Importance of Botanical Plant Names
- Uniqueness The botanical name is unique to a specific plant. ...
- Key to Information The botanical name of a plant is the key to finding everything known about that plant and its cultivation. ...
- Rules for Naming The 18th century Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus created the Latin binomial system for classifying plants in 1735. ...
- Two Words The botanical name always has at least two words. ...
Why is it better to use scientific names for organisms?
What are three advantages of using scientific names for organisms?
- consistency across languages and cultures
- classification nomenclature. name gives a genus and species that helps quickly identify the organisms place in cladea etc.
- latin allows for inventive names that can give more info such as the founders name or a property of the organism. ...
Why and how species are given scientific names?
Scientific Names: Have you ever wondered why every species has its own scientific names? Because the regional name of the species can differ from one state to another. In order to avoid this confusion, scientists introduced scientific names for every species and used to call the species. Scientific names are also known as biological names.
Why is a scientific name used for each organism?
Scientific names are used to describe various species of organisms in a way that is universal so that scientists around the globe can readily identify the same animal. This is called binomial nomenclature, and many of the scientific names are derived from the Latin name of the organism.
What are some science names?
Science Team Names
- Golden Comets
- Schrodinger's Cats
- Lab Rats
- E=MC Hammer
- Neon Rubindium (Ne-Rd)
- Earth Warriors
- Puffy Planets
- Pluto Space Wizards
- Holy Balls Batman
- Zenith Vipers
Why do plants have scientific names?
What are some examples of plants with a second name?
What are the two parts of a plant?
What is the name of the plant that grows in the Latin word "acer"?
What does rubrum mean in plants?
History Lesson: Taxonomy – coming up with scientific names
First, because I’m a history geek, a little history about scientific names. The science of naming and categorizing organisms (plant, animal, insect, etc) is called taxonomy. We currently use the binomial nomenclature system. This means there are two names.
Finally: Why it is beneficial learn the scientific names of plants
Scientific names are accepted, generally, by everyone in all different languages. This is not only for identification purposes, but if you are talking with someone whose native language is not English, you can make sure you’re talking about the same plant. (I actually encountered this with a friend from Romania – it happens!)
Why do plants have scientific names?
The main reason for plants to have scientific names is to eliminate confusion. Some common names may be used for more than one plant. If I was talking about a snowball bush, what type of plant comes to mind? Some people may think of a type of viburnum, while others think of a type of hydrangea.
What are some examples of plants with a second name?
For example, the second name will some times describe a color: alba (white), rubra (red), nigra (black), viridis (green), and purpurea (purple). Other scientific names can describe the habit or form of a plant. If you see “procumbens” as part of a name, the plant is usually low-growing. “Repens” indicates a plant that creeps, ...
What are the two parts of a plant?
Every scientific name is made up of two parts, the genus and the specific epithet. These two parts put together identify what the plant species is. As an example, take the name Acer rubrum or better known as a red maple. The genus, Acer, is the Latin name for maple.
What is the name of the plant that grows in the Latin word "acer"?
The genus, Acer, is the Latin name for maple. So, when you see a plant with the genus Acer you know that it is some type of maple. But there are many types of maples so the specific epithet, which is the second part of a scientific name, describes what type of maple.
What does rubrum mean in plants?
The specific epithet, rubrum, means red and with the genus tells you that the plant is a red maple. Once you get use to looking at scientific names, you will notice that some names help describe the plant. For example, the second name will some times describe a color: alba (white), rubra (red), nigra (black), viridis (green), and purpurea (purple).
Why do we use scientific plant names?
We use scientific plant names (or "botanical plant names") to avoid confusion since they are an international language of sorts. That does not mean that they, themselves are never confusing; botanists sometimes decide the current plant taxonomy is "wrong" and change the name. But, by and large, the use of the binomial system described above achieves greater clarity than the use of common plant names.
Why do we use plant names?
Why We Use Botanical Plant Names. We use scientific plant names (or "botanical plant names") to avoid confusion since they are an international language of sorts. That does not mean that they, themselves are never confusing; botanists sometimes decide the current plant taxonomy is "wrong" and change the name.
What is the common name of a plant?
The common name for a plant is not always a literal translation of the Latin name. For example, the common name for Celastrus scandens is American bittersweet, but the literal translation of the Latin, in this case, has nothing to do with either "American" or "bittersweet."
What is plant taxonomy?
Plant taxonomy is the discipline underlying the system of classification used by botanists and horticulturists to organize plants and identify them clearly. Improving on the models developed by his predecessors, Linnaeus simplified the naming procedure through the "binomial" system.
What is the Binomial System?
The Binomial System. Linnaeus' binomial system uses one Latin name to indicate the genus, and another to indicate the specific epithet. Together, the genus and epithet comprise the "species.". By definition, "binomial" means "characterized by having two names," from the prefix "bi-" (indicating "two") and the Latin word for "name," nomen .
How to look up a plant by botanical name?
To look up a particular plant by botanical name, consult The Spruce's A-Z Plant Index and sort by botanical name. Do not be afraid to work with botanical nomenclature. It may seem intimidating at first, but you will soon recognize some terms that appear over and over again, establishing patterns: for example, the use of reptans in the name of a creeper .
What are the three classifications of a botanical name?
The Breakdown of a Botanical Name. Species, genus, and family and are the three classifications you need to know. The species is a subset of the genus , and the genus is a subset of a family.
Why do plants change their names?
As an example of the first (nomenclature), names change based on the rule of priority of publication . This rule, stipulated in the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (you can find it online in case you’ve lost your copy), states that if a species has been named more than once, the first correctly published name is the one that must be used; all others become unused synonyms. A long-established name can sometimes be replaced by an earlier published name if new details emerge about the order of publication. As an example, London plane tree, the most commonly grown urban tree in the temperate world, has been the subject of its fair share of nomenclatural contention. Most authorities believe these trees to be hybrids between Oriental planes ( P. orientalis) from Eurasia, and American sycamores ( P. occidentalis) from the eastern United States. The common and widely used name, Platanus × acerifolia (the “×” denotes their hybrid origin), was printed in Species Plantarum in 1805. However, the German botanist Otto von Münchhausen published an earlier name for these hybrids, Platanus × hispanica, in 1770, making his the most accurate name to use.
Why is it important to know the taxonomy of plants?
Accurate plant taxonomy is essential to our understanding of plant evolution, relatedness, geography, conservation, and rarity. If we know what group a plant belongs to, then we know who that plant’s relatives are and who its ancestors were. Knowledge of relatedness can also help gardeners and nurserymen grow plants more successfully. For instance, understanding that a new plant is a member of the heath family (Ericaceae) will help a gardener find a suitable location with the acidic soils favored by most in that family. Precise knowledge of plant relationships is also crucial in terms of hybridization, rootstock selection, breeding for pest resistance, germ plasm conservation, and the creation of new cultivars.
What is the conservation of a plant?
Conservation is a formal process that requires a decision at an International Botanical Congress (held once every six years). The established use of the generic name Chrysanthemum instead of Dendranthema for the garden chrysanthemum is an example of conservation. An investigation of the relationships of the plants grouped in Chrysanthemum revealed that some species were more closely related to members of other genera than they were to each other. The type species of the genus was garland daisy (C. coronarium), a plant familiar to many Californians as both an ornamental and a weedy escapee. The studies indicated that the economically important garden chrysanthemum should be excluded from Chrysanthemum and placed into the genus Dendranthema. Growers protested, and a proposal to designate the garden chrysanthemum as the type species of Chrysanthemum was accepted at the 1999 Botanical Congress in St Louis. Because of this decision, the three species assigned to Chrysanthemum in The Jepson Manual are now assigned to other genera. Garland daisy and corn daisy have became Glebionis coronaria and G. segetum, respectively, and tricolor daisy is now Ismelia carinata
What is the family of plants that are known for their stately oaks?
Recent discoveries place the cucumber family (Cucurbitaceae), with its herbaceous, vining pumpkins, squashes, and melons, as a nearby relative of the oak family (Fagaceae), known for its stately oaks, beeches, and chestnuts. And, as it turns out, sycamores ( Platanus ssp.) are related to the water lotus ( Nelumbo nucifera) and to members of the Protea family (Proteaceae), which includes grevilleas, banksias, and macadamia nuts; together, this group of seemingly unrelated plants makes up the modern order Proteales.
How does DNA sequencing help determine evolutionary relationships?
As old taxonomies succumb to new understanding, name changes are sometimes required to uphold the principle that names must represent true evolutionary relationships. Sometimes, to achieve the goal of having a taxonomic group represent an evolutionary lineage, a genus or family that does not meet these criteria must be split apart. In other cases, mergers bring about the desired results. Many species have been transferred from one genus to another. The tomato is no longer in the genus Lycopersicon; now it’s a Solanum. Hebe has been subsumed again into Veronica. Some species of Acacia have become Senegalia, others Vachellia. Floss silk tree goes from Chorisia to Ceiba. Many species of trumpet trees are reassigned from Tabebuia to Handroanthus. All bottlebrushes amalgamate in Melaleuca, and Callistemon is no longer. And the list goes on . . .
Is plant taxonomy accurate?
However, accurate plant taxonomy is not easily achieved. The names of many plants remain the subject of controversy, and time-honored names of common garden plants are occasionally refuted. It is a wonderful and difficult thing to contemplate the diversity of the world’s plants, both extant and extinct. Nature is not easily understood, defined, or categorized, and experts have varying viewpoints on plant relationships and the names that represent those relationships.
Why do plants have scientific names?
The main reason for plants to have scientific names is to eliminate confusion. Some common names may be used for more than one plant. If I was talking about a snowball bush, what type of plant comes to mind? Some people may think of a type of viburnum, while others think of a type of hydrangea.
What are some examples of plants with a second name?
For example, the second name will some times describe a color: alba (white), rubra (red), nigra (black), viridis (green), and purpurea (purple). Other scientific names can describe the habit or form of a plant. If you see “procumbens” as part of a name, the plant is usually low-growing. “Repens” indicates a plant that creeps, ...
What are the two parts of a plant?
Every scientific name is made up of two parts, the genus and the specific epithet. These two parts put together identify what the plant species is. As an example, take the name Acer rubrum or better known as a red maple. The genus, Acer, is the Latin name for maple.
What is the name of the plant that grows in the Latin word "acer"?
The genus, Acer, is the Latin name for maple. So, when you see a plant with the genus Acer you know that it is some type of maple. But there are many types of maples so the specific epithet, which is the second part of a scientific name, describes what type of maple.
What does rubrum mean in plants?
The specific epithet, rubrum, means red and with the genus tells you that the plant is a red maple. Once you get use to looking at scientific names, you will notice that some names help describe the plant. For example, the second name will some times describe a color: alba (white), rubra (red), nigra (black), viridis (green), and purpurea (purple).