International Association for Plant Taxonomy
Encyclopedia
The International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT) promotes an understanding of plant
biodiversity
, facilitates international communication of research between botanists
, and oversees matters of uniformity and stability in plant names . The IAPT was founded on July 18, 1950 at the Seventh International Botanical Congress
in Stockholm
, Sweden
. Currently, the IAPT headquarters is located in Bratislava
, Slovakia
. Its current president, since 2011, is Vicki Funk of Smithsonian Institution
, Washington, DC.
Both the taxonomic journal Taxon and the series Regnum Vegetabile are published by the IAPT. The latter series includes the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, the Index Nominum Genericorum, and Index Herbarorium.
—the discovery, naming, classification, and systematics
of plants—for both living and fossil plants
. Additionally, it promotes the study and conservation
of plant biodiversity, and works to raise awareness of the general public to this issue. The organization also facilitates international cooperation among botanists working in the fields of plant systematics
, taxonomy
, and nomenclature
. This is accomplished in part through sponsorship of meetings and publication of resources, such as reference publications and journals.
The IAPT also seeks to achieve uniformity and stability in plant names
. It accomplishes this through the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature and through the oversight of the International Bureau for Plant Taxonomy and Nomenclature.
Taxon, the series Regnum Vegetabile, and the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. It also maintains several taxonomy-related database
s available on-line.
.
The series includes many additional volumes of interest to specialists in specific subdisciplines of botany
, in addition to the ones listed above.
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
, facilitates international communication of research between botanists
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
, and oversees matters of uniformity and stability in plant names . The IAPT was founded on July 18, 1950 at the Seventh International Botanical Congress
International Botanical Congress
International Botanical Congress is a large-scale meeting of botanists in all scientific fields, from all over the world. Authorized by the International Association of Botanical and Mycological Societies , congresses are held every six years with the venue circulating around the world. The XVIII...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Currently, the IAPT headquarters is located in Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. Its current president, since 2011, is Vicki Funk of Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, Washington, DC.
Both the taxonomic journal Taxon and the series Regnum Vegetabile are published by the IAPT. The latter series includes the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, the Index Nominum Genericorum, and Index Herbarorium.
Purpose
The IAPT's primary purpose is the promotion and understanding of biodiversityBiodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
—the discovery, naming, classification, and systematics
Systematics
Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of terrestrial life, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees...
of plants—for both living and fossil plants
Paleobotany
Paleobotany, also spelled as palaeobotany , is the branch of paleontology or paleobiology dealing with the recovery and identification of plant remains from geological contexts, and their use for the biological reconstruction of past environments , and both the evolutionary history of plants, with a...
. Additionally, it promotes the study and conservation
Conservation biology
Conservation biology is the scientific study of the nature and status of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction...
of plant biodiversity, and works to raise awareness of the general public to this issue. The organization also facilitates international cooperation among botanists working in the fields of plant systematics
Systematics
Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of terrestrial life, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees...
, taxonomy
Plant taxonomy
Plant taxonomy is the science that finds, describes, classifies, identifies, and names plants. It thus is one of the main branches of taxonomy.Plant taxonomy is closely allied to plant systematics, and there is no sharp boundary between the two...
, and nomenclature
Botanical nomenclature
Botanical nomenclature is the formal, scientific naming of plants. It is related to, but distinct from taxonomy. Plant taxonomy is concerned with grouping and classifying plants; botanical nomenclature then provides names for the results of this process. The starting point for modern botanical...
. This is accomplished in part through sponsorship of meetings and publication of resources, such as reference publications and journals.
The IAPT also seeks to achieve uniformity and stability in plant names
Botanical name
A botanical name is a formal scientific name conforming to the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature and, if it concerns a plant cultigen, the additional cultivar and/or Group epithets must conform to the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants...
. It accomplishes this through the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature and through the oversight of the International Bureau for Plant Taxonomy and Nomenclature.
Publications and resources
One way in which the IAPT encourages communication among botanists is through its several publications, including the journalScientific journal
In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. There are thousands of scientific journals in publication, and many more have been published at various points in the past...
Taxon, the series Regnum Vegetabile, and the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. It also maintains several taxonomy-related database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
s available on-line.
Taxon
Taxon is the quarterly journal of the IAPT. It has been published since 1951 by the International Bureau for Plant Taxonomy and Nomenclature. Although the journal is "devoted to systematic and evolutionary biology with emphasis on botany", it has been criticized for focusing overly on nomenclature and less on the principles and advancements made in the field of plant systematics. The journal also publishes nomenclatural proposals for the Nomenclature Section of the International Union of Biological SciencesIUBS
The International Union of Biological Sciences is a non-profit organization and non-governmental organization, founded in 1919, that promotes the biological sciences internationally...
.
Regnum Vegetabile
Regnum Vegetabile is a published series of books on topics of interest to plant taxonomists. Many of the volumes are literature surveys or monographs in the area of plant systematics. There are several volumes of general use:- International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (Vol. 146, 2006) The ICBN is a set of rules and recommendations dealing with the formal namesBotanical nomenclatureBotanical nomenclature is the formal, scientific naming of plants. It is related to, but distinct from taxonomy. Plant taxonomy is concerned with grouping and classifying plants; botanical nomenclature then provides names for the results of this process. The starting point for modern botanical...
that are given to plants. The current edition is known as the "Vienna Code", as it was drafted in 2005 at the Seventeenth International Botanical Congress in Vienna, Austria. - International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants, 7th edition (Vol. 144, 2005) Companion to the ICBN, this volume sets forth rules regarding the names of plant cultivarCultivarA cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s. - Index Nominum Genericorum (Vols. 100-102 & 113) An index of all published genericGenusIn biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
names covered by the ICBN, including the place of publication and information about the type species. The index is prepared in collaboration with the Smithsonian InstitutionSmithsonian InstitutionThe Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
. An electronic version is available online in draft form. - Index Herbariorum, 7th edition (Vol. 106, 1981) A directory and guide to the herbariaHerbariumIn botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
of the world, including contact information, abbreviation codes, and important collections located in each herbarium. Data on the world's herbaria are now managed by The New York Botanical Garden as part of the C. V. Starr Virtual Herbarium. The Index Herbariorum database is available for on-line searching. here. Downloads of some or all Index Herbariorum data are available on request. Updates to the database are made available through Twitter (username 'ihupdates'). - International Directory of Botanical Gardens (Vol. 95, 1977) A directory to botanical gardenBotanical gardenA botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
s and arboretaArboretumAn arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
around the world.
The series includes many additional volumes of interest to specialists in specific subdisciplines of botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
, in addition to the ones listed above.
Databases
In addition to electronic versions of its print publications, the IAPT maintains the following:- "Names in Current Use" - A database of scientific names of extant botanical genera.