A review of issues of nomenclature and taxonomy of Hypericum perforatum L. and Kew's Medicinal Plant Names Services.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To review which names are used to refer to Hypericum perforatum L. in health regulation and medicinal plant references, and the potential for ambiguity or imprecision.

Key findings

Structured searches of Kew's Medicinal Plant Names Services Resource, supplemented with other online bibliographic resources, found that the scientific name Hypericum perforatum L. is used consistently in the literature, but variation between subspecies is rarely considered by researchers. Research is still published using only the common name 'St John's wort' despite it being imprecise; at least 80 other common names are also used for this plant in multiple languages.

Summary

Ambiguous and alternative plant names can lead to ineffective regulation, misinterpretation of literatur

SUBMITTER: Dauncey EA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6585798 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature