Valid publication . In order to establish a proper botanical name, the author must publish a paper describing the species in Latin, and referring to the type specimen. Publication must be in a recognized botanical journal. This section analyzes several names and describes their proper use and interpretation. Here are some examples illustrating how names are properly formatted and interpreted.
Red maple is in the genus Acer .
The species name is Acer rubrum , not rubrum , since the specific epithet is always accompanied by the genus. On further use within the same document, the species name can be abbreviated A. rubrum . The species name is in Latin, and is always in a distinct typeface, generally italics or underlined. The species name is followed by the name of the author, usually abbreviated. Author names need only follow the species in formal botanical literature, and are often omitted in popular works.