Botanists versus Horticulturists: Changes in Plant Names

摘要

In many fields of endeavor, people may share common interests yet differ vehemendy on relevant details. In the field of music, for example, composers and critics have often been at odds; following the first performance of Brahms concerto for the violin, one critic referred to it as a concerto against the violin. Botanists and horticulturists share interest in plant identification and nomenclature. When the question "To what end?" is posed, differences emerge. Botanists are concerned primarily with native populations of plants and their phylogenetic (evolutionary) relationships. As research develops new information on the relationships, changes in the scientific names and ranks of taxonomic groups of plants (taxa; singular taxon) are often necessary.The horticulturists are concerned primarily with plants under cultivation, and a change in the scientific name of a plant not only is an annoyance, but also may be cosdy in terms of revision of labels, plant records, and catalogs—i.e., of time and money.