Plant, algae and fungi names

This section covers:

For when to use common names and how to present them, see General principles for common names.

International standards and resources

The formation and presentation of Latin plant names follow the rules set out in the International code of nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN; previously the International code of botanical nomenclature [ICBN]). Each version of the code may be referred to by a shortened form, which is based on the city in which the International Botanical Congress that adopted recent changes to the code was held (eg the most recent congress was held in Shenzhen in 2017, and the 2018 version of the code can be referred to as the Shenzhen Code).

The authoritative source for the Latin names of seed plants, ferns and lycophytes is the International Plant Names Index (IPNI) database. IPNI sources data on Australian plants from the Australian Plant Name Index (see below).

The source for Latin fungal names is Index Fungorum.

Australian conventions and resources

The naming of plants and cultivars in Australia complies with the international codes.

Information about the Australian flora is available from Flora of Australia.

Latin names for Australian taxa are available for:

Higher taxonomic names of plants, algae and fungi

Names in each taxonomic rank above order have different suffixes, depending on whether the organism is a plant, alga or fungus:

Rank Plants Algae Fungi

Division

-phyta

-phycota

-mycota

Subdivision

-phytina

-phycotina

-mycotina

Class

-opsida

-phyceae

-mycetes

Subclass

-idae

-phycidae

-mycetidae

Names of orders end in ales, and names of suborders end in ineae. Family names usually end in aceae:

Acanthaceae     Mytacaceae     Lachnaceae

However, a small number of historical and widely used alternative plant names are accepted – for example:

Compositae [for Asteraceae]     Umbelliferae [for Apiaceae]     Gramineae [for Poaceae]

For names of families and above, use an initial capital but no italics:

Myrtaceae     Myrtales

For names of genera, use an initial capital and italics:

Cyathodes     Macrocystis     Penicillium

Species names are always written with the genus name (ie a Latin binomial). The species name is in lower case and italics; the genus name is in full or abbreviated (see Latin species names):

Cyathodes glauca   or   C. glauca    Macrocystis pyrifera     Penicillium chrysogenum

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Authors of plant, algae and fungi names

The author of a name is not part of the name of a taxon, and its citation is optional in most types of publications. Author names should be used in a formal taxonomic publication for family and lower taxonomic levels. Omit the authors of names in texts for a general audience.

Author names at family level and lower are included in IPNI; they are represented, and often abbreviated, in a standardised format that is also available in IPNI. When citing the author name, do not use punctuation between the plant name and the author’s name. Represent the names exactly as they occur in IPNI:

Cyathodes glauca Labill.

Lissanthe R.Br.

[No spaces between the elements of the author’s name.]

Lissanthe scabra Crayn & E.A.Br.

[Do not replace the & with and; et can be used instead of &.]

Lissanthe rubicunda (F.Muell.) J.M.Powell, Crayn & E.A.Br.

[Cyathodes rubicunda F.Muell. was transferred to Lissanthe by Powell, Crayn and Brown; author of original name is retained in parentheses, and author of new name is added.]

Astroloma microdonta F.Muell. ex Benth.

[Mueller proposed the name but Bentham validly published it; set ‘ex’ in roman.]

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Infraspecific names of plants, algae and fungi

Names of taxa below the rank of species are also presented in italics, with the rank abbreviated (‘subsp.’ for subspecies – not ‘ssp.’, ‘var.’ for variety, ‘f.’ for form) and in roman:

Leptecophylla juniperina subsp. parvifolia

Infraspecific names in fungi

Nomenclature of fungal ranks below form are not dealt with by the International code of nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants; names are determined by the scientists working on them. These ranks include the special form (singular: ‘f. sp.’ [forma specialis]; plural ‘ff. sp.’) and race (also referred to as pathotype or biotype).

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Plant hybrids

A hybrid is indicated by a multiplication sign between the names of the 2 taxa:

Agrostis L. × Polypogon Desf.

Agrostis stolonifera L. × Polypogon monspeliensis (L.) Desf.

Salix aurita L. × S. caprea L. 

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Plant cultivars and breeding material

International standards and resources

The formation and presentation of cultivar names are set out in the International code of nomenclature for cultivated plants.

Australian conventions and resources

The Australian Cultivar Registration Authority registers the names of cultivars of Australian native plants in accordance with the International code of nomenclature for cultivated plants.

Names are also searchable in the Australian Plant Name Index.

Information on cultivars of both native and exotic species is available on the Plant Breeders Rights
Database.

Terms to watch out for:

cultivar, hybrid, variety, plant variety

See all terms

Plants bred for specific characteristics are called cultivars (a cultivated variety). Cultivar names are shown after the species name in roman type, enclosed in single quotes and with initial capital letters. Do not use the abbreviation cv:

Panicum maximum ‘Simuang’   not   Panicum maximum cv. Simuang

Viola ‘Penny Black’

A group is a formal category of individual plants and cultivars that share a set of characters. The name of a group consists of the correct genus name plus a lower taxonomic name or common name. Use italics for the taxonomic names, roman for common names and initial capitals for all words in the group name:

Rosa Polyantha Group

Allium cepa Aggregatum Group

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