Botanical nomenclature is the formal, scientific naming of plants. It is related to, but distinct from taxonomy. Plant taxonomy is concerned with grouping and classifying plants; botanical nomenclature then provides names for the results of this process. The starting point for modern botanical nomenclature is Linnaeus' Species Plantarum of 1753. Botanical nomenclature is governed by the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN), which replaces the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN). Fossil plants are also covered by the code of nomenclature.
Botanical nomenclature has a long history, going back beyond the period when Latin was the scientific language throughout Europe, to Theophrastus (c. 370–287 BC), Dioscorides (c. 40 – 90 AD) and other Greek writers. Many of these works have come down to us in Latin translations. The principal Latin writer on botany was Pliny the Elder (23–79 AD). From Mediaeval times, Latin became the universal scientific language (lingua franca) in Europe. Most written plant knowledge was the property of monks, particularly Benedictine, and the purpose of those early herbals was primarily medicinal rather than plant science per se. It would require the invention of the printing press (1450) to make such information more widely available.[1][2][3]
Leonhart Fuchs, a German physician and botanist, is often considered the originator of Latin names for the rapidly increasing number of plants known to science. For instance he coined the name Digitalis in his De Historia Stirpium Commentarii Insignes (1542).
A key event was Linnaeus’ adoption of binomial names for plant species in his Species Plantarum (1753).[4]
In the nineteenth century it became increasingly clear that there was a need for rules to govern scientific nomenclature, and initiatives were taken to refine the body of laws initiated by Linnaeus. These were published in successively more sophisticated editions. For plants, key dates are 1867 (lois de Candolle) and 1906 (International Rules of Botanical Nomenclature, 'Vienna Rules'). The most recent is the Shenzhen Code, adopted in 2018.
Another development was the insight into the delimitation of the concept of 'plant'. Gradually more and more groups of organisms are being recognised as being independent of plants. Nevertheless, the formal names of most of these organisms are governed by the (ICN), even today. Some protists that do not fit easily into either plant or animal categories are treated under either or both of the ICN and the ICZN. A separate Code was adopted to govern the nomenclature of Bacteria, the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria.
Relationship to taxonomy
Botanical nomenclature is closely linked to plant taxonomy, and botanical nomenclature serves plant taxonomy, but nevertheless botanical nomenclature is separate from plant taxonomy. Botanical nomenclature is merely the body of rules prescribing which name applies to that taxon (see correct name) and if a new name may (or must) be coined.
Plant taxonomy is an empirical science, a science that determines what constitutes a particular taxon (taxonomic grouping, plural: taxa): e.g. "What plants belong to this species?" and "What species belong to this genus?". The definition of the limits of a taxon is called its 'circumscription'. For a particular taxon, if two taxonomists agree exactly on its circumscription, rank and position (i.e. the higher rank in which it is included) then there is only one name which can apply under the ICN.[5] Where they differ in opinion on any of these issues, one and the same plant may be placed in taxa with different names. As an example, consider Siehe's Glory-of-the-Snow, Chionodoxa siehei:
Flowers of Chionodoxa siehei, which can also be called Scilla siehei, or included in Chionodoxa forbesii or in Scilla forbesii
Taxonomists can disagree as to whether two groups of plants are sufficiently distinct to be put into one species or not. Thus Chionodoxa siehei and Chionodoxa forbesii have been treated as a single species by some taxonomists or as two species by others.[6] If treated as one species, the earlier published name must be used,[7] so plants previously called Chionodoxa siehei become Chionodoxa forbesii.
Taxonomists can disagree as to whether two genera are sufficiently distinct to be kept separate or not. While agreeing that the genus Chionodoxa is closely related to the genus Scilla, nevertheless the bulb specialist Brian Mathew considers that their differences warrant maintaining separate genera.[6] Others disagree, and would refer to Chionodoxa siehei as Scilla siehei. The earliest published genus name must be used when genera are merged;[7] in this case Scilla was published earlier and is used (not Chionodoxa).
Taxonomists can disagree as to the limits of families. When the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) first published its classification of the flowering plants in 1998, Chionodoxa siehei would have been placed in the family Hyacinthaceae.[8] In the 2009 revision of their classification, the APG no longer recognize the Hyacinthaceae as a separate family, merging it into a greatly enlarged family Asparagaceae.[9] Thus Chionodoxa siehei moves from the Hyacinthaceae to the Asparagaceae.
Taxonomists can disagree as to the rank of a taxon. Rather than allow the Hyacinthaceae to disappear altogether, Chase et al. suggested that it be treated as a subfamily within the Asparagaceae.[10] The ICN requires family names to end with "-aceae" and subfamily names to end with "-oideae".[11] Thus a possible name for the Hyacinthaceae when treated as a subfamily would be 'Hyacinthoideae'. However, the name Scilloideae had already been published in 1835 as the name for a subfamily containing the genus Scilla, so this name has priority and must be used.[10] Hence for those taxonomists who accept the APG system of 2009, Chionodoxa siehei can be placed in the subfamily Scilloideae of the family Asparagaceae. However, a taxonomist is perfectly free to continue to argue that Hyacinthaceae should be maintained as a separate family from the other families which were merged into the Asparagaceae.
In summary, if a plant has different names or is placed in differently named taxa:
If the confusion is purely nomenclatural, i.e. it concerns what to call a taxon which has the same circumscription, rank and position, the ICN provides rules to settle the differences, typically by prescribing that the earliest published name must be used, although names can be conserved.
If the confusion is taxonomic, i.e. taxonomists differ in opinion on the circumscription, rank or position of taxa, then only more scientific research can settle the differences, and even then only sometimes.
Accepted names
Various botanical databases such as Plants of the World Online and World Flora Online make determinations as to whether a name is accepted, eg accepted species. If a name is not accepted, it may be because the name is a synonym for a name that is already accepted, and is listed as such. Another term is ambiguous to denote a name that is not accepted because its separate existence cannot be reliably determined. For instance, specimens that are damaged, immature or the necessary information or expertise ids not available. This can lead to abundances, multiple published names for the same entity.[12]
^ abDashwood, Melanie & Mathew, Brian (2005), , Royal Horticultural Society, archived from the original on 6 August 2011, retrieved 19 February 2011, p. 5
^Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (1998), "An ordinal classification for the families of flowering plants" (PDF), Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 85 (4): 531–553, doi:10.2307/2992015, JSTOR 2992015, retrieved 2011-02-19
^Angiosperm Phylogeny Group III (2009), "An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III", Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 161 (2): 105–121, doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x
^ abChase, M.W.; Reveal, J.L. & Fay, M.F. (2009), "A subfamilial classification for the expanded asparagalean families Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceae and Xanthorrhoeaceae", Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 161 (2): 132–136, doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00999.x
Pavord, Anna (2005). The naming of names the search for order in the world of plants. New York: Bloomsbury. ISBN9781596919655. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
Stearn, William T. (1992) [1966]. Botanical Latin : history, grammar, syntax, terminology and vocabulary (4 ed.). Portland, Or.: Timber Press. ISBN9780881923216. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
Stearn, William T. (2002) [1992]. Stearn's dictionary of plant names for gardeners : a handbook on the origin and meaning of the botanical names of some cultivated plants. Portland, Or.: Timber Press. ISBN978-0881925562. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
Bernhardt, Peter (2008). Gods and goddesses in the garden : Greco-Roman mythology and the scientific names of plants. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press. ISBN9780813542669. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
Cuffney, T. F.; Bilger, M. D.; Haigler, A. M. (2007). "Ambiguous taxa: effects on the characterization and interpretation of invertebrate assemblages" (PDF). J. N. Am. Benthol. Soc. 26 (2): 286–307. doi:10.1899/0887-3593(2007)26[286:ATEOTC]2.0.CO;2.
Morgan, Michelle (October 2005). (PDF). Number 89. MediHerb. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
Fuchs, Leonhart (1642). De Historia Stirpium Commentarii Insignes. Basileae: In officina Isingriniana. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
February 08, 2023
botanical, nomenclature, terminology, used, describing, plants, glossary, plant, morphology, formal, scientific, naming, plants, related, distinct, from, taxonomy, plant, taxonomy, concerned, with, grouping, classifying, plants, botanical, nomenclature, then, . For terminology used in describing plants see Glossary of plant morphology Botanical nomenclature is the formal scientific naming of plants It is related to but distinct from taxonomy Plant taxonomy is concerned with grouping and classifying plants botanical nomenclature then provides names for the results of this process The starting point for modern botanical nomenclature is Linnaeus Species Plantarum of 1753 Botanical nomenclature is governed by the International Code of Nomenclature for algae fungi and plants ICN which replaces the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature ICBN Fossil plants are also covered by the code of nomenclature Within the limits set by that code there is another set of rules the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants ICNCP which applies to plant cultivars that have been deliberately altered or selected by humans see cultigen Contents 1 History and scope 2 Relationship to taxonomy 3 Accepted names 4 See also 4 1 General 4 2 Botany 5 References 6 BibliographyHistory and scope EditBotanical nomenclature has a long history going back beyond the period when Latin was the scientific language throughout Europe to Theophrastus c 370 287 BC Dioscorides c 40 90 AD and other Greek writers Many of these works have come down to us in Latin translations The principal Latin writer on botany was Pliny the Elder 23 79 AD From Mediaeval times Latin became the universal scientific language lingua franca in Europe Most written plant knowledge was the property of monks particularly Benedictine and the purpose of those early herbals was primarily medicinal rather than plant science per se It would require the invention of the printing press 1450 to make such information more widely available 1 2 3 Leonhart Fuchs a German physician and botanist is often considered the originator of Latin names for the rapidly increasing number of plants known to science For instance he coined the name Digitalis in his De Historia Stirpium Commentarii Insignes 1542 A key event was Linnaeus adoption of binomial names for plant species in his Species Plantarum 1753 4 In the nineteenth century it became increasingly clear that there was a need for rules to govern scientific nomenclature and initiatives were taken to refine the body of laws initiated by Linnaeus These were published in successively more sophisticated editions For plants key dates are 1867 lois de Candolle and 1906 International Rules of Botanical Nomenclature Vienna Rules The most recent is the Shenzhen Code adopted in 2018 Another development was the insight into the delimitation of the concept of plant Gradually more and more groups of organisms are being recognised as being independent of plants Nevertheless the formal names of most of these organisms are governed by the ICN even today Some protists that do not fit easily into either plant or animal categories are treated under either or both of the ICN and the ICZN A separate Code was adopted to govern the nomenclature of Bacteria the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria Relationship to taxonomy EditBotanical nomenclature is closely linked to plant taxonomy and botanical nomenclature serves plant taxonomy but nevertheless botanical nomenclature is separate from plant taxonomy Botanical nomenclature is merely the body of rules prescribing which name applies to that taxon see correct name and if a new name may or must be coined Plant taxonomy is an empirical science a science that determines what constitutes a particular taxon taxonomic grouping plural taxa e g What plants belong to this species and What species belong to this genus The definition of the limits of a taxon is called its circumscription For a particular taxon if two taxonomists agree exactly on its circumscription rank and position i e the higher rank in which it is included then there is only one name which can apply under the ICN 5 Where they differ in opinion on any of these issues one and the same plant may be placed in taxa with different names As an example consider Siehe s Glory of the Snow Chionodoxa siehei Flowers of Chionodoxa siehei which can also be called Scilla siehei or included in Chionodoxa forbesii or in Scilla forbesii Taxonomists can disagree as to whether two groups of plants are sufficiently distinct to be put into one species or not Thus Chionodoxa siehei and Chionodoxa forbesii have been treated as a single species by some taxonomists or as two species by others 6 If treated as one species the earlier published name must be used 7 so plants previously called Chionodoxa siehei become Chionodoxa forbesii Taxonomists can disagree as to whether two genera are sufficiently distinct to be kept separate or not While agreeing that the genus Chionodoxa is closely related to the genus Scilla nevertheless the bulb specialist Brian Mathew considers that their differences warrant maintaining separate genera 6 Others disagree and would refer to Chionodoxa siehei as Scilla siehei The earliest published genus name must be used when genera are merged 7 in this case Scilla was published earlier and is used not Chionodoxa Taxonomists can disagree as to the limits of families When the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group APG first published its classification of the flowering plants in 1998 Chionodoxa siehei would have been placed in the family Hyacinthaceae 8 In the 2009 revision of their classification the APG no longer recognize the Hyacinthaceae as a separate family merging it into a greatly enlarged family Asparagaceae 9 Thus Chionodoxa siehei moves from the Hyacinthaceae to the Asparagaceae Taxonomists can disagree as to the rank of a taxon Rather than allow the Hyacinthaceae to disappear altogether Chase et al suggested that it be treated as a subfamily within the Asparagaceae 10 The ICN requires family names to end with aceae and subfamily names to end with oideae 11 Thus a possible name for the Hyacinthaceae when treated as a subfamily would be Hyacinthoideae However the name Scilloideae had already been published in 1835 as the name for a subfamily containing the genus Scilla so this name has priority and must be used 10 Hence for those taxonomists who accept the APG system of 2009 Chionodoxa siehei can be placed in the subfamily Scilloideae of the family Asparagaceae However a taxonomist is perfectly free to continue to argue that Hyacinthaceae should be maintained as a separate family from the other families which were merged into the Asparagaceae In summary if a plant has different names or is placed in differently named taxa If the confusion is purely nomenclatural i e it concerns what to call a taxon which has the same circumscription rank and position the ICN provides rules to settle the differences typically by prescribing that the earliest published name must be used although names can be conserved If the confusion is taxonomic i e taxonomists differ in opinion on the circumscription rank or position of taxa then only more scientific research can settle the differences and even then only sometimes Accepted names EditVarious botanical databases such as Plants of the World Online and World Flora Online make determinations as to whether a name is accepted eg accepted species If a name is not accepted it may be because the name is a synonym for a name that is already accepted and is listed as such Another term is ambiguous to denote a name that is not accepted because its separate existence cannot be reliably determined For instance specimens that are damaged immature or the necessary information or expertise ids not available This can lead to abundances multiple published names for the same entity 12 See also EditGeneral Edit Scientific classification Binomial nomenclature Nomenclature CodesBotany Edit Botanical name International Code of Nomenclature for algae fungi and plants Correct name botany Author citation botany Hybrid name botany International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants International Plant Names Index lists names of seed plants and ferns International Association for Plant Taxonomy PaleobotanyReferences Edit Stearn 1992 Stearn 2002 Pavord 2005 Barkworth M 2004 Botanical Nomenclature Nomenclature Names and Taxonomy University of Utah archived from the original on 2011 07 20 retrieved 2011 02 20 McNeill et al 2012 Principle IV a b Dashwood Melanie amp Mathew Brian 2005 Hyacinthaceae little blue bulbs RHS Plant Trials and Awards Bulletin Number 11 Royal Horticultural Society archived from the original on 6 August 2011 retrieved 19 February 2011 p 5 a b McNeill et al 2012 Principle III Angiosperm Phylogeny Group 1998 An ordinal classification for the families of flowering plants PDF Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 85 4 531 553 doi 10 2307 2992015 JSTOR 2992015 retrieved 2011 02 19 Angiosperm Phylogeny Group III 2009 An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants APG III Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 161 2 105 121 doi 10 1111 j 1095 8339 2009 00996 x a b Chase M W Reveal J L amp Fay M F 2009 A subfamilial classification for the expanded asparagalean families Amaryllidaceae Asparagaceae and Xanthorrhoeaceae Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 161 2 132 136 doi 10 1111 j 1095 8339 2009 00999 x McNeill et al 2012 Article 19 1 Cuffney et al 2007 Bibliography EditPavord Anna 2005 The naming of names the search for order in the world of plants New York Bloomsbury ISBN 9781596919655 Retrieved 18 February 2015 Stearn William T 1992 1966 Botanical Latin history grammar syntax terminology and vocabulary 4 ed Portland Or Timber Press ISBN 9780881923216 Retrieved 19 February 2015 Stearn William T 2002 1992 Stearn s dictionary of plant names for gardeners a handbook on the origin and meaning of the botanical names of some cultivated plants Portland Or Timber Press ISBN 978 0881925562 Retrieved 19 February 2015 Bernhardt Peter 2008 Gods and goddesses in the garden Greco Roman mythology and the scientific names of plants New Brunswick N J Rutgers University Press ISBN 9780813542669 Retrieved 19 February 2015 Cuffney T F Bilger M D Haigler A M 2007 Ambiguous taxa effects on the characterization and interpretation of invertebrate assemblages PDF J N Am Benthol Soc 26 2 286 307 doi 10 1899 0887 3593 2007 26 286 ATEOTC 2 0 CO 2 Morgan Michelle October 2005 Botanical Latin The Poetry of Herb Names PDF Number 89 MediHerb Archived from the original PDF on 4 September 2012 Retrieved 19 February 2015 Fuchs Leonhart 1642 De Historia Stirpium Commentarii Insignes Basileae In officina Isingriniana Retrieved 20 February 2015 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Botanical nomenclature amp oldid 1130690041, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
