Taxacom: botanical names with racist history

[John Grehan]

Thank you to everyone for the feedback. Sorry to miss the citation of
source - Guardian correct. I am inclined to the view that if one takes the
principle that any offensive name is to be removed (because of original
meaning or patronyms of dislikable people) taxonomic nomenclature is in for
a rough ride, especially where names may have more than one meaning or
origin. And it's going to be worse if different journal editors take
different positions on this matter. I expect at some future time to see all
names made in reference to supernatural deities (whether Western or oher)
being removed because they may be seen as offensive to non-religious or of
different affiliation. Seems to me that just about all names are offensive
to someone.

Cheers, John

On Sun, Jul 21, 2024 at 11:58 PM John Grehan via Taxacom <
taxacom at lists.ku.edu> 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
>
> --
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> Nurturing nuance while assailing ambiguity for about 37 years, 1987-2024.
>
>
>

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