Botanical name

A botanical name is a special scientific name that follows strict rules set by the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants. These rules make sure that every plant has just one name that scientists and gardeners all around the world can use. This helps everyone talk about the same plant without getting confused by different local names.

For example, the botanical name Bellis perennis refers to a plant that grows naturally in many parts of Europe and the Middle East. People in different places call this plant many things, like "daisy" or "English daisy." But the botanical name is the same everywhere.

Botanical names also include special labels for garden varieties, called cultivars. One example is Bellis perennis 'Aucubifolia', which is a pretty golden-edged form of the common daisy grown in gardens. These names help plant lovers and scientists identify exactly which kind of plant they are talking about.

Type specimens and circumscription

A botanical name is linked to a special example called a type. This type can be one specimen or a group of specimens. It helps scientists agree on what the name refers to.

Sometimes, the group a botanical name refers to can change. Different scientists might include more or fewer plants in a group. For example, some scientists now include more plants in the group Malvaceae than before. Some names, like Equisetaceae and Magnoliaceae, stay the same, but others, like Fabaceae, need careful checking to know exactly which plants they include.

Forms of plant names

Botanical names can have different numbers of parts depending on what they describe. Names for groups of plants higher than a genus, like plant classes or families, are just one part. Names for species or special types within a genus usually have two parts — the genus name and another word called an epithet. For example, _Berberis thunbergii is the name for a type of barberry plant.

Sometimes, names can have three parts, especially for subspecies or special groups within a species. For instance, Calystegia sepium subsp. americana is a type of bindweed plant. Names for cultivated plants, which are plants grown by people for specific traits, can sometimes have even more parts, up to four in special cases. These names help scientists and gardeners talk about exactly which plant they mean, whether it's a wild plant or one specially bred by people.

Components of plant names

A botanical name can have three parts. For example, an infraspecific name needs a "connecting term" to show its rank. In the Calystegia example, this is "subsp.", short for subspecies. In plants, there are many ranks below the species level, unlike in animals.

Botanical names are usually written in italics. For a species, the name has two parts: the genus name and a specific epithet. For example, Bellis perennis is a species name, where perennis is the specific epithet.

For cultivated plants, there can be an extra part called a cultivar, which is often not in Latin and not written in italics. It is usually put in single quotation marks. The cultivar, Group, or grex name can follow the plant's scientific name or common name.