What is Binomial Nomenclature?
Binomial nomenclature is also referred to as the latin or scientific name. Latin was at one time the universal (read: European) language of science. All scientific treatises were written in Latin. If you know your latin roots, looking at scientific names can be fun and can give you a clue for the common name or identifying characteristics of the plant: Toxicodendron diversilobum is poison oak. The scientific method of naming plants is related to the study of taxonomy. Taxonomy is a systematic way of classifying all living organisms. Based on set theory, taxonomists group plants into divisions, families, genera, and species. The characteristics used to group plants have changed over the years. Flower characteristics, such as the number and placement of petals and male and female sexual organs, stem anatomy and genetic information are now used together to group species taxonomically. Examples of characteristics that determine which division a plant is in: if the plant has a water and nut
Binomial nomenclature is the system used to identify all organisms on Earth, from elephants to algae. A binomial or scientific name identifies an organism by its genus and species, ensuring that everyone understands which organism is under discussion. Binomial nomenclature fits within the larger framework of taxonomy, the science of categorizing living organisms and assigning traits to them to understand the links and differences between them. The scientific name of an organism could be considered its definitive name, with scientific names being understood by scientists all over the world. You may also hear scientific names being referred to as “Latin names,” in a reference to the heavy use of Latin in taxonomy. However, it is also common to see Latinized names, typically honoring the person who discovered the organization, or the region in which it was discovered; for example, Branta canadensis is the Canadian Goose. Greek is also used in scientific names, often in a jumble with Latin
