Botanical name

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A botanical name is a formal name conforming to the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN). This is sometimes also called "scientific name" (or more technically as a "binomial"), which however have wider meanings since they may also refer to a zoological, bacterial or viral name.

A botanical name is fixed, but the taxonomic group it applies to is not. That is, one and the same botanical name may refer to groups of varying size, and taxonomic placement. This will depend on taxonomic viewpoint or . Most authors regard the family Pentaphylacaceae as consisting of one species only, but a recent publication^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} treats it as counting 342 species. The botanical name itself is fixed by a type, the nature of the taxon it applies to is set by a taxonomist.

Depending on rank, botanical names may be in one part (genus and above), two parts (species and above, but below the rank of genus) or three parts (below the rank of species):

in one part: Betula (the birch genus)

in two parts: Acacia subg. Phyllodineae (the wattles); Gossypium barbadense (Egyptian cotton)

in three parts: Theobroma cacao subsp. cacao (criollo chocolate)

A name in three parts, i.e. the name of an infraspecific taxon (below the rank of species) needs a "connecting term" to indicate rank. In the Theobroma-example above this is "subsp." (for subspecies). In botany there are many ranks below that of species (in zoology there is only one such rank, i.e. subspecies, so that this "connecting term" is unnecessary there). A name of a "subdivison of a genus" also needs a connecting term (in the Acacia-example above this is "subg.", subgenus). Such a connecting term is not part of the name itself.

A taxon may be indicated by a listing in more than three parts: "Saxifraga aizoon var. aizoon subvar. brevifolia f. multicaulis subf. surculosa Engl. & Irmsch." but this is a classification, not a formal botanical name. The botanical name is Saxifraga aizoon subf. surculosa Engl. & Irmsch. (ICBN, Art 24, Ex 1)

In print botanical names are often italicized. The example set by the ICBN is to italicize all botanical names. In practice a great number of styles are in use concerning typesetting of botanical names. Most publications do not italicize names above the rank of genus.

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