Should Latin plant names be italicized?

Should Latin plant names be italicized?

It is interesting that although the question refers to botanical names as “Latin” names, in fact, many of them are Greek in origin. Genus and species: Names should always be italicized or underlined. The first letter of the genus name is capitalized but the specific epithet is not, e.g. Lavandula angustifolia.

Are names of plants italicized?

The name of the genus and the specific epithet should always be underlined or placed in italics. Names of cultivated plants, new names in a modern language, rank of cultivar, name capitalized, NOT italicized but rather placed either in single quotation marks or preceded by the abbreviation cv.

Why do we use Latin for naming plants?

Plants have Latin names due to the genus and species system of naming plants developed by famed Swedish botanist, Carolus Linnaeus. Latin (botanical) names are necessary, because common names for plants vary from region to region and even from town to town. One plant may live under several different common names.

Why are scientific names written in italics?

Going back to the question on why scientific names should be italicised or underscored, Dr. Lit said that it is done to highlight or differentiate them from the other words in an article or book. “Scientific names are in Latin, and not in English which is the universally-used writing language,” Lit explained.

Are plant Variety names capitalized?

Rules for writing common names: modern English doesn’t capitalize common names of plants (or animals, tho bird specialists sometimes do capitalize bird common names). The plant common name has to conform to the rules of English, however, so if there’s a proper noun in the common name, it must be capitalized.

Are plant variety names capitalized?

Why are scientific names of plants expressed in Latin?

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.

Do scientific names need to be italicized?

The scientific names of species are italicized. The genus name is always capitalized and is written first; the specific epithet follows the genus name and is not capitalized. There is no exception to this.

Are Latin plant names capitalized?

The difference between the two nomenclatures being, that in Latin plant names the genus is listed first and is always capitalized. The species (or specific epithet) follows the genus name in lowercase and the entire Latin plant name is italicized or underlined.

Do you italicize the family name of a plant?

In American usage the family name is not usually italicized, e.g. Pinaceae, however the most recent edition of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (which is the official authority on plant names) recommends that all plant names be in a different font from the rest of the text.

Why do we use Latin names for plants?

There is, however, a very good reason to use Latin plant names. Latin words for the genus or species of a plant are descriptive terms used to describe a specific type of plant and its characteristics. Using Latin plant names helps to avert confusion caused by the often contradictory and multiple common names an individual may have.

Which is the correct way to name a plant?

Botanical plant names can look off-putting and complicated, but they’re actually quite simple once you get the hang of them. All plants have two main names, in Italics, which are the genus and the species, such as Rosa rugosa, Helleborus niger and Alchemilla mollis. The genus starts with a capital letter.

How are scientific names different from common names?

“Scientific nomenclature” refers to various names according to a specific field of study. This article is the first in a series on scientific nomenclature within specific kingdoms. Usually, animals & plants are identified by common and scientific names. Common name: These are used locally and may vary by region or country.