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1800-102-2727Nomenclature is defined as the system of naming organisms with a scientific name. Animals and plants are called by different names across the globe. The concept of nomenclature was developed to avoid confusion and to ensure the entire world follows the same name to address the particular name. Scientific names are different from local names.
The concept of Binomial nomenclature was developed by a famous scientist named Carolus Linnaeus. Carolus Linnaeus was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, physician, and taxonomist. Biologists across the globe follow the internationally accepted codes of principles while assigning a scientific name to the newly discovered or known organisms.
Let’s understand what binomial nomenclature is and what rules are to be followed while writing the scientific name of an organism.
The scientific name of every organism is composed of two names. The first name represents the genus to which it belongs, whereas the second name represents the species. Because the organism is named using two names, the process is called Binomial Nomenclature. Binomial nomenclature is nothing but naming the organism using its genus and species.
For example, let’s take the example of modern human beings. As per the Linnaeus taxonomical classification, Humans belong to the genus “Homo” and species “sapiens”. So, the scientific name of humans would be Homo sapiens.
Now that we have understood that binomial nomenclature is the system of naming an organism using two names, let’s understand the universal rules for writing the scientific name of any given organism. There are 5 rules one must follow to write the scientific name correctly.
Let’s consider the example of a mango. Mango belongs to the genus “Mangifera” and species “Indica”. The correct way to write the scientific name of a Mango is “Mangifera indica Linn”. In this name, Linn represents the name of the scientist who discovered mango i.e. Carolus Linnaeus.
Common Name | Scientific Name |
Modern Humans | Homo sapiens |
Lion | Panthera leo |
Housefly | Musca domestica |
Pigeon | Columba livia |
Crow | Corvus splendens |
Cat | Felis domesticus |
Dog | Canis familiaris |
Crocodile | Crocodylus palustris |
Buffalo | Bubalus bubalis |
Horse | Equus caballus |
Giraffe | Giraffa camelopardalis |
Sparrow | Passer domesticus |
Indian cobra | Naja naja |
King cobra | Ophiophagus hannah |
Panther | Panthera pardus |
Monkey | Simiiformes (infraorder) |
Rabbit | Oryctolagus cuniculus |
Rat snake | Ptyas mucosa |
Rhesus monkey | Macaca mulatta |
Tiger | Panthera tigris |
Honey bee | Apid indica or Apis dorsata |
Zebra | Equus quagga |
Common Name | Scientific Name |
Apple | Pyrus malus |
Barley | Hordeum vulgare |
Brinjal | Solanum melongena |
Carrot | Daucas carota |
Bamboo | Bamboosa aridinarifolia |
Black Gram | Palsoes mungo |
Banana | Musa paradisicum |
Banyan | Ficus benghalensis |
Cucumber | Cucumis sativas |
Black Pepper | Piper nigrum |
Capsicum | Capsicum fruitscence |
Clove | Syzygium aromaticum |
Coriander | Coriandrum sativum |
Cotton | Gossypium herbaceum |
Curry leaf | Murraya koenigii |
Finger millet | Eleusine coracana |
Chiku | Achras sapota |
Guava | Psidium guava |
Dragon fruit | Hylocereus undatus |
Garlic | Allium sativum |
Green Gram | Phaseolus audicus |
Jowar | Sorghum Vulgare |
Ginger | Zingiber officinale |
Lemon | Citrus Limonium |
Jack fruit | Artocarpus integra |
Mango | Mangifera indica |
Kadamb | Anthocephalus indicus |
Onion | Allium cepa |
Maize | Zea mays |
Pea | Pisum sativum |
Neem | Azadirachta indica |
Potato | Solanum tuberosum |
Orange | Citrus aurantium |
Peacock Flower (Gulmohar) | Delonix regia rafin |
Papaya | Carica papaya |
Peepal | Ficus religiosa Linn. |
Pomegranate | Punica granatum |
Radish | Raphanus sativus |
Purple orchid tree (Kachnar) | Bauhinia purpurea |
Rice | Oryza sativa |
Pineapple | Ananus sativus |
Soya bean | Glycine max |
Red maple | Acer rubrum |
Sandalwood | Santalum album |
Rose | Rosa |
Sunflower | Helianthus annuus |
Silver Oak | Grevillea robusta |
Tobacco | Nicotina tobaccum |
Spinach | Lactuca sativa |
Teak | Tectona grandis Linn. |
Turmeric | Curcuma longa |
Tomato | Lycopersicon esculentum |
Tulsi | Ocimum sanctum |
Lettuce | Lactuca sativa |
Tamarind tree | Tamarindus indica |
Watermelon | Citrullus vulgaris |
The concept of binomial nomenclature has been greatly significant in assigning scientific names to all living entities.