Knowra Binomial nomenclature Binomial nomenclature Binomial nomenclature names each species with two words: a genus name followed by a specific epithet. The paired name is used internationally and is conventionally written in italics.
Genus : A taxonomic rank grouping closely related species, whose name forms the first word of each species’ binomial. The first part of every binomial identifies the species’ genus.
Carl Linnaeus : A Swedish botanist who systematized modern biological classification and popularized binomial species names. His works established binomial naming as a widely used scientific practice.
Taxonomy : The practice and theory of identifying, describing, naming, and classifying organisms. Binomial nomenclature supplies species names within taxonomic classification.
Trinomial nomenclature : A three-part scientific naming system commonly used for subspecies or other subordinate taxa. It adds a third name below the species level, unlike a standard species binomial.
Specific epithet : The second word in a species name, distinguishing that species from others in the same genus. It completes the two-part name but is not, by itself, a species name.
Species Plantarum : Carl Linnaeus’s 1753 work listing plant species with names that became foundational in botanical nomenclature. Its publication is the starting point for priority in modern botanical naming.
Biological classification : The arrangement of organisms into groups based on shared characteristics and evolutionary relationships. A binomial places each named species within a larger hierarchy of groups.
Polynomial nomenclature : An older practice of describing species with lengthy, variable strings of Latin words. Binomial names replaced unwieldy descriptive phrases with a consistent two-word form.
Scientific name : A standardized name used to identify an organism or taxonomic group in scientific communication. Binomial nomenclature is the standard way to form scientific names for species.
Systema Naturae : Carl Linnaeus’s work presenting a hierarchical classification of living things, first published in 1735. Its successive editions helped spread Linnaean naming and classification.
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