The Crop-Group and the inconsistent use of Linnean names in the taxonomy of domesticated plants

W.L.A. Hetterscheid, R.G. van den Berg

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Abstract

There have been several proposals for classification categories for systematic groups of domesticated plants. In the 6th edition of the International Code for Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants (ICNCP) only two main categories were included, the cultivar and the cultivar-group. The 7th edition of ICNCP saw the introduction of the Group to encompass the cultivar-group together with other kinds of groupings, also of unnamed material. Despite the existence of the ICNCP, many names for systematic groups of domesticated plants are still in purely Linnean form, following the rules of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN). This practice illustrates a lack of insight in the workings and logic of systematic thinking with respect to domesticated plants and muddles the borderline between the contexts of domestication and evolution. The inclusion of the Crop category in the ICNCP would accommodate the nomenclature and classification of all systematic groups of domesticated plants in one logically consistent system, setting it apart from the realm of the classical botanical classification in use for wild plants.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)169-176
JournalActa Horticulturae
Volume799
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2008

Keywords

  • Crop-group
  • ICBN
  • ICNCP
  • Linnean names
  • Nomenclature of domesticates

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