Infraspecific Name (botany)

Infraspecific Name (botany)

In botany, an infraspecific name is the scientific name for any taxon below the rank of species, i.e. an infraspecific taxon. (A "taxon", plural "taxa", is a group of organisms to be given a particular name; "infraspecific" means "any rank below the level of species".) The scientific names of plants (and some other groups) are regulated by the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN, formerly the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, ICBN). This specifies a 'three part name' for infraspecific taxa, plus a 'connecting term' to indicate the rank of the name. An example of such a name is Astrophytum myriostigma subvar. glabrum, the name of a subvariety of the species Astrophytum myriostigma (bishop's hat cactus).

Names below the rank of species of cultivated varieties of plants and of animals are regulated by different codes of nomenclature and are formed somewhat differently.