Scientific Names

There are three parts to a plant's scientific name. The first part is the "genus", which is determined by similarities in morphology, flowering characteristics, or genetic relationships. The second part of the scienctific name is the "epithet". The genus and specific epithet together provide the name of the species. Species are also determined by similarities in morphology, flowering characteristics, or genetic relationships. The third part of the scientific name is the "authority". This is the person first credited with naming and describing the plant. Authorities appearing in parentheses had their work revised by a later plant taxonomist whose name follows. Sometimes species are divided into varieties, which is denoted by the abbreviation "var.". A scientific name that is no longer accepted is called a "synonym". Synonyms are indicated by an equal sign.