Tag: scientific name

  • How unique are scientific names?

    How unique are scientific names?

    This post explores the uniqueness of scientific names, highlighting their limitations. Governed by various codes of nomenclature, these names can overlap across different groups of organisms, leading to such phenomena as hemihomony. The post also discusses tautonyms, which are not allowed in plant nomenclature, reflecting the complexities and idiosyncracies in…

  • Forensic botany of a murderer’s tree

    Forensic botany of a murderer’s tree

    This post concerns discrepancies in naming of a palo verde tree involved in a 1992 murder case. It highlights the importance of stating sources for scientific names used for such plants.