Botanical nomenclature: how to correctly write the scientific names of plants

In the biological field, every living being has been categorized using a scientific name composed of two words (binomial nomenclature). This system, known as botanical nomenclature in the case of plants, it generally takes a Latin form and is commonly derived from roots of Greek or Latin origin.

Plants do not escape from this mechanism and although it may seem irrelevant and sometimes complex, understanding scientific names is very important to approach the world of greenery.

There are so many names for plants and these are given following certain criteria which, however, can change from time to time. Typically these variations include:

• The name of the botanist
  • Davidia involcrata, discovered Armand David;
  • thunbergii: by Carl Peter Thunberg (1743-1828), Swedish botanist, as in Spiraea thunbergii
• The name of the scientist
  • Fuchsia, by the German physicist Leonhard Fuchs;
• THE geographical area of origin
  • Africanus, Africana, Africanum: native to Africa, comes in Agapanthus Africanus
  • alpinus, alpina, alpinum: coming from the Alpine region, as in Pulsatilla alpina
  • altaicus, alcaica, altaicum: coming from the Altai mountains, in Central Asia, as in Tulipa altaica
  • chiloensis, chiloensis, chiloense: coming from Chile, as in Fragraria chiloense
  • chinensis, chinensis, chinense: coming from China, as in Stachiurus chinensis
• AND morphological aspects details
  • Parthenocissus quinquefolia, characteristic of the leaf composed of five leaflets
  • acutifolia, acutifolius, acutifolium: with leaves ending in a point, as in Begonia acutifolia
  • pauciflorus, pauciflora, pauciflorum: producing few flowers, as in Corylopsis pauciflora
  • longifolia, tuberous, thorny, myrtifolia, etc.

Alongside the scientific names, i common names given to plants, which instead are more informal and often change from place to place, which can sometimes make the common name unrecognizable from place to place.

• Botanical name: Fagus
• Common name: beech
• Common name: fagg, beech, faggiu

Linnaeus, who is this well-known naturalist?

Carl Nilsson Linnaeuswhich later became Carlo Linneo in Italian, is a name that is heard very often in the botanical field. Born in Sweden in 1707 and also died in Sweden in 1778, he was a doctor, botanist and naturalist, considered nothing less than the father of scientific classification of modern beings that we still use today.

In fact, if you pay attention, very often, following the binomial nomenclature, the letter «L.» appears, which actually identifies «Linnaeus» (e.g.: Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L., 1753)

A nice curiosity can be found in his father’s surname, in fact Carl Nilsson Linnaeus was born to Nils Ingemarson, but the man (and two other paternal brothers of Linnaeus) changed his surname to «Linnaeus», a Latinisation of the dialect «lind», i.e. «lime tree», inspired by a large lime tree that was near his house. So Linnaeus’ great love for botany was an inheritance from his father. Furthermore, that lime tree still exists in Vittaryd.

As we were saying, it was Linnaeus himself, in 1753, who defined and introduced the binomial nomenclature, based on the «Aristotelian model of definition by next genre And specific difference“. Using the taxonomic method, two names of Latin origin are attributed, the first refers to the Type to which the organism belongs, and it is a generic name, as it is the same for all species that share certain main characters, while the second term determines the Speciesand it is a more specific term.

Thanks to Linnaeus, each plant name respects a basic nomenclature which has finally brought clarity and given order where previously only arbitrary names existed. Although it is called «binomial nomenclature», however, there are other elements in addition to family and genus, so let’s see all the various possible components:

1. The family

The composition of plant families is based on conformation of flowers, fruits and vegetative parts of plants. Within each family several genera may be included.
Family: Fagaceae, Pinaceae, Rosaceae…
Species: Beech, Spruce, Rose, Oak, Spruce, Malus, Pine, Pyracantha…

As a general rule, the family should be written with a capital letter for the first letter and with the final part in «aceae».

2. The genre

There is no univocal definition regarding the genus, but in general different species belonging to the same genus have a series of common characteristicsbut they cannot reproduce.

It is written in Latin, with a capital letter: Abies, Prunus, Malus, Quercus, etc.

Lately the possibility of evaluating according to the genome and not just by morphological analysis has led to numerous revisions, such as Sansevieria which no longer exists.

3. To the species

Within each genus, you can find a variety of species, each of which can present distinctive differences in terms of non-core characteristics. As with the genus, it is difficult to perfectly frame the definition of species, but it can be said that it is a non-static category that can change over time because the elements that compose it are part of an evolutionary process in constant movement.

The species is written in Latin and in lowercase:
From the genus Abies the species white, grandis, koreana, nordmanniana, pinsapo, procera…

4. The subspecies

the term subspecies is used to describe individuals belonging to the same species, but which have such limited variations not to justify the recognition of a separate species.

It is written xxx ssp. followed by a lowercase Latin name

• Pinus nigra ssp. nigra = Austrian black pine
• Cistus incanus subsp. Cretan

5. Variety

With “variety” we refer to the variation of characteristics within a single biological species, it is therefore a even narrower grouping based on diversity within the species, almost tending towards singularity. This rumor is actually outside the taxonomic classification systembut it is still often cited in taxonomy.

It is written: xxx var. and is followed by a lowercase Latin name

• Pinus nigra var. maritima = Laricio pine
• Ceanothus tirsiflorus Our. rep

6. Cultivation

Just in case diversity focuses only on specific cultivated formsthe term “cultivar” is commonly used. As a grouping size it is like the variety, it is a variation of a cultivated species based on the morphological aspect or the coloration of the foliage, flowers, fruits or habit. Usually, the set of cultivars of an agricultural species is associated with a botanical variety, even if this correlation is not established in a formal and rigorous way.

The cultivar is indicated between two simple quotes.

7. The shape

Some shape names are given for secondary variationsperhaps sporadic that may occur (e.g. change in color of the flower).

Contrasted with the cultivar, it is particular variations linked to the aesthetic or chromatic aspect. These terms are sometimes considered equivalent to «variety», but in some cases they are subcategories of this, such as «cultivar» which can represent an extremely limited variety, often actually constituting a single clone. “Form” instead often focuses on insulation based on functional characteristics, such as size or physical structure.

The form is identified with f., it does not require a capital letter or italics.

8. Hybrids

Spontaneous or created by botanists, hybrids are now an important part of the world of greenery and are plants obtained with genetic improvement. Hybridization processes can have multiple objectives, such as, for example, modifying some characters or making others emerge. Hybridization, always within the same family, can have different origins and be the result of crossings:

• between different genres
  rather rare, these hybrids are also called “intergenerational” and through them we obtain a new species whose name is composed of a part of the name of each parent.
  It is written like another genre, but preceded by the “x” sign.
• between different species belonging to the same genus
  a new species is obtained whose name will be different from that of the parents, these hybrids are defined interspecific. The species name will be followed by the x sign:
  • Erica x darleyensis = Erica
    cross between Erica carnea and Erica mediterranea
  • Verbascum lychnitis × V. nigrum
  • Verbascum × schiedeanum
  • Hamamelis x intermedia
• between cultivating
  a new cultivar is obtained whose name is not preceded by any sign. Nothing tells us that it is a crossroads.

Patented plants

Like all innovators, those who develop new plant varieties they protect their creations. Interestingly, most of the patented varieties are found among rose plants.

Each plant subject to patent must be marketed with a label certifying its origin and providing information on its creator and authorized distributor.

From the consumer’s point of view, the plant is presented under a trade name. This name is written in lowercase letters without the use of quotation marks and is written in a commonly used language. Furthermore, the name is followed by the symbol “®”, thus indicating its legal protection as a Registered Trademark.

Examples: The golden tide of Forsythia^® ‘Courtasolo’.