For when to use common names and how to present them, see 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(Opens in a new tab/window) (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 (e.g. 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(Opens in a new tab/window) (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(Opens in a new tab/window).
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(Opens in a new tab/window).
Latin names for Australian taxa are available for:
- seed plants, ferns and lycophytes in the National Species List(Opens in a new tab/window)
- vascular plants in the Australian Plant Name Index(Opens in a new tab/window)
- algae in the Australian Algae Name Index(Opens in a new tab/window)
- freshwater algae in the Freshwater Algae database(Opens in a new tab/window)
- fungi in the Fungi Name Index(Opens in a new tab/window)
- lichens in Checklist of the lichens of Australia and its Island Territories(Opens in a new tab/window)
- liverworts in Checklist of Australian liverworts and hornworts(Opens in a new tab/window)
- mosses in the Australian Bryophyte Name Index(Opens in a new tab/window).
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 (i.e. a Latin binomial). The species name is in lower case and italics; the genus name is in full or abbreviated (see Formal taxonomic names):
Cyathodes glauca or C. glauca Macrocystis pyrifera Penicillium chrysogenum
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(Opens in a new tab/window); 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.]
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).
Plant hybrids, crop and cultivar names
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.
International standards and resources
The formation and presentation of cultivar names are set out in the International code of nomenclature for cultivated plants(Opens in a new tab/window).
Australian conventions and resources
The Australian Cultivar Registration Authority(Opens in a new tab/window) 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(Opens in a new tab/window).
Information on cultivars of both native and exotic species is available on the Plant Breeders Rights Database(Opens in a new tab/window).
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
Cropping
Use slashes rather than hyphens or dashes to denote crop rotations:
wheat/chickpea or wheat/wheat/chickpea not wheat-chickpea
Do not use initial capitals for common names of crops, including names indicating resistance (or tolerance) or time of planting:
bearded wheat durum wheat spring wheat winter wheat salt-tolerant wheat
Viticulture
Australian conventions and resources
Wine Australia lists the major wine grape varieties(Opens in a new tab/window) grown in Australia.
The Australian Grape and Wine Authority regulates wine labelling and lists permitted terms, including regional names, traditional terms and quality descriptors(Opens in a new tab/window).
Although viticulturists refer to wine grape types as ‘varieties’, they are actually cultivars. For formal references to the cultivar, follow the general rule for cultivars, including using an initial capital:
Vitis vinifera ‘Shiraz’
Vitis vinifera ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’
However, a type of grape can be referred to by only the cultivar name:
Both Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were used ...
Wines named after the predominant grape variety (cultivar) are called ‘varietals’. This applies to most Australian wine, and wine made in other ‘New World’ countries. Such wine names take initial capitals (e.g. Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir). Wines made in the ‘Old World’ (e.g. France, Spain) are named after the region they are from (e.g. Bordeaux).