Taxacom: botanical names with racist history

[Paul van Rijckevorsel]

Well, the original proposal (126) is here:
https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fonlinelibrary.wiley.com%2Fdoi%2Fepdf%2F10.1002%2Ftax.12622&data=05%7C02%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7C2f64dfb80ce8410d058a08dcaa1087de%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638572235175313259%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C60000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=2dNv6SlC3N1cNEn8Uny%2BaPohCvPTJCr8LZNqDxDG1Z8%3D&reserved=0

This is to change /caffra/ to /afra/, not /affra/. There is also
the question when the change is to take effect. At the earliest,
this will be when the IBC approves the decisions of the
Nomenclature Section. Arguably, it will wait till the new
edition of the ICNafp is published.

Paul

On 22/07/2024 04:57, John Grehan via Taxacom wrote:
> Statements below from a web site. Can any botanist on Taxacom comment
> further on this?
>
> Scientists have voted to eliminate the names of certain plants that are
> deemed to be racially offensive. The decision to remove a label that
> contains such a slur was taken last week after a gruelling six-day session
> attended by more than 100 researchers, as part of the International
> Botanical Congress, which officially opens on Sunday in Madrid.
>
> The effect of the vote will be that all plants, fungi and algae names that
> contain the word *caffra*, which originates in insults made against Black
> people, will be replaced by the word *affra* to denote their African
> origins. More than 200 species will be affected, including the coast coral
> tree, which will be known as *Erythrina affra* instead of *Erythrina caffra*
> .
>
> The scientists attending the nomenclature session also agreed to create a
> special committee which would rule on names given to newly discovered
> plants, fungi and algae. These are usually named by those who first
> describe them in the scientific literature. However, the names could now be
> overruled by the committee if they are deemed to be derogatory to a group
> or race
>