The Project of the All-Russian сode of phytosociological nomenclature
Authors: Neshataev V. Yu. 
Published: October 2019

The Code of phytosociological nomenclature of the International Association of Vegetation Science (Barkman et al., 1986) may be applied only to floristic-sociological classification of vegetation. Russian phytosociological tradition was based on the dominant aproach and used since 1900 the nomenclature proposed by R. Sernander. Though for a long time there were no formal rules in the form of the code. In 1989 the author published the Project of the All-Union Code of the Phytocoenological Nomenclature. Since that time many Russian phytosociologists applied the Code in their works. The author received many suggestions on the improvement of the Code that were taken into account in the new variant of the Code.

The Code consists of principles, rules and advices. The Code is independent of the Code of the floristic-sociological classification. It regulates the names of syntaxa. Syntaxon is the type of the plant community with the determined rank. The usage of the names of the syntaxa is based on the nomenclature types (types of names) and the priority in the publication of their diagnoses and releves. The Code is retroactive to 1900.

The ranks of the syntaxa of the main system (in ­ascending order) are the next: variant, subassociation, association, group of associations, class of associations, subformation, formation, group of formations, class of formations, subtype of vegetation, type of vegetation, group of types of vegetation, class of types of vegetation, subdivision, division. The main ranks are association, formation, type of vegetation, division.

The ortogonal system is used mainly for the forest plant communities and based on the similarity of the moss and the grass layers. It has two ranks of syntaxa — cicle and group of cycles.

The name of the formation is based on the names of one or two dominating species or on the names of dominating ecobiomorfs. The nomenclature type of the formation is the association. The names of the syntaxa that have the rank higher then formation must be made of the name of the formation that is the nomenclature type of the syntaxon. The suffixes in the names of formation and higher syntaxa are the next: formation — «-eta», group of formations — «-etesum», class of fomations — «-etosa», subtype of vegetation — «-etium», type of vegetation — «‑etion», group of types of vegetation — «-phytum», class of types of vegetation — «-phytosa», subdivision — «‑phytium», division — «-phytion».

The names of associations, groups and classes of associations and subformations are binary. The first word in the name is the name of formation to which the association belonges with the suffix «-etum» for association, «‑eta» for group, class of associations and subformations. The second word is made of the names of constant or dominant one or two species or of the names of dominating ecobiomorfs with the suffix «-osum» for association and «-osa» for group of associations, «-osium» for classes of associations, «-osion» for subformation. The type of the name of the association is the published releve in which the abundance or the cover is shown for all species.

The name of subassociation consists of the name of association, the word subass. and the word characterising dominant, constant species or structural, ecological, ecobiomorfological peculiarities of the suassociation The suffix of the last word is «-osum». For the suassociation containing the nomenclature type of association the name «typicum» may be used. The name of variant consists of the name of the association, the word var. and the word characterising the variant with suffix «-osum». The last word may be produced similarly as the last word in the name of subassociation.

The names of cycle and group of cycles must be made of the second part of the name of the assotiation that is a type of cycle or the group of cycles. The suffix for cycle is «-osum» for the group of cycles «-osa».