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What’s in a name? The curious case of Banj oak (Quercus leucotrichophora)

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Abstract

Banj oak (Quercus leucotrichophora A.Camus) is among the most common and well researched Himalayan trees. Yet, its latin name has been a subject of confusion. Early Himalayan researchers knew it as Quercus incana Roxb. While Camus proposed Q. leucotrichophora in 1935, it was only after Bahadur (1975) gave clear justification and a need for the name change, that Q. leucotrichophora became widely used. In recent years, Quercus oblongata D.Don has come into use likely due to an error in outdated taxonomic databases. This name is incorrect and should not be used. Quercus leucotrichophora is the only correct and accepted name for banj/ban oak. The use of multiple scientific names leads to uncertainty and must be discontinued.

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Notes

  1. William Roxburg on page 642 of Flora Indica describes Quercus incana as a “large timber tree” with leaves that are “acutely serrate of a rigid texture, smooth above, hoary underneath” thus describing the whitish-grey underside of the leaves of banj.

  2. The scientific name for any species has two components, the first being the genus (e.g. Quercus) and the second part being the specific epithet (e.g. incana or leucotrichophora). This is often incorrectly called the species but in fact the genus + specific epithet constitutes the species.

  3. Camus’ nomenclature may initially not have found acceptance as per Bahadur (1975) as she did not point out that the name Q. incana Roxb is already in use. Moreover, she did not provide a description or a reference to Roxburgh’s Flora Indica (where the species was originally described). While explaining the plate of the plant, Camus mentions that her plant was the same as Q. incana Roxb (1814) but she neither provides further details, nor consistently uses Q. leucotrichophora in her later works.

  4. Camus (1935) describes this species is in “Les Chenes. Monographie du genre Quercus” (or The Oaks. Monograph of the Genus Quercus, Atlas 2). However, given that it is in French, it is unclear if Bahadur was able to peruse it in any detail. Certainly, he seems unaware that A.Camus, was a ‘she’ rather than a ‘he’. Aimée Antoinette Camus, was a renowned French Botanist and is perhaps best known for her outstanding work on the genus Quercus.

  5. The species is described by Don (1825) in Prodromus florae nepalensis, Latin for An Essay on The Flora of Nepal.

  6. http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-174133, accessed Feb 4, 2022.

  7. https://wcsp.science.kew.org/namedetail.do?name_id=174133.

  8. As per WFO Quercus leucotrichophora A.Camus ex Bahadur, Indian Forester 101: 101 (1975), is a Nomen illegitimum; i.e. not in accordance with rules and hence not to be used, and in fact the original 1935 name given by Camus appears to be the valid name.

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Acknowledgements

The author is grateful for comments provided by Prof. S.P. Singh and Dr. Vishal Singh. Clarifications provided by Dr. Alan Elliott, World Flora Online and Dr. Rafael at IPNI are gratefully acknowledged.

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  1. Centre for Ecology Development and Research (CEDAR), A-17 Mayfair Gardens, New Delhi, 110016, India

    Rajesh Thadani

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Correspondence to Rajesh Thadani.

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Thadani, R. What’s in a name? The curious case of Banj oak (Quercus leucotrichophora). Trop Ecol 65, 11–15 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42965-023-00305-w

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