An Example:
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
| Kingdom |
Plantae – Plants |
| Subkingdom |
Tracheobionta – Vascular plants |
| Superdivision |
Spermatophyta – Seed plants |
| Division |
Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants |
| Class |
Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons |
| Subclass |
Asteridae |
| Order |
Asterales |
| Family |
Asteraceae – Aster family |
| Genus |
Rudbeckia – coneflower |
| Species |
Rudbeckia hirta – black-eyed
Susan |
Explanations of Classifications (beginning with “Class”):
I. Class
Class divides plants into the two large groups, Dicots and Monocots.
A. Dicotyledons (Dicots are plants with two seed leaves. This huge group, with approximately
2/3 of all flowering plants, includes most all wildflowers. Dicots have “net-veined” leaves,
which means they have the familiar leaves with center vein plus branching
veins running from it.
B. Monocotyledons (Monocots, plants with one seed leaf, are the grasses and other simpler
plants, and make up about 1/3 of all flowering plants. Monocots have parallel-veined leaves.)
II. Subclass
(Not used with all species.)
A group of related plant families classified
in the order in which they are believed to have developed their differences
from a common ancestor. There are six “superorders” with each one’s name
ending in “idae.”
III. Order
(Not used with all speices.)
The classes are further sub-divided into “orders” whose
names end in “ales.”
IV. Family
Click here for a list of Wildflower Families
Each order is divided into families. Each
member of a plant family shares many botanical features. This is the highest
classification group normally referred to. Modern classification assigns
a type of plant to each family as an example of that family’s characteristics
as distinguishable from other families. The names of families end in “aceae.”
V. Sub-Family
(Not used with all species.)
A sub-division of a family in which
plants are grouped according to botanical differences within the same family.
Sub-families end in “oideae.”
VI. Tribe
(Not used with all species.)
A further family division based on less significant botanical
differences. Tribes end in “eae.”
VII. Sub-Tribe
(Not used with all speices.)
A further division based on even smaller botanical differences,
usually only recognizable by professional botanists.
VIII. Genus
This is the part of plant nomenclature that is the most familiar.
For example, Papaver is
the genus for Poppy. Plants in a genus are easily recognizable as belonging
to the same group. The name of the genus should always be capitalized. Example:
Red Poppy is Papaver rhoeas.
IX. Species
This is the level of classification that defines the individual plant. Here some aspects
of the plant are more specifically defined — color, leaf shape, or place
where or by whom it was discovered. The use of the genus and species names together
always refer to only one plant. The species name is written after the genus and
is never capitalized. Example: Rudbeckia hirta
X. Variety
(Not used with all species.)
To receive this added piece of nomenclature, a plant must
be only slightly different from a certain species, but not different enough to be granted
its own species name. When used, the Variety name follows the Genus and Species names with
the abbreviation, “var,” followed
by the full variety name in small letters. The wildflower Scarlet Flax is a good
example: Linum
grandiflorum var rubrum. In Latin, this tells you that this is a Flax (linum)
with large flowers (grandiflorum) that happen be red (rubrum). (Most of the
family is not red-flowered.) Most wildflowers do not have this extra little added-on name,
(for example, Rudbeckia hirta does not.) but it’s important when needed.
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