This is a universal naming system that also indicates relationships within groups of plants. The genus name is always first and capitalized. The specific epithet is second and not capitalized. Together these two names describe the particular plant species. Genus is a cluster of plants with common characteristics that are easily recognized.
Species is a group of plants that can generally interbreed only among themselves.
They show persistent differences from members of closely related species. A good example of binomial nomenclature can be seen in maple trees. Properly written scientific names are underlined or italicized. Binomial nomenclature gives many descriptive clues about the plant. It can indicate color, form, who discovered it or where it originated.