Article 51
51.1. A legitimate name must not be rejected merely because it, or its epithet, is inappropriate or disagreeable, or because another is preferable or better known (but see
Art. 56.1), or because it has lost its original meaning, or (in pleomorphic fungi with names governed by
Art. 59) because the generic name does not accord with the morph represented by its type.
Ex. 1. The following changes are contrary to the rule:
Staphylea to Staphylis, Tamus to Thamnos, Thamnus, or
Tamnus, Mentha to Minthe, Tillaea to Tillia, Vincetoxicum to
Alexitoxicum; and Orobanche rapum to O. sarothamnophyta,
O. columbariae to O. columbarihaerens, O. artemisiae to O.
artemisiepiphyta.
Ex. 2. Ardisia quinquegona Blume (1825) is not to be changed to
A. pentagona A. DC. (1834), although the specific epithet quinquegona is a hybrid word (Latin and Greek) (contrary to
Rec. 23A.3(c)).
Ex. 3. The name Scilla peruviana L. (1753) is not to be rejected merely because the species does not grow in Peru.
Ex. 4. The name Petrosimonia oppositifolia (Pall.) Litv. (1911), based on
Polycnemum oppositifolium Pall. (1771), is not to be rejected merely because the species has leaves only partly opposite, and partly alternate, although there is another closely related species,
Petrosimonia brachiata (Pall.) Bunge, having all its leaves opposite.
Ex. 5. Richardia L. (1753) is not to be changed to Richardsonia, as was done by Kunth (1818), although the name was originally dedicated to the British botanist, Richardson.
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