Author citation (botany)

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In botanical nomenclature, author citation refers to citing the person (or group of people) who validly published a botanical name, i.e. who first published the name while fulfilling the formal requirements as specified by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN).^[1]

1 Normal usage
2 Multiple parts
3 Abbreviations
4 See also
5 References

[edit] Normal usage

When citing a botanical name including its author, the author's name is often abbreviated. To encourage consistency the ICBN now recommends (Recommendation 46A, Note 1) the use of Brummitt & Powell's Authors of plant names (1992), where each author of a botanical name has been assigned a unique abbreviation. ^[2]^[3] These standard abbreviations can be found at the IPNI, Author Query page. For example in:

Lens Mill. the abbreviation "Mill." refers to Philip Miller.
Lens culinaris Medik. the abbreviation "Medik." refers to the botanist with the birth name Friedrich Kasimir Medikus.

[edit] Multiple parts

In many cases the author citation will consist of two parts, the first in parentheses, e.g., Helianthemum aegyptiacum (L.) Mill. This form of author citation indicates that the epithet was originally published in another genus (in this case as Cistus aegyptiacus L.), or at another rank. The parenthetical author is the author of the original name (the basionym), and the author after the parentheses is the author of the combination, i.e., the author who associated that epithet with another genus to form a new name. ^[4]

In using botanical names, depending upon context it may not be necessary to include author citation. The ICBN states, "In publications, particularly those dealing with taxonomy and nomenclature, it may be desirable, even when no bibliographic reference to the protologue is made, to cite the author(s) of the name concerned" (Art. 46.1). In non-taxonomic works an author citation will not add information. There are several rules regarding author citation which are to be followed. In other matters more leeway is allowed so that in practice various styles are used.

Unlike the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, the ICBN does not use group-level names (see author citation (zoology). This means that every name has its own distinct authorship (see rank). For example, the species commonly known as the Damask rose can be assigned to the following taxa (depending on the classification system used), with each botanical name followed by its author citation:

division Magnoliophyta Cronquist & al.

subdivision Magnoliophytina Frohne & U.Jensen ex Reveal

class Magnoliopsida Brongn.

subclass Rosidae Takht.

superorder Rosanae Takht.

order Rosales Perleb

suborder Rosineae Rchb.

family Rosaceae Adans.

subfamily Rosoideae Arn.

tribe Roseae Lam. & DC.

subtribe Rosinae J. Presl.

genus Rosa L.

species Rosa damascena Mill.

This is not full citation, which would include more detail on date and place of publication:

Sequoia sempervirens (D.Don) Endl., Syn. Conif. 198 (1847) the abbreviation D.Don indicates that David Don originally published the name in a genus other than Sequoia (in this case as Taxodium sempervirens D.Don); subsequently, the combination into Sequoia was published by Endlicher, on page 198 of Endlicher's Synopsis Coniferarum, published in 1847. Full citation will usually be found primarily in taxonomic works.

[edit] Abbreviations

A few abbreviations are often used in botanical author citations, and are always optional:

ex signals that the first author described or named the plant without giving it a fully valid publication, which the second author did, leaving the first name as an homage. ^[5]