The current system of binomial nomenclature (meaning ‘two
name’) was devised by the Swedish botanist, zoologist, and physician, Carl
Linnaeus in 1753. This system uses a two-part name for the naming of plants,
the first part is the genus, this is ALWAYS
either underlined, or in italics and MUST
be capitalised. The second part is the species, this is also always either
underlined, or in italics however, it is not capitalised. For example, the
scientific name for the Nikau palm is Rhopalostylis
sapida. Rhopalostylis is the
genus, and sapida is the species. The
formal binomial also includes the authority,
the person who first described the plant and published the name. This is often
abbreviated, for example, Bellis perennis L. indicates that Linnaeus
(abbreviated as L.) first described this plant and published the name.
If you discover a new species and wish to give it a formal
name, there are a set of certain rules you must follow for your plant name to
be accepted. These strict rules are outlined in the International Code of
Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants. Among the many rules are a few of
the very basics including:
-
The name must be validly and effectively
published. This means that the name and description of the plant must be
published in a scientific journal which is accessible to the botanical
community.
-
A type specimen must be lodged in a valid
herbarium. A type specimen represents the original plant used to write the description
for the new species, this must be dried and pressed and stored in a valid herbarium
(kind of like a library for preserved plant bits).
Once these, and a few other, conditions are met then your chosen
name will become valid for the newly discovered plant and you may go down in
the history books as the authority for that discovery!
I hope you guys enjoyed learning about the naming of plants
as much as I did!
