Scientific Plant Names
The current system of using Latin to name biological organisms was developed by Carl von
Linne, more commonly known by his pen name Linnaeus, about 250 years ago (his Species
Plantarum was first published in 1753). This system is known as the Linnaean binomial system
of nomenclature.
In this system, biological organisms, such as plants, are given two ‘latinized’ names, the Latin
binomial or so-called "scientific name". The first name represents the genus and the second
name is termed the specific epithet.
The generic name in combination with the specific epithet constitutes the species name. Thus,
each species has a two part name or binomial. The custom of using Latin pronunciation and
spelling originated from medieval scholarship and the use of Latin continued in most botanical
publications until the middle of the nineteenth century.
In this binomial system, humans are known taxonomically as Homo sapiens (Latin: homo, man;
sapiens, wise or knowing) which literally translates to "wise man" or "knowing man".
The landscape garden plant that is commonly known in North America as the garden tomato has
been given the Latin binomial of Solanum lycopersicum. Garden tomato = Solanum
lycopersicum.
The garden tomato is in the "nightshade" genus, which is called Solanum, and its specific epithet
is lycopersicum, which is Latin for “wolf peach”. Therefore, the binomial name for this species
is Solanum lycopersicum. Of course plants are named with reference to more or less similar
plants, for example other Solanum, and in doing so are placed into a number of increasingly
broader taxonomic ranks or taxa (singular is taxon).
Next, consider the red maple tree or Acer rubrum:
ASU Sustainable Horticulture
ABS 360 Southwest Home Gardening
by Dr. Chris A. Martin
Acer rubrum (red maple) taxonomy
Kingdom Planta – plants (~326,000 species)
Subkingdom Tracheobionta -- vascular plants (~287,000)
Phylum Magnoliophyta -- angiosperms, flowering plants (~259,000)
Class Magnoliopsida – dicotyledons (~199,000)
Subclass Rosidae -- flowers with separate petals (~58,000)
Order Sapindales -- woody, lobed or compound leaves (~5,700)
Family Aceraceae -- (now Sapindaceae) opposite leaves, winged samara; mostly maples (~152)
Genus Acer L. -- maples (~150)
Species Acer rubrum L. -- red maple (1)
One might argue that a person should just use the so-called "common name" of a plant, since it
would be much simpler, especially since few people can read or speak Latin. Thus, if we could
all agree that the name for red maple is red maple, then this would be an English binomial
system. However, there are problems with using common names, such as:
"Common names" are often common only to a localized region. For example, the red
maple is commonly called the scarlet or swamp maple in some areas. How about another
example, the colorful summer annual Celosia argentea, which is native to tropical
America and Africa, has at least three common names (i.e., cockscomb, Chinese wool
flower, feathery amaranth). In England, the white water lily has 15 common names, and
if you include the common German, French, and Dutch names it has over 240 names!
Sometimes the same common name is used in different regions to identify completely
different plants. A tree in the eastern United States that is often called ironwood is of the
genus Ostrya, whereas in Arizona ironwood refers to a tree in the genus Olneya.
Common names usually do not provide information on generic or family relationships;
they tend to be independent of other names. In fact common names may suggest
erroneous relationships between plants. For example, only one of the following plants is
a "true cedar", i.e., of the genus Cedrus: Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica), Port
Orford Cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), Incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens),
Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata), Cedar berry (Juniperus monosperma) Eastern Red
Cedar (Juniperus virginiana), and Deodar Cedar (Cedrus deodara).
Some plants, especially those that are rare, do not have common names. Or more
correctly, they lack common names in English, most may have been named by native
people familiar with a given plant. One local Arizona landscape plant example is Agave
geminiflora.
Linnaean binomial system
Since we now frequently interact with people all over the globe, using a myriad of languages, a
single, agreed upon name for an organism is a great advantage. Thus, the success of the
Linnaean binomial system - it is the common language of no one and is used by everyone.
A Latin binomial name (the scientific name) is italicized or underlined, the genus is capitalized
and the specific epithet is usually not capitalized. However, the specific epithet may (or may
not) be capitalized if it is…..
derived from a person's name (e.g., Agave weberi - after botanist Frédéric Albert
Constantin Weber), or
comes from a geographic name (e.g., Fatsia japonica – from Japan), or
is from a generic name (e.g., Picea abies - where Abies is the genus name of Fir).
The Arizona native tree commonly known as foothills palo verde, has a scientific name that
should be written as: Parkinsonia microphylla or Parkinsonia microphylla. However,
sometimes you might see this written as: Parkinsonia microphylla Torr. The abbreviated name(s)
following the scientific plant name is the name of the "authority" or "author". This refers to
the individual(s) who were instrumental in naming the plant "scientifically", in this case John
Torrey (1796-1873). Similarly, the scientific name of the white oak is written as Quercus alba
L. Here the letter "L" is used to identify Linnaeus as the authority. In most nursery and
landscaping literature the authority name does not accompany the scientific name.
Hybrids
Sometimes it’s possible to obtain offspring or progeny from crossing plants of different species,
for example say two or more species of petunia (Petunia). Frequently a × (the multiplication
sign) is used in a scientific name of such hybrid plants. For example, the strawberry of
commerce is a hybrid, the result of a chance cross between plants of two strawberry (Fragaria)
species, Fragaria chiloensis and Fragaria virginiana.
The scientific name of the commercial strawberry is, Fragaria × ananassa, with the × indicating
that it’s a hybrid. (The proper designation is Fragaria ×ananassa, with no space between the ×
and the specific epithet, however, this sometimes causes confusion since the × might be read as
the letter "x".)
Rarely plants in different genera have been hybridized,
resulting in a intergeneric hybrid. For example, English Ivy
(Hedera helix) was successfully crossed with Japanese Fatsia
(Fatsia japonica), and the resulting plant has the common
name Fatshedera; its botanical name is × Fatshedera lizei.
The × before the genus name indicates that this plant is a
hybrid of two genera.
Some Terms
Genus: Weakly defined as a more or less closely related and definable group of organisms
comprising one or more species. A genus is an aggregate of closely related species. The species
have more characteristics in common with each other than they do with species of other genera
in the same family. Similarity of flowers and fruits is the most widely used feature of
comparison. A genus may contain a single species (e.g., Ginkgo) or more than 100 (e.g., Rosa).
Species: This is difficult to define, more a concept than an absolute entity. Species are
sometimes defined as a group of individual organisms (plants) that are fundamentally alike.
Ideally, organisms in the same species should have in common distinct and unique
morphological characteristics that are different even from other closely related species. This is
necessary for a practical classification that can be used by others. All the individuals in a given
species might not be identical phenotypically (outward appearance). Think of it as a population
in which any character might be expressed to different degrees in each individual. Humans are
classified as the single species Homo sapiens, but we certainly are not phenotypically or
morphologically identical. Check this idea out by taking a stroll in the woods and examine
plants of a single species. Species is abbreviated sp. (singular) or spp. (plural).
Variety (Latin, varietas): In the botanical sense, a variety is a population of plants of a species
that display marked differences in nature, and these differences are transmitted by seed (i.e.,
inherited). Variety, abbreviated var. is subordinate to species. A variety name is written in lower
case, italicized or underlined, and is preceded by the abbreviation var. For example, the common
honeylocust in the wild has thorns, but thornless plants are also found. The honeylocust is
Gleditsia triacanthos whereas the thornless honeylocust is named Gleditsia triacanthos var.
inermis (triacanthos = three spined, inermis = unarmed, i.e., lacking thorns ). Horticultural
varieties refers to plants collected an propagated from plant in natural or non-cultivated settings.
Sometimes subspecies (abbreviated ssp. or subsp.) names are used in place of variety. Their use
depends upon the taxonomic "school" of the writer.
Form (Latin, forma): Used to recognize and describe sporadic variations, such as the
occasional white flowered plant in a normally purple-flowered species. For example: the
southern live oak (Quercus virginiana) in nature is distributed across a wide geographic range
from the Carolina into southern Texas and northwest Mexico. In the southwest part of their
range the tree are smaller and more compact. Souther live oak from this part of its native range
are called Quercus virginiana f. fusiformis. However, some might consider if a "variety"
characteristic and use: Quercus virginiana var. fusiformis. The term form is apparently little
used by present-day taxonomists, but it is still used in the horticultural literature.
Cultivar: A relatively modern term, coined by L.H. Bailey, derived from the term "cultivated
variety". It is defined as an assemblage of cultivated plants which is clearly distinguished by
one or more characters, and which when reproduced (sexually or asexually) retains its
distinguishing characteristics. A well-known cultivar of Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) is the
purple leafed 'Crimson King'. So the plant would be named as follows: Acer platanoides
'Crimson King'. Note the single quotes on either side of the cultivar name, which is not
italicized or underlined. Cultivar is sometimes abbreviated cv. so the plant could also be named
as (single quotes deleted) Acer platanoides cv. Crimson King. According to international rules
[International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (ICNCP)] cultivar names coined since
1959 should be in a modern language, i.e., they should not be Latin or Latinized, as many were
in the past.
Patents: Patents give exclusive rights (i.e., protection) to an inventor to make, use, and sell
his/her invention. Introduced plants can be patented. For 20 years after the date indicated on the
patent, only the patent holder may commercially raise or sell a patented plant. Others may do so
through license or royalty agreements with the patent holder. An example of a patented plant:
An unusual plant was discovered in June 1968 in a large field of 120,000 seedlings of the
Common or Eastern Ninebark species, Physocarpus opulifolius, growing in the Kordes Nursery,
near Hamburg in Germany. The plant had reddish foliage which contrasted markedly with the
typically green foliage plants of this species. The unique plant was patented as Physocarpus
opulifolius `Monlo` (see below).
The following is from the U.S Patent and Tradmark Office: United States Patent PP11,211
Kordes, et al., February 8, 2000
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Physocarpus opulifolius `Monlo`
Abstract:
A new and distinct selection of Ninebark, Physocarpus opulifolius, which shall be referred to
hereinafter as cultivar `Monlo`. Cultivar `Monlo` differs distinctively from other Physocarpus
opulifolius plants by possessing a unique combination of an outstanding cold hardy shrub with
intense foliage color throughout the seasons peaking in summer to a maroon red and contrasting
to the creamy-white flowers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inventors: Kordes; Gunter (Bilsen, DE), Schadendorf; Hans (Ellerbek, DE)
Assignee: Monrovia (Azusa, CA)
Appl. No.: 09/006,709 Filed: January 14, 1998
Trademarks: Trademarks offer another, and simpler, form of protection. The trademark name
(name only, not the plant itself) of a plant can be trademarked and such names cannot be used as
a name for any other similar plant or product. Trademarked plant names are indicated by use of
trademark (™) or registered trademark (®) designations (e.g., Echinacea ‘Burgundy
Fireworks’™) and the usage of such names is legally controlled and may continue
indefinitely. However, laws governing their usage may vary from state to state.
A cultivar name is considered descriptive of the plant, and it may be registered with the
International Code of Nomenclature. A trademark name cannot be used in the Code of
Nomenclature. Thus, a unique or novel name must be created in addition to the cultivar name to
establish a trademark. Trademark names are considered "brand names", similar to Air Jordan
being a brand of athletic shoes, and have no taxonomic validity. Furthermore, if a trademark
name is used in international registers or printed matter as a cultivar name, the name becomes
generic and losses the protection status for the inventor (breeder).
Thus, a trademarked plant often may have a trademark name and a cultivar name. In this case,
the cultivar name is sometimes considered a "nonsense" name in that it is rarely used in
commerce. The trademark name is the name promoted commercially. However, the so-
called nonsense cultivar name is the name used in the Code of Nomenclature.
Nursery catalogs (and instructors) are sometimes not careful as to a plant's correct cultivar or
trademark name. These names get confused and misused, with trademarks frequently designated
as cultivar names. An example of name confusion is shown with the names for the popular Red
Sunset selection of Red Maple (Acer rubrum) developed at the Frank J. Schmidt nursery in
Boring, Oregon.
This maple is trademarked Red Sunset®, hence, Acer rubrum Red Sunset® and its cultivar name
is 'Franksred', hence, Acer rubrum 'Franksred' but it is sometimes incorrectly designated in
nursery catalogs as, Acer rubrum 'Red Sunset' or even Acer rubrum 'Red Sunset'®.
References
1. Coombes, A.J. 1985. Dictionary of plant names. Timber Press, Portland, Ore.
2. Dirr, M. A. 1990. Manual of woody landscape plants, 4th Edition, Stipes Pub. Co., Champaign, Ill.
3. Dirr, M. A. 1998. Manual of woody landscape plants, 5th Edition, Stipes Pub. Co., Champaign, Ill.
4. Dirr, M. A. 2009. Manual of woody landscape plants, 6th Edition, Stipes Pub. Co., Champaign, Ill.
5. Fisher, T. 2000. How do you say that? A guide to pronouncing botanical Latin. Horticulture 97:41-42, 44.
6. Hyman, R., and R. Pankhurst. 1995. Plants and their names: a concise dictionary. Oxford University Press,
New York.
7. Jacobson, A.L. 1996. North American Landscape Trees. 722 p., Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, Calif.
8. Jones, S. B., and A. E. Luchsinger. 1979. Plant systematics. McGraw-Hill, New York.
9. Stearn, W. T. 1973. Botanical Latin. David & Charles, Newton Abbot, England.
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
