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Revised rules for botanical taxonomy take effect

Posted on behalf of Katherine Rowland. Since Linnaean taxonomy took hold in the 18th century, Latin has been the lingua franca of botany. In addition to designating the names of ranked genus and subspecies in Latin, botanists also compose in the language when describing new taxa. But not anymore. As of 1 January, the new International Code of Botanical Nomenclature is in effect, allowing botanists the option of writing descriptive statements in English, and to publish papers electronically. The changes follow the amendments ratified at the International Botanical Congress (IBC) held in Melbourne, Australia in July of last year (see 

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