Plant Taxonomy: How Plants Are Named

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Plant Taxonomy How Plants Are Named

• Original PowerPoint Created by
• Howard Henderson
• Modified by Georgia Agriculture Education
  Curriculum Office
• June 2002

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OBJECTIVE

• To differentiate between scientific and common
  plant names and explain the binomial system of
  naming plants.

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The student should be able to

• Explain why scientific plant names are used.
• Explain the difference between genus, species and
  variety.
• List five plants by their common and scientific
  binomial names.
• Give four examples of family names (both Latin
  and common).

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Scientific names are used to

• Avoid confusion concerning the names of plants.
• Scientific names of plants are expressed in Latin
  because it is a international language and was
  used by early scholars to express plant names.

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Latin names of plants are italicized

• Because it is conventional to italicize words and
  phrases that are expressed in a different
  language.
• Example - The most commonly known cultivars of
  Acer rubrum ( red maple) are Red Sunset and
  Autumn Flame, which are the most reliable for
  brilliant reds and a long-lasting display of
  foliage.

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The generic name of the plant is

• Placed first and begins with a large letter.
• Examples Acer-(maple), Papaver-(poppy),
  Pinus-(pine)

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A genus can be defined as

• A group of plants that have more in common with
  each other than they have with the members of any
  other genus.

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A species can be defined as

• A group of plants that are alike in almost every
  feature and consistently produce like plants.
• Example - Betus lutea is yellow birch (lutea
  means yellow)

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TAXONOMIST A person who identifies and
classifies plants!