Help finding a tree name

Tom Dunlap

Tom Dunlap

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There's a thread on a woodworking forum that I follow about the scientific name for a tree.

A couple of the posters say that they have heard of a tree with the same name for genus and species, like, Oak: Quercus quuercus or Elm: Ulmus ulmus.

From what I read about binomial naming this isn't possible. But...there may be a hold-over from history.

Does anyone know a dual name tree?
 
Many latin binomials are just combinations of different greek and latin root words for the plant.

English Oak is defined Quercus robur.

A latin dictionary will show you that both quercus and robur mean simply "oak".

So Quercus robur = "Oak oak"--a good combo imo, as the English oak has such an important primordial role. To be literal to the common name, the tree should be named Quercus brittanica or, perhaps, Quercus albion, but that would be giving away to much to the anglophiles..

Can't think of others at the moment...
 
To my knowledge there is no such tree, but I don't know them all. The only one that comes close but not exact is Araucaria araucana.

And than you have the two look alikes with leaves that refer to each other. Platanus acerifolia and Acer platanoides. Confusing confusing. ;-)
 
My favorite is Arctostaphylos uva-ursi the common name: kinnickinnick
Arktos = Bear in Greek
Staphylos= Berry or Grape in Greek
Uva=Berry or Grape in Latin
Ursi= Bear in Latin

Kinnickinnick also means bear berry in Algonquin

Pretty clear that it's a favorite food of bears.

not sure of your original question, nothing comes to mind. Pinus contorta contorta Shore pine, but that's not the same genus specie names.
 
An excellent source on the linguistic origins of the tree names in Indo-European languages is Paul Friedrich "Proto-Indo-European Trees: The Arboreal System of a Prehistoric People" Very interesting analysis of the root meanings of the names applied to trees by primitive europeans.
 
Tom, there is one, but it is escaping me right now. Not sure if its a tree or a plant, but I remember reading or hearing a latin name that is the same word for genus and species... Argh. Hopefully it will come to me.

-Tom
 
Names and descriptions will never be universally agreed with everyone.

Over time descriptions do seem to change somewhat. In the meantime they do make for good debate. Though as often without resolve.
 
I can't recall any trees with an identical genus and species name, but I've never thought it was forbidden. Formal rules for naming plants and naming animals have some differences but I've always assumed that plants could have dual names since many animals have dual names.

A few of the obvious ones:

Cardinalis cardinalis northern cardinal
Bison bison American bison
Vulpes vulpes red fox
Axis axis axis deer
Gorilla gorilla western gorilla
Hyaena hyaena striped hyena
Meles meles European badger
Quiscalus quiscula common grackle (close but not quite)

and I'm sure there are many more.
 
The code for naming plants:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binomial_nomenclature#Derivation_of_binomial_names

And this, from the wiki:

The ICN, the plant Code, does not allow the two parts of a binomial name to be the same (such a name is called a tautonym), whereas the ICZN, the animal Code, does. Thus the American bison has the binomial Bison bison; a name of this kind would not be allowed for a plant.
 
That's interesting. The International Code of Botanical Nomenclature explicitly bans tautonyms.

[ QUOTE ]
23.4. The specific epithet, with or without the addition of a transcribed symbol, may not exactly repeat the generic name (such repetition would result in a tautonym).

Ex. 3. "Linaria linaria" and "Nasturtium nasturtium-aquaticum" are contrary to this rule and cannot be validly published.
Ex. 4. Linum radiola L. (1753) when transferred to Radiola Hill may not be named "Radiola radiola", as was done by Karsten (1882), since that combination cannot be validly published (see Art. 32.1(c)). The next oldest name, L. multiflorum Lam. (1779), is illegitimate, being a superfluous name for L. radiola. Under Radiola, the species has been given the legitimate name R. linoides Roth (1788).

[/ QUOTE ]

So apparently if a tree was originally named a tautonym or later modified to a tautonym it cannot be validly published. Should we add "tautonym" to the Tree Identification chapter of the certification manual?
 
ginko is the genus and the species "extant".

maybe extant should also be added to the study guide.

it is my impression that the genus and specie name are one in the same.
 
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