For example, let’s say you were writing the scientific name of the snake plant, a tropical plant native to West Africa. The genus name would be written Sansevieria or Sansevieria. Using the common name of your organism in an online search will yield the proper scientific name.
The specific epithet of the snake plant would be written trifasciata or trifasciata.
For example, our snake plant’s full scientific name could be written Sansevieria trifasciata or Sansevieriatrifasciata.
For example, the scientific name of the Golden Hahnii snake plant, a new cultivar of the snake plant, would be written Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Golden Hahnii. ’ The scientific name of the striped snake plant, a variety of the snake plant, would be written Sansevieria trifasciata var. Laurentii. The Laurentii is capitalized because it is a proper noun (a last name) in honor of the person who discovered the plant. Varieties are mutations that occur in nature, while cultivars are man-made mutations. For example, a new variety of a species might occur in a unique natural environment, such as a rainforest. On the other hand, a cultivar might develop in a greenhouse where humans are only breeding certain types of plants.
You can italicize or underline the name as normal or not, it’s up to you.
For example, Sansevieria trifasciata would become S. trifasciata on future references. Most generic names are abbreviated with a capitalized first letter then a period. Search an online scientific name finder, such as SciName Finder, to confirm the abbreviation of your generic name. Several universities also have online databases to assist with scientific abbreviations.
So rather than saying, “sansevieria trifasciata” in your talk to a Boy Scout troop, say, “snake plant. ”
