 927 species. Fagaceae in temperate regions are mostly deciduous, whereas in the tropics, many species occur as evergre ...

(the beech family) :'' Betula'' (the birch genus) ;in two parts :'' Acacia'' subg. ''Phyllodineae'' (the wattles) :'' lchemilla'' subsect. ''Heliodrosium'' :'' Berberis thunbergii'' (Japanese barberry) a species name, i.e., a combination consisting of a genus name and one epithet :'' Syringa'' 'Charisma' – a cultivar within a genus :'' Hydrangea'' Lacecap Group – a genus name and Group epithet :''Lilium'' Darkest Red Group – a genus name and Group epithet :''Paphiopedilum'' Greenteaicecreamandraspberries grex :snowdrop 'John Gray' – an unambiguous common name for the genus ''Galanthus'' and a cultivar epithet ;in three parts: :'' Calystegia sepium'' subsp. ''americana'' (American hedge bindweed), a combination consisting of a genus name and two epithets :'' Crataegus azarolus'' var. ''pontica'' (a Mediterranean hawthorn) :'' Bellis perennis'' 'Aucubifolia' – a cultivar :''Brassica oleracea'' Gemmifera Group – a species name and Group epithet ;in four parts: :''Scilla hispanica'' var. ''campanulata'' 'Rose Queen' – a cultivar within a botanical variety :apart from cultivars, the name of a plant can never have more than three parts.

Components of plant names

A botanical name in three parts, i.e., an infraspecific name (a name for a taxon below the rank of species) needs a "connecting term" to indicate rank. In the ''Calystegia'' example above, this is "subsp.", for

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

. In botany there are many ranks below that of species (in zoology there is only one such rank, subspecies, so that this "connecting term" is not used in zoology). A name of a "subdivision of a genus" also needs a connecting term (in the ''Acacia'' example above, this is "subg.",

subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...

). The connecting term is not part of the name itself. A taxon may be indicated by a listing in more than three parts: "''Saxifraga aizoon'' var. ''aizoon'' subvar. ''brevifolia'' f. ''multicaulis'' subf. ''surculosa'' Engl. & Irmsch." but this is a classification, not a formal botanical name. The botanical name is ''Saxifraga aizoon'' subf. ''surculosa'' Engl. & Irmsch. (''ICN'' Art 24: Ex 1). Generic, specific, and infraspecific botanical names are usually printed in italics. The example set by the ''ICN'' is to italicize all botanical names, including those above genus, though the ''ICN'' preface states: "The ''Code'' sets no binding standard in this respect, as typography is a matter of editorial style and tradition not of nomenclature". Most peer-reviewed scientific botanical publications do not italicize names above the rank of genus, and non-botanical scientific publications do not, which is in keeping with two of the three other kinds of

: zoological and bacterial ( viral names above genus are italicized, a new policy adopted in the early 1990s).

Binary name

For botanical nomenclature, the ''ICN'' prescribes a two-part name or binary name for any taxon below the rank of genus down to, and including, the rank of species. Taxa below the rank of species get a three part ( infraspecific name). A binary name consists of the name of a

and an epithet. * In the case of a species this is a specific epithet: :'' Bellis perennis'' is the name of a species, in which ''perennis'' is the specific epithet. There is no connecting term involved to indicate the rank. * In the case of a subdivision of a genus (subgenus, section, subsection, series, subseries, etc.) the name consists of the name of a genus and a subdivisional epithet. A connecting term should be placed before the subdivisional epithet to indicate the rank: :''Paraserianthes'' sect. ''Falcataria''

In cultivated plants

In the case of cultivated plants, there is an additional epithet which is an often non-Latin part, not written in italics. For cultivars, it is always given in single quotation marks. The cultivar, Group, or grex epithet may follow either the botanical name of the species, or the name of the genus only, or the unambiguous common name of the genus or species. The generic name, followed by a cultivar name, is often used when the parentage of a particular hybrid cultivar is not relevant in the context, or is uncertain.

References

Bibliography

External links

* Adopted by the International Union of Biological Sciences International Commission for the Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants.
Plant botanical definition list
Retrieved 12 November 2016. {{Botany Name Plant taxonomy