These racist plants will soon be renamed

A college of botanists from around the world has decided to rename several plants whose names are deemed “problematic.”

This is particularly true of all those who were called “infidels,” a racist term during apartheid.

This great movement may not stop here, but will soon extend to animals.

After Agatha Christie and James Bond novels, it's the turn of… plants. The British press revealed that on the eve of the 20th International Botanical Congress, which opens Sunday in Madrid, botanists from around the world have voted to rename plants with racist-sounding names.This is a very important first step in solving what has become a real problem in botany and other biological sciences.“, Announces to observer Sandy KnappBotanist at the Natural History Museum in London who chaired the discussions.

By a vote of 351 to 205, his colleagues decided to remove the word “cafra,” a derogatory term used to refer to black people, especially during apartheid South Africa. At least 200 species are targeted, including Erythrinus caffra, a shrub with coral-red flowers, which will become Erythrinus afra from 2026.

Botanists don't intend to stop there. They already want to find a solution to renaming plants whose names are associated with figures that are today considered “problematic”. This is the case of George Hibbert, an 18th-century British politician and merchant, and an amateur botanist. A member of the pro-slavery lobby of his time, he gave his name to Hibberta, a climbing shrub native to Australia.

After plants and animals?

observer He asserts that this review movement may soon extend to animals. This may be the case for Anophthalmus hitleri, a species of cave beetle. Discovered in Slovenia in 1937, it was given this name by the Austrian entomologist Oskar Scheibel to express its effectiveness. “reverence” To the Fuhrer. The latter then wrote to him to express his gratitude.

The problem also arises for Hypopta mussolini, a butterfly discovered in Libya and named in honor of

Italian dictator. Despite years of controversy, the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature opposes any change at this time.

• 

  Read also

  What is the bark beetle, this deadly insect of spruce trees that is targeted by a national plan?

Naming a celebrity isn’t always fun. In 2018, a British company named a blind amphibian from Panama Dermophis donaldtrumpi, in reference to President Donald Trump’s climate skepticism. And finally, in 2022, an American researcher named a new species of centipede Nanaria swiftii in honor of singer Taylor Swift…because her music helped him get through tough times.