Bi 321 Plant Nomenclature 2010

Nomenclature

• _______________________________ Names

• _______________________________ Names

Common Names: +’s & -’s

• Plusses :

•

• Easy to communicate

• Minuses :

•

• Can be locally derived and used (names in English versus names in Chinese)

• No formal rules for creation and employment

• Many different common names for the same plant species »

Scientific Names: +’s & -’s

• Plusses :

•

• Worldwide communication

• Formal rules for creating and employing

• One, and only one, correct name for a plant at a given rank

• Minuses :

•

• Training is REQUIRED!

Origins of Scientific Names

• Polynomials

–

• Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778)

• Employed a binomial system of nomenclature

– two word names in Latin (or Latinized)

• Formal rules set forth in the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN)

The Classification Hierarchy

• Names of Taxa above the rank of Genus

• Standardized Suffixes (ICBN )

• See Table 2-1

• Names are formed by appending the appropriate suffix to the genus name, e.g.:

• Ranunculus

• Ranunculeae (Tribe)

• Ranunculoideae (Subfamily)

• Ranunculaceae (Family)

• Ranunculales (Order)

• Family Names - a curious contradiction

• See Table 2-2

• You are expected to know the “- aceae ” names for these eight families

Names of Genera

•

• Capitalized, underlined or italicized

• Anemone or Anemone

• Latin nouns have grammatical gender

• Masculine, feminine or neuter

• -a: feminine

• -us: masculine (except in woody genera)

• -is: both

• -um: neuter

Species Names

•

•

• A specific epithet by itself is NOT a species name!

• Specific epithets should be lower case and underlined

• Usually a Latin adjective or a noun in the possessive case

• Frequently “coined” to honor someone

• See Table 2-4

What About Authors?

• Authors - why do they matter?

• Who named that plant?

• Anemone cyanea Risso or Anemone cyanea Freyn ?

• Why the parentheses?

• Anemone quinquefolia L. var. minima (DC.) Frodin

• based on Anemone minima DC.

• “ex” and “in”

• Anemone piperi Britton ex Rydberg

• Anemone piperi Rydberg

• Anemone quinquefolia L. var. minima (DC.) Frodin in B.E. Dutton & Keener

• More Dutton “rules” - “ex” is NECESSARY

• “in” is bibliographic information and is NOT NECESSARY (i.e., required)

• Names of Infraspecific Taxa

• ___________________________ (discreet geographic range)

• ___________________________ (genetically based response to different environmental conditions)

• ___________________________ (sporadic variation)

• Construction is similar to specific epithets

• Authors of infraspecific names

• Anemone narcissiflora L. var. zephyra (A. Nelson) B.E. Dutton & Keener

• HOWEVER,

• Anemone quinquefolia L. var. quinquefolia

• Autonyms

Scientific Names are

• Complete ONLY when Generic name, specific epithet, and author are included (the Dutton requirement for names on labels and key downs!!!)

• Anemone quinquefolia L. var. minima (DC.) Frodin

Pronunciation

• In other words ….

• How the heck do you say -aceae

• Divide the word carefully into syllables (assume that every vowel belongs to a different syllable)

• Pronounce each syllable

• Listen to others and practice what sounds good to your ear; conviction is important

• Attempt to accent all syllables equally; this is likely to show you where accents fall naturally

• Develop your own standards for pronouncing common endings like “-aceae”, “-iae”, “-ensis”, etc.

• Retain pronunciation of proper names used in scientific names

• When someone presumes to correct your pronunciation, a knowing smile is an appropriate response

The Code

• The Role of International Botanical Congresses

• The International Code of Botanical Nomenclature

General Principles

• 1. Botanical nomenclature is independent of zoological nomenclature

• The Botanical Code includes fungi, algae, & blue-green algae

• 2. The application of names of taxonomic groups is determined by means of nomenclatural types

• ___________________________ -

• a single specimen (i.e., herbarium sheet)

• ___________________________ -

• duplicate of the holotype

• ___________________________ -

• several specimens listed as types in the protologue

• ___________________________ -

• duplicate of a syntype

• ___________________________ -

• neither a holotype or syntype (it was merely seen and cited by the original author)

• ___________________________ -

• a specimen or illustration designated (at a later date) when no holotype was indicated at the time of publication

• ___________________________ -

• a specimen of illustration selected as long as all of the material on which the name of the taxon was based is missing

• ___________________________ -

• a specimen or illustration selected when the holotype, lectotype, or neotype is ambiguous

• Types (for Ranks Above Species):

• ___________________________ -

• the type of the name of a species

• ___________________________ -

• is the same as that of the generic name on which it is based »

• 3. The nomenclature of taxonomic groups is based on priority of publication

• ___________________________ is ...

• the name published first which conforms to the rules

• Species Plantarum (1753)

• Conserved names

• Family, genus, AND species names

• Rejected names

• 4. Each taxonomic group with a particular circumscription, position, and rank

can bear only one _____________________________________, the earliest that is in accordance with the Rules, except in specific cases

• Synonyms - alternate names for plants

• Taxonomic synonyms

• Are based on different types

• Nomenclatural synonyms

• Are based on the same type

Taxonomic Synonyms

• Anemone oligantha Eastwood (1931) [HOLOTYPE: USA; California, Del Norte Co., Waldo-Crescent City Rd, Shelby Creek, near Anderson’s, 30 Apr 1907, Eastwood 158 ] is a taxonomic synonym of

• Anemone lyallii Britton (1891) [LECTOTYPE: Canada; British Columbia, Salmon River, 24 Jun 1876, Dawson 910 ]

Nomenclatural Synonyms

• Anemone minima DC. (1817), is a nomenclatural synonym of

• Anemone quinquefolia L. var. minima (DC.) Frodin

• HOLOTYPE: USA; “Sur les Allegani en Virginie ” Pursh s.n. »

• 5. Scientific names are Latin or treated as Latin regardless of their derivation

• 6.The Rules of nomenclature are retroactive unless expressly limited

What To Do? You’ve Discovered A New Plant Species!

• Validly Publish

• 1.) The name must be properly constructed and the specific epithet not used in combination with the genus name previously

• 2.) Rank must clearly be indicated

• 3.) Holotype must be designated

• 4.) A Latin description or diagnosis must be provided

• 5.) Must be Effectively Published - generally available publication

Why Do Botanists Change Names?

• Application of the rules - a name was previously used when it should NOT have been

• Additional information concerning the species and/or other relationships

• Disagreements regarding “placement”

• Anemone, Hepatica , and Pulsatilla

• There is STILL only one CORRECT name for a plant with a given circumscription, position, and rank!!!