Introduction

Taxonomy is that section of botany which is concerned with the valid naming of plants. Often botanists who are studying a particular group of plants will find that the relationships between individual species (or genera) are different to what has been previously published or that the previously published names are invalid for one reason or another. As a result, this research may lead to name changes resulting from:

• Old, invalid names being replaced (eg. Banksia prostrata became Banksia gardneri)
• Old, superseded names being restored (eg. Hakea pugioniformis reverted to Hakea teretifolia)
• Species being reclassified to different genera (eg. Eucalyptus maculata became Corymbia maculata - see footnote 4)
• Previous single, highly variable species being divided into two or more separate species (eg. the variable Banksia sphaerocarpa complex was divided into 8 separate species.)
• Previous similar species being combined into a single species (eg. Eucalyptus stoatei was incorporated into Eucalyptus forrestiana as Eucalyptus forrestiana subspecies stoatei)
• Previous sub-species or varieties being raised to species status (eg. Banksia integrifolia variety aquilonia became Banksia aquilonia).

Acceptance of name changes

Taxonomists are sometimes criticised by their peers and others for what is seen to be an excessive enthusiasm for revising plant names. Name changes can be frustrating, can be difficult to keep track of and, when changes involve a group of plants which is entrenched in folklore (such as the eucalypts or banksias), they can also result in some antagonism.

Botanical revision is rarely carried out without a great deal of research but it needs to be appreciated that publication of a name change in a botanical or other journal does not necessarily mean that the change will be accepted by the wider botanical (and general) community.

A National Database of Plant Names

A major problem in dealing with plant names is that some Australian herbaria will accept a particular revised taxonomy while others do not. A current example is the acceptance by the Queensland Herbaium of the re-classification of Callistemon to Melaleuca. This change is not accepted (yet) by other herbaria.

So what is an organisation like ANPSA to do? In the longer term, the Australian Plant Census will help as it aims to provide a database of nationally accepted scientific names for the Australian vascular flora. This, however, is a work in progress so, in the meantime, the policy on the ANPSA site is not to jump on the name change 'bandwagon' - rather we adopt a wait-and-see approach, incorporating changes when it becomes clear that changes have received broad acceptance.

Two significant examples of this approach are the recent (2007) publications that transferred all Dryandra species to Banksia and all Callistemon species to Melaleuca. In these two cases, the old names are being retained on the ANPSA web site until the "dust settles" (further information on these proposed changes can be found on the Dryandra and Callistemon pages, respectively).

Other examples of changes which are not (yet) incorporated into the ANPSA website are the expansion of the genus Syzygium to include related genera such as Acmena and Waterhousea, and the splitting up of many Dendrobium species into several other genera (eg. Vappodes, Thelychiton). The exception to this latter case is the reclassification of Dendrobium linguiforme and several related species to the genus Dockrillia, a change which does appear to have received broad acceptance.

Commonly encountered name changes

The following list is not intended to be comprehensive and it should not be regarded as definitive. It concentrates on those species of Australian plants which are more commonly encountered and where name changes are likely to cause confusion.

Advice of any significant errors or omissions in the list would be appreciated.

1. The plant commonly cultivated as Oreocallis wickhamii was not, in fact, the true O.wickhamii (now known as Alloxylon wickhamii)
   
   
2. The Callistemon paludosus/pityoides/sieberi changes are confusing. Apparently research has shown that the plant previously referred to as C.paludosus was attributable to the original description of C.sieberi, thus requiring the reinstatement of the original name. As a result a new name (C.pityoides) has been applied to the plant previously known as C.sieberi.
   
   
3. Calytrix sullivanii has been incorporated into the existing species, C.tetragona.
   
   
4. In 1995 the genus Corymbia, of 113 species, was created by K.Hill and L.Johnson (Telopea, Volume 6(2-3)). In addition to 33 new species, Hill and Johnson transferred the four Eucalyptus species listed here, plus another 76, to the new genus. More recently, Ian Brooker absorbed both Corymbia and Angophora into Eucalyptus (Australian Systematic Botany 13, 79-148.) but this work does not appear to have gained wide acceptance and most authorities retain Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora as separate genera.
   
   
5. Eugenia australis is now regarded as two separate species, Syzygium australe and S.paniculatum.
   
   
6. The popular garden plant commonly known as Grevillea biternata is incorrectly named. The correct name is G.curviloba subsp incurva. The true G.biternata is not widely cultivated.
   
   
7. Extensive revision of the genus Phebalium by Paul Wilson has seen 21 species transferred to the genus Leionema, 6 species transferred to Nematolepis and 3 species transferred to Rhadinothamnus. 25 species remain in Phebalium.
   
   
8. Alex George (well known to many for his work in the revision of Banksia and Dryandra and for his work on the Flora Of Australia project) published a name change for Sturt's desert pea in the 'Western Australian Naturalist' in 1999. He has called the plant Willdampia formosa in honour of the explorer William Dampier. This proposal, however, does not seem to have received general acceptance.
   
   
9. Until 1995, all Australian gentians were considered to be included under Gentianella diemensis. They have now been transferred to the genus Chionogentias and split into 14 separate species. The genus Chionogentias also occurs outside of Australia.
   
   
10. The species formerly known as Baeckea virgata (now Babingtonia virgata) is now considered to be restricted to New Caledonia and does not occur in Australia. Australian plants formerly referred to Baeckea virgata are now considered to belong to a number of different Babingtonia species (however, a paper published in September 2007 by P.Wilson et. al. may see furher changes in this group of plants: Re-evaluation of the genus Babingtonia (Myrtaceae) in eastern Australia and New Caledonia; Australian Systematic Botany 20, 302-318).
    
    
11. Several species formerly included in the genus Helichrysum were transferred to the new genus Bracteantha in 1991. However, it has recently (2001) been discovered that the name Xerochrysum, published by a Russian botanist in 1990, must take precedence under the rules of botanical nomenclature. This means that Bracteantha bracteatum and B.subundulata (and several other species) are now reclassified under the genus Xerochrysum.
    
    
12. The name Acacia aulacocarpa is still current but has been widely misapplied and a number of forms previously referred to as A.aulacocarpa have now been transferred to other species. The form from coastal and near coastal areas of south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales (and the one most commonly referred to as A.aulacocarpa in the past) is now A.disparrima.
    
    
13. The name Viola hederacea is still current but research has indicated that the form commonly cultivated is sufficiently distinct from the type form of that species to warrant re-classification.
    
    
14. All species in the genus Brachysema have been transferred to the genus Gastrolobium.
    
    
15. The commonly cultivated plant known as Rhododendron lochiae has been found to be a separate species to the true R.lochiae. The name R.viriosum now applies to the commonly grown species. For further details see ANPSA's Rhododendron viriosum page.