The International Code of Nomenclature
for algae, fungi, and plants
The Code is the set of internationally agreed rules and recommendations that govern the naming of algae, fungi, and plants.
The scientific naming of plants, algae, and fungi has deep historical roots. A major landmark was the publication in 1753 of Linnaeus's Species Plantarum. The first Code of nomenclature was Alphonse de Candolle's Lois de la Nomenclature Botanique (1867). The system of naming organisms is the first truly global scientific standard, predating even standard calendars and units of measurement.
The Code is amended every six years at an International Botanical Congress (IBC). The current Code, the 17th edition, results from the XIX IBC in Shenzhen in July 2017 and was published on 26 June 2018.
Print copies of the Code may be purchased from Koeltz Botanical Books.
Members of IAPT may also obtain the Code as a PDF document.
The Appendices of the Code are published as a continuously updated online database.
Provisions of the Code relating solely to names of fungi comprise its Chapter F. The San Juan Chapter F, superseding Chapter F of the Shenzhen Code, was published on 27 December 2019.
Learning about Nomenclature?
The IAPT has developed a set of Nomenclatural How To Guides, designed to help students and taxonomists navigate the complexities of correctly naming algae, fungi, and plants.
The How To Guides are based on The Code Decoded, now in a fully revised second edition from Pensoft Publishers with open access supported by IAPT,