name identification of botanicals requires a combination of morphology, molecular biology, and computer programs. For rosaceae, the scientific name genus part (e.g. Rosa) represents the specific morphological traits of the species (e.g. chinensis) : The rose (Rosa chinensis) has 5-9 leaflets (3-6 cm long), while rose (Rosa rugosa) has 7-9 leaflets (1.5-4 cm long), with an areal network density of 8-12 veins per square millimeter. According to International Code of Plant Nomenclature (ICN), the scientific name must follow the binomial system (genus name + species plus word + abbreviation of naming person), i.e., Mentha piperita L. (Peppermint, L.). Approximately 85% of the world’s vascular plants have been formally described (approximately 390,000 species), but 15% remain unnamed due to taxonomic disputes (e.g., some new orchidaceae species).
Molecular biology techniques such as DNA barcoding improve the precision of botanical name identification. Barcodes from a combination of rbcL and matK genes have a 92% success rate in plant sample identification (according to the Chinese Flora database), and whole genome sequencing (which has dropped from $100 million in 2007 to $100 in 2023) can identify related species. For example, more than 24,000 SNP differences exist between Oryza sativa (Asian cultivated rice) and Oryza glaberrima (African rice). As of a 2021 study by the University of Cambridge, by training 2 million plant images, AI image recognition software (such as PlantNet) can increase the probability of identification of flowers and leaves (pixels >1200×1200) in the field to the correct scientific name to 78% (error rate ±3%), but only 45% for the identification of microscopic traits such as moss species.
Specimen banks and historical documents are the backbone. The United Kingdom Kew Herbarium has over 7 million leaf specimens in wax, of which 1.8 million are digitized at resolution 20 microns/pixel to backdate scientific name revisions, for example, Eucalyptus globulus, which had six scientific name revisions during the time period 1900-2020 on account of revision of classification. Crowdsourced citizen science efforts such as iNaturalist have amassed 58 million records of observations, helping correct 15% of mistakes in traditional scientific names (such as Taraxacum officinale (dandelion) being mistaken for Leontodon).
In horticultural and agricultural purposes, accurate identification of a botanical name is critical to profitability. For example, Capsicum annuum (sweet pepper) and Capsicum chinense (Habanero pepper) possess extremely distinct needs with regards to planting temperature (20-25°C for the former and 25-30°C for the latter), and improper identification results in a reduction of 30% to 50% of output. The USDA Plants Database has 25,000 crops with their scientific names, 95% of which are tagged as hardy (e.g., Malus domestica apple trees for zones 3-8), and commercial nurseries hold a mis-sale rate of approximately 12% due to scientific name confusion (2022 Industry Survey).
The problem is that a synonymy is a homonymy. For instance, Acorus calamus has been given 23 different names, and the genus Bauhinia is named differently in different parts of the world (for instance, the Hong Kong city flower, Bauhinia × blakeana, instead of Bauhinia purpurea). International Plant Name Index (IPNI) statistics report that almost 18% of scientific names represent name conflicts and utilize the Plant Name Resolution Service (BGCI tool) to cross-reference authoritative data automatically (with a success rate of 89%).
Education and certification systems facilitate standardized usage. The Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG Kew) Certificate in Plant Taxonomy requires students to memorize 500 important names (50 families) and successfully complete a specimen identification test (error rate <5%). In China, the electronic version of the Flora of China (FRPS) covers 31,000 plants, and its botanical name search facility is called upon more than 20,000 times a day, which has corrected 8% of the abuse of folk names in the local Chronicles (e.g., misnaming Dendrobium nobile as “Jinnachilam”).