FAMILY

Genus

species

Common name

e.g. FABACEAE

Kennedia

rubicunda

Dusky coral pea

This is a number of similar Genera grouped into a Famliy.

These plants have recognizable common characteristics.

The FAMILY name:

• always ends with ACEAE

• is usually written in all capitals, although this varies from state to state, e.g. ASTERACEAE.

Family names are usually, but not always derived from a genus within the family.

For example:

PROTEACEAE is derived from the Genus Protea and includes plants such as Hakea, Grevillea and Banskia.

MYRTACEAE is the myrtle FAMILY of plants which are woody plants with dotted, aromatic leaves and flowers with many stamens.

Plants in this FAMILY include Melaleuca, Eucalyptus and Wax.

Have a look at the FABACEAE family tree above to get a better idea of where the FAMILY fits in (look for the lightly shaded area).

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Plants of similar species are grouped into a Genus.

The Genus name:

• is written with a capital at the beginning of the word and the rest of the letters are lower case.

  e.g. Eucalyptus

All the plants in a Genus are similar in appearance, with a number of common features.

e.g. All plants in the Genus Eucalyptus (gums) have:

• a bud cap (operculum) on the flower bud

• fruit which is a woody capsule

• different juvenile leaves compared to the adult.

Look for the lightly shaded area in the FABACEAE family tree above to find out where Genus fits.

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A plant possessing a unique set of characteristics, such as flowers, fruit or other vegetative features, is termed a species.

The key difference between Genus and species is that a species is capable of interbreeding successfully.

The species name:

• is always written in lower case letters.

Check out the different species in the pea FAMILY in the FABACEAE family tree above.

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The common name is the everyday name used for a plant.

The common name:

• is usually in the language of the country or state in which the plant grows

• can change from place to place

  e.g. Antirrhinum majus is called Snapdragon in Australia, however, in Turkey it is known as Dragon's mouth

• is often written with a capital at the beginning of the word and the rest of the letters in lower case.

Have a look at the common names for some members of the pea FAMILY in the FABACEAE family tree above.

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A hybrid occurs when two species interbreed.

This interbreeding is usually indicated by a multiplication sign (x).

e.g.

Magnolia x soulangeana = Magnolia dentate + Magnolia liliflora

The London plane tree, Platanus x hybrida = Platanus occidentalis + platanus orientalis

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A cultivar is a plant species that has originated and existed only under cultivated conditions.

A cultivar may originate from a branch that develops different leaves or flowers.

This cultivar is shown in single quotation marks after the botanical name.

e.g.

Fraxinus oxycarpa has the common name of the claret ash.

However, a cultivar from a variation in this plant's leaves has resulted in a plant with claret coloured leaves.

This claret ash is called Fraxinus oxycarpa 'Raywoodii'.

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