PBIO 250 Lecture Notes

James L. Reveal

Norton-Brown Herbarium, University of Maryland

Nomenclature

International code of botanical nomenclature (ICBN)

Greuter, W., F. R. Barrie, H. M. Burdet, W. G. Chaloner, V. Demoulin, D. L. Hawksworth, P. M. Jorgensen, D. H. Nicolson, P. C. Silva, P. Trehane, & J. McNeill (editors.). 1994. International code of botanical nomenclature adopted by the Fifteenth International Botanical Congress, Tokyo, August-September 1987. Regnum Veg. 131.

concepts established by the Code:

• (1) stable method of naming all plants
  
• (2) avoid useless creation of names
  
• (3) grammatical correctness of names
  
• (4) establish starting dates for all names scientific

Major Review Paper: A guide to botanical nomenclature by Ronald H. Petersen at the University the Tennessee. Review in detail his introduction to the Code.

Names and Authorships

rank
generic name
Eupatorium
Chrysanthemum
Helianthus
Flos solis
Helenium
Corona solis
Eupatorium marilandicum foliis in caule bijugis = Eupatorium pilosum
Eupatorium marianum scrophulariae foliis, capitulis globosis, colore caelestino = Conoclinum coelestinum
Eupatorium cannabinum, foliis in caule ad genicula ternis, floribus parvis, umbellatim in summis caulibus dispositis, Marilandicum = Eupatorium purpureum
common names
composition of scientific names

1. Brown, R.W. 1975 Composition of scientific words. Washington.
   
2. Kartesz, J.T. & J.W. Thieret. 1991. Common names for vascular plants: Guidelines for use and application. Sida 14: 421-434.
   
3. Perdok, E. A. (ed.) 1968. A Multilingual Glossary of Common Plant-Names. 2 vols. Wageningen.
   
4. Váczy, C. 1980. Lexicon Botanicum Polyglottum. Bucharest.

generic name is a noun, singular in number
specific epithet is an adjective
Latin terminations
Pinus - us
Coffea - a
Eriogonum - um

genera named for people
Claytonia for John Clayton (1693-1773)
Kalmia for Pehr Kalm (1716-1799)
Darwinothamnus for Charles Darwin
Eastwoodea for Alice Eastwood (1859-1953)
Sequoia for Sequoyah (1760-1843)
Gardenia for Alexander Garden (1730-1792)
Ivesia for Elias Ives (1779-1861) - right
Krigea for David Kreig
Vernonia for William Vernon
Acsmithia for Albert C. Smith (1906-1993)

genera composed of two or more Greek or Latin words
Chrysanthemum from chrysos, gold; anthemon, flower
Helianthus from helios, sun; anthos, flower
Trifolium from trios, three; folium, leaf

classical generic names without obvious meaning
Cannabis, marijuana
Alnus, alder
Lotus, trefoil
Rosa, rose

genera based on location
Idahoa, Idaho
Iberia, Spain and Portugal
Mexicoa, Mexico

anagrams
Legenere, E.L. Greene (1843-1915)
Lobivia, Bolivia

terminations:
-um (n), -us (m), -a (f)
Eriogonum polypodum
Oxytheca perfoliata
Enneatypus tenuiflorus
genders must agree: The gender of the specific epithet is always determined by the gender of the generic name.
gender not always obvious - see the NCU list from IAPT for help on gender
determined by author or tradition
Rumex venosus
Triplaris latifolia
Antigonon leptopus
trees, no matter the generic termination, are usually considered feminine, e.g., Pinus longaeva, Abies lasiocarpa, Picea mariana, Quercus alba
the orthography of a generic names, when included within another genus, is retained
Centaurium
Gentiana centaurium
geographical terminations: -ensis, -anus, -inus, -ianus and -icus
Clitoria mariana, Scrophularia marilandica
Acalypha virginica, Asarum virginicum, Elymus virginicus, Tradescantia virginiana, Polypodium virginianum, Carduus virginianus
Lactuca canadensis, Lilium canadense, Sambucus canadensis
terminations for persons: -ii, -ae (for the collector)
Eriogonum holmgrenii for Noel Holmgren (1937- )
Eriogonum breedlovei for Dennis Breedlove (1939- )
Eriogonum piperi for C.L. Piper (1867-1926) - note the "i" after the terminal "r"
Eriogonum shockleyi for William Shockley (1855-1925) - right
Eriogonum beatleyae for Janice Beatley (1919-1987)
Eriogonum eastwoodae for Alice Eastwood
terminations for persons: -ianum, -ianus, -iana (honorary)
Eriogonum eastwoodianum for Alice Eastwood
Lupinus holmgrenianus for Arthur Holmgren (1912-1992)
Clarkia dudleyana for William Dudley (1849-1911)

authorship
author names are often abbreviated according to Brummitt & Powell

1. Brummitt, R.K. & C.E. Powell, 1992. Authors of plant names. Kew

L. for Carl Linnaeus
Torr. for John Torrey (1796-1873)
Gray for S.F. Gray (1766-1828)
A. Gray for Asa Gray (1810-1888)
Raf. for Constantine Rafinesque-Schmaltz (1783-1840)
Michx. for André Michaux (1746-1803)
F. Michx for François André Michaux (1770-1855)
W. Hook. for William Jackson Hooker
Hook. f. for Joseph Dalton Hooker
"f." = filius
Cronquist for Arthur Cronquist
DC. for Augustin Pyramus de Candolle
A. DC. for Alphonse Louis Pierre Pyramus de Candolle (1806-1893)
C. DC. for Anne Casimir Pyramus de Candolle (1836-1918)
Aug. DC. for Richard Emile Augustin de Candolle (1868-1920)
C.P. Sm. for Charles Piper Smith
Donn. Sm. for John Donnell Smith (1829-1928)
Reveal for James L. Reveal

Scientific names
scientific names always include authorships
Sanicula marilandica L.
Eriogonum umbellatum Torr.
Ribes rotundifolium Michx.
Oxytheca perfoliata Torr. & A. Gray
Cryptantha alpicola Cronquist
Gilia nyensis Reveal

scientific names and recombining authorships
Lonicera marilandica L. to Spigelia marilandica (L.) L.
Erigeron canadensis L. to Conyza canadensis (L.) Cronquist
Homopappus uniflorus Nutt. to Pyrrocoma uniflora (Nutt.) Greene
Aster carolinianus Walt. to Lasallia caroliniana (Walt.) Semple to Virgulus carolinianus (Walt.) Reveal & Keener

scientific conserved names
Holodiscus (K. Koch) Maxim., nom. cons.
Cassia chamaecrista L., nom. cons.
See Petersen's Conventional shorthand symbols in botanical nomenclature for a review of the use of "in" and "ex" and other abbreviations

Rules of Nomenclature

Linnaeus
Fragmenta botanica (1736)
Critica botanica (1737)
Philosophia botanica (1751)
priority: the concept that the first validly proposed name has priority over all others
de Candolle
Théorie élémentaire de la botanique (1813)
First International Botanical Congress (1867)
American Code (1892-1910)
See a chronology of the codes and an historical review by Dan H. Nicolson

International Code of Botanical Nomenclature
Principles:

• (1) independent from zoological nomenclature
  
• (2) application of names based on types
  
• (3) use of names determined by priority
  
• (4) circumscription, position and rank determines correct name of a taxon
  
• (5) scientific names are treated as Latin
  
• (6) all rules are retroactive unless expressly limited

rules and recommendations
articles
rules are binding
recommendations are non-binding
ranks of taxa - see this site for a useful review of ranks of family and below
chapters of the Code

• Chapter I. Ranks of taxa (Arts. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
  
• Chapter II. Names of taxa (Art 6-15)
  • Section 1. Definitions (Art. 6)
    
  • Section 2. Typification (Art. 7, 8, 9, 10)
    
  • Section 3. Priority (Art. 11 and 12)
• Chapter III. Nomenclature of taxa according to rank
  • Section 1. Names of taxa above the rank of family (Art. 16, 17)
    
  • Section 2. Names of families and subfamilies, tribes and subtribes (Art. 18, 19)
    
  • Section 3. Names of genera and subdivisions of genera (Art. 20, 21, 22)
    
  • Section 4. Names of species (Art. 23)
    
  • Section 5. Names of taxa below the rank of species (infraspecific taxa) (Art. 24, 25, 26, 27)
    
  • Section 6. Names of plants in cultivation (Art. 28)
• Chapter IV. Effective and valid publication
  • Section 1. Conditions and dates of effective publication (Art. 29, 30, 31)
    
  • Section 2. Conditions and dates of valid publication of names (Art. 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
    Section 3. Citation of authors' names for purposes of precision (Art. 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
• Chapter V. Rejection of names (Art. 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58)
  
• Chapter VI. Names of fungi with pleomorphic life cycles (Art. 59)
  
• Chapter VII. Orthography of names and epithets and gender of generic names
  • Section 1. Orthography of names and epithets (Art. 60 and 61)
    
  • Section 2. Gender of generic names (Art. 62)

ranks and terminations:
division or phylum: -ophyta
class: -opsida
subclass: -idea
superorder: -anae
order: -ales
family: -aceae
exception to family -aceae ending
Cruciferae-Brassicaceae (mustard)
Leguminosae-Fabaceae (pea)
Guttiferae-Clusiaceae (garcinia)
Umbelliferae-Apiaceae (carrot)
Labiatae-Lamiaceae (mint)
Compositae-Asteraceae (sunflower)
Palmae-Arecaceae (palm)
Gramineae-Poaceae (grass)
-florae used in the past as the termination for superorders but -anae now adopted

Type Method
the type of a species is a specimen
the type of a genus is a binomial
the type of a family is a genus name
the type of an order is a family name
A type may be a single specimen, a series of herbarium sheets with parts of one plant on different sheets, or a series of specimens from a single collection mounted on a single sheet
the type of Homo sapien is the skeleton of Carl Linnaeus, the type designated by W.T. Stearn

1. Stearn, W.T. 1959. The background of Linnaeus's contributions to the nomenclature and methods of systematic biology. Syst. Zool. 8: 4-22.

Division Magnoliophyta Takht., Cronquist & W. Zimm. ex Reveal, 1996
 Class Magnoliopsida Brongn., 1843
  Subclass MagnoliidaeNovák ex Takht., 1967
   Superorder Magnolianae Takht., 1967
    Order Magnoliales Bromhead, 1838
     Suborder Magnoliineae Engl., 1898
      Family Magnoliaceae Juss., 1789
       Subfamily Magnolioideae (Juss.) Arn., 1832
        Genus Magnolia L., 1753
          Species virginiana L., 1753
   Type: Clifford Herbarium 222 Magnolia No. 1 (BM)
 Class Liliopsida Batsch, 1802
  Subclass Commelinidae Takht., 1967
   Superorder Juncanae Takht., 1967
    Order Poales Small, 1903
     Suborder Poinae
      Family Poaceae (R. Br.) Barnh., 1895
       Subfam. Pooideae Benth., 1861
        Tribe Festuceae Dumort., 1824
         Subtribe Festucinae C. Presl, 1830
          Genus Festuca L., 1753
           Species thurberi Vasey, 1874
   Type: U.S.A., Colorado: South Park, 1873, Wolfe 1154-holotype, US.

Naming a New Species

Requirements

(1) provide it with a name

(2) provide a Latin description or diagnosis

(3) designate a type specimen

(4) validly publish the information

categories of types:
holotype: the one element designated by the author
isotype: a duplicate of the one element designated
lectotype: a designated "type" when none was selected by the original author
neotype: a designated "type" from new material
epitype: a designated "type" when the original type, while still extant, cannot be critically identified
syntype: specimens mentioned in original publication without a type designated
paratype: specimens mentioned in original publication with a type designated
For additional information see Petersen's Glossary of "Type" Terminology

Priority of Names and Validity of Publications
legitimate: name established according to the Code
illegitimate: name not so established
nomem conservandum: a name "saved" or conserved that would otherwise be illegitimate according to the Code
nomen specificum conservandum
Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. (tomato)
Triticum aestivum L. (wheat)
any species may be conserved (Art. 14)
any name may be rejected if it will cause nomenclatural instability (Art. 56)
priority for most names began in 1753; fossils in 1820 (Art. 13)

Effective and valid publication of names
requires distribution of printed matter
valid: a name published in accord with the Code
invalid: a name not so published

Citation of author's names
Magnolia virginiana L. or Rudbeckia hirta L.
Pinus canadensis L. to Tsuga canadensis (L.) Engelm.
Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loud.

Retention, choice and rejection of names
when an entity is divided into two elements, the original name goes with the element represented by the type specimen
Juniperus virginiana L. (1753)
Juniperus scopulorum Sarg. (1902)
when two or more entities are combined, the oldest name at a given rank is retained (principle of priority)
Calochortus bruneaunis Nels. & Macbr. (1913) not C. discolor A. Davids. (1915)
unless the earlier name is illegitimate
Calochortus nuttallii Torr. & A. Gray (1854) not C. luteus Nutt. (1834) because of C. luteus Douglas (1833), the same name for a different species was published earlier; the 1834 name is a homonym
inappropriate names must be retained
Onithologalum canadense not O. capense
Simmondsia chinensis not S. californica
tautonyms, the repetition of the generic name as a specific epithet, such as Linaria linaria, are not permitted by the Code
homonyms, the use of the same name at the same rank, such as Eriogonum cusickii M.E. Jones (1903) versus Eriogonum cusickii Gandoger (1906), are not permitted by the Code; the first use has priority, the latter is illegitimate
autonyms: the name repeated in the lower, typical rank
Eriogonum cernuum Nutt. var. cernuum
Eriogonum cernuum Nutt. var. viminale (S. Stokes) Reveal
For additional information see Petersen's Glossary of -onyms as applied to botanical nomenclature
Review an essay entitle One and Only One Correct Name, and for a discussion of the draft Code of Biological Nomenclature see the Proceedings of a recent symposium

1. Nicolson, D.H. 1997. Hierarchical roots and shoots or Opera Jehovae magna! (Psalms 111:2). Aliso 15: 81-86.
   
2. Kron, K.A. 1997. Exploring alternative systems of classification. Aliso 15: 105-112.
   
3. Stuessy, T.F. 1997. Classification: More than just branching patterns of evolution. Aliso 15: 113-124.
   
4. Quieroz, K. de. 1997. The Linnaean hierarchy and the evolutionization of taxonomy, with emphasis on the problem of nomenclature. Aliso 15: 115-144.

Nomenclatural databases and Related Sites
Index Nominum Algarum
Index Nominum Genericorum (Plantarum)
Index Nominum Supragenericorum Plantarum Vascularium
Index Virum
Names of All Plants and Animals
Names in Current Use for extant plant genera
Names in Current Use for extant vascular plant families
Suprageneric Names of Vascular Plants
Vascular plant families and genera from the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew
Vascular Plant Family Nomenclature

What's in a name: a review from Texas A&M
Review of Plant Nomenclature from CSUBIOWEB
Nomenclature by Denise Adams at Ohio State
Curiosities of biological nomenclature
Understanding botanical nomenclature

Last revised: 26 Nov 1998