 |
Nasturtium officinale
NOT Nasturtium nasturtium-aquaticum |
Why is it
Nasturtium officinale not
Nasturtium nasturtium-aquaticum as some other botanist proposed?
Who makes the rules for plant names?
The answer is: The International Association of Plant Taxonomists (IAPT) (
home page).
 |
Tropaeolum, determined to be
sufficiently different from
other plants that it is the
only genus in family Tropaeolaceae |
The rules for naming plants and for how they are organized into groups are agreed upon by vote of the International Association of Plant Taxonomists. They meet at International Botanical Congresses, about every 6 years. Suggestions and amendments come out of committees, are voted on by mail and then ratified by the membership attending the International Congress. In this way, the rules of plant naming evolve. Current rules: http://www.iapt-taxon.org/nomen/main.php
Like all of science, it is a human activity. Like all human activities, therefore, it is subject to quirky human behavior.
