Continuing Support for Linnaean Plant Name Typification Project

物种名称的科学“类型”是实际的植物或动物标本，通常保存在自然历史博物馆中，生物学家在描述和命名新物种时使用这些标本。不幸的是，18世纪和19世纪的自然历史学家很少指定单个标本作为类型，因此在正确应用科学物种名称方面可能会出现混乱。林奈植物名称类型学项目旨在为18世纪伟大的瑞典博物学家卡尔·林奈出版的大约9800个物种名称中的每一个物种的类型提供全面和学术的评估。这些名称中有许多与经济上或商业上重要的植物有关，包括许多作物、香料、药物和园艺物品。因此，使用正确和稳定的名称对于科学和实际的原因都是至关重要的。Drs。密苏里植物园的波特·劳瑞和弗雷德·巴里与英国自然历史博物馆的查尔斯·贾维斯博士合作，正在继续对欧洲和其他地方的植物馆内收藏的模式标本进行仔细的研究，这些标本与林奈名字的应用有关。根据国际植物学大会制定的公约，并在这些组织的定期会议上每五到六年批准一次，这些名称作为植物的第一个正确的学名具有优先权。与这项工作相结合，正在开发一个名称、标本和相关信息的计算机数据库，并将通过密苏里植物园提供给所有研究植物的研究人员。

The scientific "types" of species names are the actual plant or animal specimens, housed typically in natural history museums, that were used by biologists when describing and naming a new species. Unfortunately, natural historians of the 18th and 19th centuries rarely designated a single specimen as type, and consequently there can be confusion over the correct application of a scientific species name. The Linnean Plant Name Typification project is designed to provide a thorough and scholarly assessment of the types for each of the approximately 9800 species names published by the great Swedish naturalist Carl Linneaus in the 18th century. Many of these names pertain to economically or commercially important plants including numerous crops, spices, medicinals, and horticultural items. Hence, the use of correct and stable names is paramount both for scientific and practical reasons. Drs. Porter Lowry and Fred Barrie of the Missouri Botanical Garden, working with Dr. Charles Jarvis of the British Natural History Museum, are continuing their careful studies of type specimens housed in herbaria in Europe and elsewhere, pertinent to the application of Linnaeus's names. These names have priority as the first correct scientific names of plants, under conventions established at international botanical congresses, and ratified every five to six years at regular meetings of these organizations. A computerized database of names and specimens and associated information is being developed in conjunction with this work, and will be available through the Missouri Botanical Garden to all researchers on plants.