Botanical nomenclature

Botanical nomenclature is like giving names to plants, just like how your mommy and daddy gave you a name.

When a new plant is discovered or identified, scientists give it a special name to make it easier for them to talk about it and know which plant they are talking about.

Just like how your name has a first name and last name, a plant’s name also has two parts. The first name is the genus and the second name is the species. So when you hear someone say a plant’s name like “Rosa canina,” the genus is Rosa and the species is canina.

Scientists use these scientific names all over the world, so they don’t have to worry about people misunderstanding them because of different languages. It’s kind of like having a secret code!

Now, since scientists are always learning new things about plants or discovering new ones, they may have to change a plant’s name or give it a new one altogether. This is because they want to make sure everyone is using the same name for the same plant.

So just like how you might change your name if you decided you didn’t like it or wanted to use your nickname instead, scientists can change a plant’s name so everyone can know which plant they are talking about.