Plant Nomenclature Michael G. Simpson

1
Plant NomenclatureMichael G. Simpson

• What is Nomenclature?
• Assignment of plant names utilizing a formal
  system.
• What is the name of the work providing the rules
  and recommendations for plant nomenclature?
• International Code of Botanical Nomenclature
  (ICBN)
• What organisms are covered by the ICBN?
• Land plants, "algae," and fungi

2
What are two basic activities governed by the
ICBN?

• 1) Naming new taxa
• 2) Determining the correct name for previously
  named taxa (altered in some way)

3
What are legitimate and illegitimate names?

• Legitimate Names
• in accordance with the rules of the ICBN

Illegitimate Names violate one or more rules of
the ICBN
4
International Botanical Congress
How are changes to the ICBN made?

• Last held in Vienna, Austria - July 2005
• (next Melbourne, Australia - July 2011)

5
What are the Principles of Plant Nomenclature?

• 1) Botanical nomenclature is independent of
  Zoological and Bacteriological nomenclature.
• 2) The application of botanical names is
  determined by means of nomenclatural types.
• 3) Botanical nomenclature is based upon priority
  of publication.

6
What are the Principles of Plant Nomenclature?

• 4) Each taxon of a particular circumscription,
  position, and rank can have only one correct
  name, the earliest in accordance with the rules.
  Fundamental Principle!
• 5) Scientific names are treated as Latin.
• 6) The rules and regulations of the International
  Code of Botanical Nomenclature are retroactive.

7
What are the rules vs. regulations of the ICBN?

• Rules required
• Recommendations not required

8
What is a scientific name?

• the names assigned by the rules of the ICBN
• In Latin language
• E.g., Malpighia, Alliaceae, Zingiberales

9
Who first consistently used binomials?
Linnaeus
What is the correct form of binomials?

• Binomial two names
• E.g., for Quercus dumosa Nuttall
• Quercus genus name (capitalized)
• dumosa specific epithet (not capitalized)
• Quercus dumosa species name (underlined or
  italicized)
• Nuttall author (abbreviated "Nutt.")

10
Name the reasons that common names are
disadvantageous?

• Only scientific names are universal, used the
  same world-wide e.g., Ipomoea -Woodbine, Morning
  Glory
• 2) Common names are not consistent.
• a) A taxon may have more than one common name
  (e.g., chamise, greasewood for Adenostoma
  fasciculatum).
• b) One common name may refer to more than one
  taxon (e.g., hemlock for both Tsuga and for
  Conium maculatum).
• 3) Common names tell nothing about rank.
• 4) Many, if not most, organisms have no common
  name in any language.

11
What is rank?

• Hierarchical classification in which a higher
  rank is inclusive of all lower ranks.

What is position?
Placement as a member of a taxon of the next
higher rank E.g., Aster Rosa of same rank
(genus) but different positions (Asteraceae
Rosaceae)
12
What are the ranks?

• Kingdom (various) Plantae
• Phylum Division -phyta Magnoliophyta
• Subphylum Subdivision -phytina
  Magnoliophytina
• Class -opsida Magnoliopsida
• Subclass -idae Asteridae
• Superorder -anae,
  -iflorae Asteranae
• Order -ales Asterales
• Suborder -ineae
  Asterineae
• Family -aceae
  Asteraceae
• Subfamily -oideae Asteroideae
• Tribe -eae Heliantheae
• Subtribe -inae Helianthinae
• Genus (various) Helianthus
• Subgenus (various) Helianthus
• Section (various) Helianthus
• Species (various) Helianthus annuus
• Subspecies (various) Helianthus annuus
  ssp. annuus
• Variety (various) Helianthus annuus
  var. annuus

13
Major Rank Endings

• Order -ales Asterales
• Family -aceae Asteraceae
• Subfamily -oideae Asteroideae
• Tribe -eae Heliantheae
• Subtribe -inae Helianthinae
• Genus (various) Helianthus
• Subgenus (various)
  Helianthus
• Section (various)
  Helianthus
• Species (various)
  Helianthus annuus
• Subspecies (various)
  Helianthus annuus ssp. annuus
• Variety (various)
  Helianthus annuus var. annuus

14
What is the rank of
Tribonanthes
genus
Tribonanthes variegata
species
Phlebocarya ciliata ssp. pilosissima
subspecies
Linnaea borealis var. longiflora
variety
Zygophyllaceae
family

• Conostylidoideae

subfamily
Haemodoreae
tribe
Malpighiales
order
15
Alternate Family Names

• Apiaceae

Arecaceae
Asteraceae
Brassicaceae
Clusiaceae
Fabaceae
Lamiaceae
Poaceae
Faboideae
16
What is a trinomial?

• subspecies or variety name
• E.g., Toxicodendron radicans ssp.
  diversilobum(diversilobum subspecific
  epithet)
• Brickellia arguta var. odontolepis(odontolepis
  varietal epithet)

What is of higher rank?
17
Authorship?

• the name of the person who first validly
  published the name

18
E.g.,

• Rosaceae Jussieu
• Conostylideae Lindley
• Mohavea A. Gray
• Mohavea confertiflora (Bentham) Heller
• Monardella linoides A. Gray ssp. viminea (Greene)
  Abrams
• AUTHOR NAMES OFTEN ABBREVIATED
• Haemodoraceae R. Br. (for Robert Brown) or
  Liquidambar styraciflua L. (for C. Linnaeus)
• CHECK http//www.ipni.org

19
How to learn scientific names

• 1) Syllabize and accent.
• 2) Use mnemonic devices.
• 3) Learn the etymology (meaning).
• 4) Practice and review oral and written
  recitation.

20
What is a nomenclature type?

• Herbarium specimen (usu.) permanently associated
  with a name.
• Holotype - primary specimen upon which a name is
  based, designated at the time of publication.
• Isotype - duplicate of the holotype, collected
  at the same time by the same person from the same
  place.
• Lectotype - selected from the original material
  to serve as the type when holotype not available.
• Neotype - specimen derived from a non-original
  collection that is selected to serve as the type.

21
Types exist for all ranks up to family
Taxa at which ranks have types?

• A specimen described by Linnaeus is the type for
  Borago officinalis L.
• Borago officinalis L. is the type for the genus
  Borago L.
• The genus Borago L. is the type for the family
  Boraginaceae Jussieu

22
What is a priority of publication?
Name published first is the legitimate one
When and with what publication begin?
Species Plantarum by Linnaeus in 1753(with
exceptions)
Adverse consequences?
How to correct?
Nomina familiarum conservandaNomina generica
conservanda et rejiciendaNomina species
conservanda
23
Two reasons for name change?
1) Name contrary to the rules (illegitimate). 2)
Additional research has changes definition and
delimitation of a taxon.
Four major ways that names are changed?
UnitedDivided Changed in rankChanged in
Position
24
Name changes

• Name may be divided
• E.g., Rhus (Anacardiaceae) split into Malosma,
  Rhus, and Toxicodendron

25
Name changes

• Names may be united
• E.g., Diplacus and Mimulus (Phrymaceae) have been
  united into one genus, Mimulus

26
Name changes

• Name may be changed in position
• E.g., Sedum variegata transferred to the
  genusDudleya, the new species Dudleya variegata

27
Name changes

• Name may be changed in rank
• E.g., Larrea divaricata ssp. tridentata
• changed to rank of species
• Larrea tridentata

28
What is remodeling?Does it require a name change?

• A change in diagnostic characters.
• No name change is required by the ICBN.

From Bell Columbus. 2008.
29
What is a basionym?

• The original (now rejected) name, part of which
  (the epithet) has been used in a new combination.
  (only within same rank recommended for change
  of rank)

Author(s) in parentheses?
Person(s) who named basionym. Retained!
30
Basionym

• E.g., Sedum variegata Wats. was transferred to
  the genus Dudleya by Moran, new species name is
• Dudleya variegata (Wats.) Moran
• Note Sedum variegata Wats. is the basionym
• E.g., Muhlenbergia shepherdii (Vasey) Swallen
  transferred to Blepharoneuron by Peterson
  Annable, new name is
• Blepharoneuron shepherdii (Vasey) Peterson
  Annable.

31
What is an autonym?

• Automatically created name for infrafamilial,
  infrageneric, and infraspecific taxa.
• Created when taxa are divided.
• Assigned based on priority of publication.
• Autonyms have no authors.

32
Autonyms

• E.g., Lotus stipularis (Benth.) E. Greene split
  by Isely into 2 varieties
• Lotus stipularis (Benth.) E. Greene var. ottleyi
  Isely
• Lotus stipularis (Benth.) E. Greene var.
  stipularis
• Family Euphorbiaceae divided into subfamilies
• Euphorbioideae (the autonym) must be one of them
• Genus Ceanothus split into two subgenera
• Subgenus Ceanothus
• Subgenus Cerastes
• (Subgenus Ceanothus contains type species for the
  genus.)

33
What are the main criteria of valid publication?

• 1) Name must be effectively published
• 2) Name must be published in the correct form,
  properly Latinized with the correct rank ending.
  
• 3) Name must be published with a Latin
  description or diagnosis or with a reference to
  such. Vernacular description typically
  included.
• 4) Nomenclatural type must be indicated (for
  genus and below).

34
(No Transcript)
35
What is a synonym?

• a rejected name, by a particular author or
  authors.
• Synonyms usu. indicated in brackets e.g.,
• Malosma laurina (Nutt.) Abrams Rhus laurina
  Nutt.

Why rejected?
1) because illegitimate. 2) because of
taxonomic judgement.
36
What is a correct name?

• A legitimate (and therefore validly published)
  name that is accepted by a particular author or
  authors.
• Each taxon can have only one correct name.

How can a name be legitimate but not correct?
There may be 2 (or more) alternative, legitimate
names. Only one of these can be correct (in any
given work).
37
Malacothrix incana (Nutt.) T. G.Malacomeris
incana Nutt. (basionym)
Porophyllum gracile Benth.P. caesium Greene P.
vaseyi Greene
Gilia diegensis (Munz) A. V. GrantGilia
inconspicua (Sm.) Sweet var. diegensis
Munz (basionym)
38
What is a homonym?

• synonym identical to accepted, correct name.
• E.g. Salix viminea Smith S. viminea Jones
  (S. viminea is the homonym)

39
Abbreviations

• "in" "in the publication of"
• E.g., Arabis sparsiflora Nutt. in T. G.
• May be abbrev Arabis sparsiflora Nutt.
• "ex" "validly published by."
• E.g., Microseris elegans Greene ex A. Gray
• May be abbrev. Microseris elegans A. Gray.

40
Abbreviations

• "x" a hybrid.
• E.g., Salvia x palmeri (Gray) Greene
• S. apiana x S. clevelandii.
• "sp. nov." species novum
• E.g., "Eryngium pendletonensis sp. nov."
• "cf." confer, meaning "compare."
• E.g., "Calyptridium cf. monandrum"

41

• Independence of Botanical Nomenclature
• Same names can exist in botanical and zoological
  codes.
• Both codes can treat same organisms, e.g.,
  "Protista".
• Retroactivity of the ICBN

42
Botanical Names
What language?
Latin, language of the Romans
Three Latin genders primary endings
masculine -us Amaranthus feminine -a Crassula
neuter -um Eriogonum
Exception to gender endings?
Many classical trees are feminine, regardless of
ending, e.g., Quercus alba, Pinus ponderosa
43
What names are Latin plurals?
Rank of families above (The Rosaceae are...)
Commemorative names?
Named after some person or place.
Endings of commemoratives?
Male -ii, -i (after r or y or non-a vowel), -e
(after a) smithii, breweri, baileyi,
montagnae Female usually add -e or
-ae barbarae, vanessae, smithae
44
Pronunciation of Latin names?
No universal rules varies from region to
region. E.g, Pinus in U.S. versus Latin
America Latin itself can be pronounced in
various ways. We will use English (Anglicized)
Botanical Latin.
45
Latin diphthongs
two vowel combinations, treated as a single
vowel -ae (æ) Tropaeolum -ei Eichhornia -oe Kalls
troemia -eu Teucrium -au Daucus -ui Equisetum BU
T -oe (oë) if 2 vowels, not a diphthong
e.g., Aloe (also written Aloë). Monanthochloë
oi
Not a Latin diphthong. Vowels are separately
pronounced in Latin But, often like oil in
English Euphorbioideae
46
Number of syllables in a scientific name?
number of vowels and diphthongsCa ki le mi
cro car paCleis tes Oe no the raEu ca lyp
tus Py rusPa pi li o no i de ae Cae sal pi ni o
i de ae
Rules for syllables?
Tridens Tri dens excubitus ex cu bi
tus guttatus gut ta tus scabra sca
bra Ephedra e phe dra eremophila e re mo
phi la absconditas ab scon di tas
47
Rules for pronunciation?
Cakile Garcinia (hard "c" "g", unless followed
by e,i,y,ae,oe) but Cedrus cinerea Gypsophila
caerulea coerulea Cneoridium Gnetales
Pteridium Pneumatopteris Chilopsis
Cheilanthes Xanthium but Zanthoxylum Anemone
Rosales Nicotiana argophyllus Carduus crassifoliu
s Achillea
48
Rules for accenting?
long (grave) short (acute) 1)
Last syllable never accented unless only one
max 2) If two syllables, accent always with 2nd
from last (penult), e.g., A cer 3) If three
or more syllables, accent goes with 2nd from
last (penult) or 3rd from last (antepenult) 4)
2nd from last (penult) is accented if a) it
ends in consonant (vowel short) pe ren nis
b) ends in a diphthong (long) a moe nus c)
ends in a long vowel al si ne d)
Otherwise, antepenult accented dra con ti um
49
How to pronounce commemoratives?

• As they would be pronounced in Latin
• As the person or place would be pronounced in the
  native language.
• E.g., Hesperoyucca whipplei (after Whipple)

50
(No Transcript)