New PlantFiles entry submission guidelines

First, I'd like to thank and congratulate the 16,000-plus PlantFiles contibutors whose combined efforts over the past several years who have helped the database grow to its present size, including a mind-boggling 110,000 images and 62,000 comments. Your hard work is much appreciated, and provides a tremendous resource to the worldwide gardening community!

The PF admin team periodically reviews the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN) for guidance on how we structure PlantFiles. We've recently determined that a few of our entries are getting too specific, according to the Code - and are probably not helpful for the vast majority of PlantFiles users. This doesn't affect most of our contributors, but we felt it was in everyone's best interest to make this guideline public and available for all to read.

Effective immediately, all entries will be limited to ternary (or trinomial) names.

In simpler terms, this means that beyond the species level, separate entries for subspecies, forma, OR varietas are acceptable, but any nomenclature divisions beyond that will be rolled back up into the "parent" trinomial name entry. If you have any questions about this guideline, please post them here, or contact us.

Terry, could you clarify something for me?

As far as I know, we don't have a data field for any classification below species, except cultivar, so where would one even enter classifications further down the scale, unless you enter something like this in the species field?

Genus field: Ranunculus
species field: flammula subsp. flammula

or

Genus field: Ranunculus
species field: flammula subsp. flammula var. tenuifolius

And I'm assuming from what you posted,

that the above would be acceptable?

Any classification further down the scale will be rolled up to the top three classifications, which I'm assuming are the three we have data fields for? Family, Genus and Species?

Thanks for any clarification you can offer.

Joan

Hi, Joan

Using your examples (great ones to use, by the way)

An entry for Ranunculus flammula subsp. flammula is acceptable as a trinomial name.

However, any images or comments submitted for Ranunculus flammula subsp. flammula var. tenuifolius or Ranunculus flammula subsp. flammula var. tenuifolius f. cristata (obviously, I made that up ;o) would be included in the Ranunculus flammula subsp. flammula entry.

Thanks Terry!