To Andrew "don't call me Kay" Vik
The best answer as far as I know is what Charles said.  Different
conventions.  I don't believe there is anything like an 'umbrella'
convention that covers them all.
The botanical counterpart to the IZCN is in fact "The International Code of
Botanical Nomenclature"
and here is a link:
http://www.bgbm.fu-berlin.de/iapt/nomenclature/code/tokyo-e/

I have often had a chuckle over the example you name.  My upstairs Ficus, F.
elastica and F. lyrata are alive, mostly green and doing OK.  Only 2 in my
collection.  My downstairs Ficus, F. communis and F. ficus are dead and
greyish or tannish white.  Only 2 in my collection.
Can anyone else think of any  other animal genera that are the same as plant
genera.  There must be some but I can't think of any right now.
By the way, that was a very nice article about Ficus (the mollusc type) in
your newsletter, Tom E.

Nora
Calgary, Alberta


Kay Lavalier wrote:

> Andrew Vik
> [log in to unmask]
>
> Nora:
>
> I have a question about plant taxonomy. No two animal genera, regardless
> of how distantly they are related, can be given the same generic name.
> However, a plant and an animal genus can share the same name (i.e.,
> Ficus). Why is this?
>
> Andrew
>
> NORA BRYAN wrote:
>
> > Now here's something I can help with since I know more about plants
> > (little as it is though) than I do about shells:
> > Here are some members of the Mallow Family (Malvaceae) found in North
> > America
> > Desert Rosemallow - Hibiscus coulteri
> > Rock Hibiscus - H. denudatus
> > Flower-of-an-Hour - H. trionum
> > Mountain Globemallow - Iliamna rivularis
> > Desert Five-Spot - Malvastrum rotundifolium
> > Wild Hollyhock - Sidalcea candida
> > Checkermallow - S. neomexicana
> > Desert Globemallow - Sphaeralcea ambigua
> > Scarlet Globemallow - S. coccinea
> > Coulter's lobemallow - S. coulteri
> >
> > All of these plants are western or Southwestern North American plants.
> > There doesn't seem to be any eastern representatives.
> > I couldn't find any Lavateras or anything of the genus Malva (unless
> > some of the ones I have listed are synonyms)
> > Hope this helps!
> >
> > FISCHER WOLFGANG wrote:
> >
> > > Dear all,
> > >
> > > i hope someone can help. The is a nonshell related question.
> > > I'm looking for seeds of the Californian plant Lavatera
> > > assurgentiflora .
> > > Are there any other endemic Lavatera or Malva plants in America.
> > >
> > > thank you very much
> > >
> > > Wolfgang Fischer
> > >
> > > Wolfgang Fischer
> > > Institut fuer Pflanzenbau u. Pflanzenzuechtung
> > > Universitaet fuer Bodenkultur
> > > Gregor Mendel Str. 33
> > > 1180 Wien
> > > AUSTRIA
> > >
> > > http://ipp.boku.ac.at/private/wf/index.html
> > > E-mail: [log in to unmask]
> > >    Fax: ++43 1 47654-3342
> > >    Tel: ++43 1 47654-3307