[Taxacom] Species names

[Thomas G. Lammers]

At 07:27 AM 2/18/2008, Richard Jensen wrote:
 >>"Species names" are composed of a combination of generic and specific 
epithets (a noun and an adjective) and should be treated as nouns, e.g., 
"Quercus rubra" is the subject of the following sentence and requires, In 
my view, a singular verb:  "Quercus rubra is a species of oak native to 
North America."<<

This is still true, IMO, if the specific epithet is a noun in genitive case 
(e.g., Quercus bushii) or a noun in apposition (Acer negundo).  Perhaps the 
grammatical term we need is "noun phrase"?


Thomas G. Lammers, Ph.D.

Associate Professor and Curator of the Herbarium (OSH)
Department of Biology and Microbiology
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901-8640 USA

e-mail:       lammers at uwosh.edu
phone:      920-424-1002
fax:           920-424-1101

Plant systematics; classification, nomenclature, evolution, and 
biogeography of the Campanulaceae s. lat.

Webpages:
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