Question

A scientist has come across a plant which he feels is a new species. How will he go about its identification, classification and nomenclature?

Answer 1

Obviously, nomenclature or naming is only possible when the organism is described correctly. This is identification. Reference collections of plant specimens are collected into the herbarium and identified. Most plant parts are dried, pressed, mounted on herbarium sheets and stored.

•  Classification is the process by which anything is grouped into convenient categories based on some easily observable characteristics. The earliest systems of classification used only gross superficial morphological characters such as habit, colour, number and shape of leaves, etc. They were based mainly on vegetative characters or on the androecium structure (system given by Linnaeus). Such systems were artificial.
• Natural classification systems are based on natural affinities among the organisms and consider, not only the external features but also internal features, like ultra-structure, anatomy, embryology and phytochemistry. The natural system of classification for flowering plants was given by George Bentham and Joseph Dalton Hooker, in three volumes of Genera Plantarum.
• At present phylogenetic classification systems based on evolutionary relationships between the various organisms are acceptable. This assumes that organisms belonging to the same taxa have a common ancestor. The first phylogenetic system was proposed by Engler and Prantlin's monograph ‘Die NaturlichenPflanzenFamilien’.
• In order to facilitate the study, a number of scientists have established procedures to assign a scientific name to each known organism. This is acceptable to biologists all over the world. The system of providing scientific names is called Binomial nomenclature.
• Each name has two components—the Generic name and the specific epithet. This system of providing a name with two components is called Binomial nomenclature. This naming system given by Carolus Linnaeus is being practised by biological all over the world. This naming using a two-word format was found convenient.