What's in a Scientific name?

      At a meeting of the Columbus Bonsai Society a few months ago,  the talk took a slight digression to cover how important proper names can be.  Identification is important. Being familiar with binomial nomenclature-what is usually known as ‘the scientific name’-can be a great way to sound well informed, or just pretentious. Usually a bit of both at the same time.
     Why learn what seems like a new language? Imagine going to the nursery and asking for some myrtle. You’ve heard it can be a great  bonsai, indoors or out, and hardy to boot. (that’s all true, by the way). So when the nursery  employee shows you some trailing vies labeled as ground cover, you’re more than a little confused. How does that turn into a believable bonsai?
     Setting aside another bonsai issue (the conundrum that a vine can indeed be a bonsai-see wisteria, poison ivy, etc) the myrtle mix up comes from the fact that many plants that are quite different can have identical or nearly identical names.  Both regular folks and interested parties like farmers and scientists have noticed this for some time, and various systems to deal with the matter of identification sprung up during human history.
     The system as it exists today, referred to as binomial nomenclature because it almost always uses two names to refer to all living things, what developed by the Swedish botanist Carl Linneaus in the mid 1700s.  Linneaus simplified matters by limiting to two names what previously had no limits.  Dealing with only two names was far simpler and much more efficient than remembering five, seven or even more words, and the system gained quick acceptance. Today every plant and animal, as well as things like algae, fungus and bacteria have a name assigned to them.
     The usefulness of the system shows if we consider the myrtle question.  The myrtle that is best for bonsai has a number of common names, such as Greek Mytrle, True myrtle and is called scientifically Myrtus communis.  Crepe myrtle can also make a good bonsai and its scientific name is Lagerstromia indica. The vining myrtle, also referred to as dwarf periwinkle, is called Vinca minor.
     Each name consists of two elements, Genus then species.  In arrangement and content, they resemble the human naming convention prevalent in Asian cultures-Genus roughly equivalent to a family name, and species  is more specific  For instance: Felis catus (the domestic cat)and Felis silvestris (the wild cat)are two species within the genus Felis. Felis is a genus within the family Felidae.
     Usage rules suggest that binomials are italicized when typed or printed, and underlined when hand written, to set them apart.  When using both binomial, on first mention the should be spelled in full, there after its OK to clip the genus-Juniperus chinensis, then J. chinensis. If a varietl name is used, it comes after the other two words and is not italicized Juniperus chinensis “Shimpaku”.
     The rules are basically the same for animals and plants, but there are differences. Interestingly, plants can not repeat a word, but animals may do so-that animal on the back of the nickel is properly known as Bison bison. Also, names can be used for both life forms! That means that there are plants and anaimls that have the same genus name, but of course, are not related. Perhaps most interesting ( or confusing of all) "Binomial nomenclature" is the correct term for botany, although it is also used by zoologists.[ Since 1953, "binominal nomenclature" is the technically correct term in zoology. A binominal name is also called a binomen (plural binomina)