Scientific or Latin binomial plant names are standard and authoritative around the world, unlike common names such as red maple or common chickweed. But authoritative doesn’t necessarily mean permanent. Scientific name changes I’ve encountered in recent years include waxmyrtle, from Myrica cerifera to Morella cerifera; Leyland cypress, from x Cupressocyparis leylandii to
X Hesperotropsis leylandii (and that may not be the final word); and rosemary, from Rosmarinus officinalis to Salvia rosmarinus.
These changes don’t happen arbitrarily, but are based on careful study, sometimes over a period of years. Plant taxonomists may reach a consensus that a certain plant belongs in a different genus or family than the one to which it was originally assigned, and this decision might be based on flower characteristics or more technical issues. In other cases, it may be determined that a large group of plants should be taken out of one genus and given their own g