There are many thousands of tree species in the world, which of course are part of an even larger plant kingdom. Before the scientific naming came into existence, the use and misuse of common names caused a lot of confusion.
The system of scientific names was first introduced by Carolus Linnaeus in 1753. This system now called “binomial nomenclature” used for naming living things, including plants. Moreover, the system names a species with Latin names made up of two parts, its genus and species.
The genus, the lowest level of grouping, always comes first in the scientific name.
Expanding on this, botanists have grouped plants in taxonomies, a grouping based on plants with similar characteristics. These groupings are sub divided until you get down to the plant itself, the species which gives the tree its scientific name.
Table of Contents
What is the Taxonomy Structure for trees?
The table below is an example of the structure for the genus for oak.
Genus is the lowest level of grouping. The plural of genus is genera.
A species scientific name will have two parts, first its genus and second a Latin name that is unique to the species.
Furthermore, looking at the plant kingdom regarding trees, there are 5 Divisions containing trees.
These are with their scientific names in brackets;
- Flowering plants (Magnoliophyta).
- Conifer (Pinophyta).
- Ginkgos (Ginkgophyta).
- Cycads (Cycadophyta).
- Ferns (Pteridophyta).
Additionally, there is an additional type of grouping that is sometimes used, sitting alongside this taxonomy, that is named clade.
A clade is another type of group that corresponds to a single lineage that is composed of a common ancestor and all its descendants
The common ancestor may be an individual, a population, or a species (extinct or extant) that is within the clade.
What is the Most Common Group of Trees in the World?
I remember learning at school that there were hardwood and softwood trees. I remember that on the whole the softwood trees where evergreen and hardwood were deciduous.
On the whole, this seems to be true, but there are plenty of exceptions.
Of the trees I know and have heard of, or are common to the areas that I have visited in the UK and US, mainly fall in the Flowering plants and conifer divisions of the plant kingdom.
Going back to the clade grouping I mentioned earlier in the post, flowering plants have 3 clades with members that are trees.
Two of of the clades in this division contain what we know as the broadleaf or hardwood trees. They have the scientific names of Eudicots and Magnoliids.
Eudicots is the biggest clade, with it containing over 210 families. Coincidentally, Eudicots contains most of the families that I am aware of.
How accurate is the grouping of trees?
Though a lot of trees, their genera, and families have common names, it is the scientific names and grouping that highlights the differences. As an example, the horse chestnut is not in the chestnut family at all.
During the research, I tried to find out how many genera were in each family and how many species were within each genus.
However, there seems to be a lot of discrepances in the sources of research—trees seem to be grouped using different criteria by different organisations and people.
Moreover, differences are exaggerated by two factors.
First, with modern cultivation and cross pollinating, new species have been bred.
Second, once introduced in an area, a non-native species can cross pollinate with closely related native varieties and create new hybrids.
What are the Common Families of Trees and Their Scientific Names?
I’ve picked out some of the most common families and the genus that belong to them. Covering Hardwoods from the flowering plants (Eudicots) division and Softwoods from the conifers division.
The clickable genera have articles.
I have categorised the most common families by hardwoods or softwoods.
Hardwoods by Family with Their Scientific Names
Below are the common families and genera of the conifer division with their scientific names:
Softwoods by Family with Their Scientific Names
Below are the common families and genera of the conifer division with their scientific names:
Wrap up
In this post I have laid out the families that I want to be covered on the site. Over time, I want to expand on these as I spot and see trees on my travels. I have omitted several families and genera, as there are plants, shrubs and trees that I will never get to see or write about. I have included a link to a complete list here.
As I researched to create the page, it is amazes me just how much diversity there is in the species of trees, the genus of Oak, for example, where there are 90 species in North America alone and even more in Mexico.
The other thing that amazes me is how botanists were, on the whole, able to categorise and group the species in the past when science was not as advanced as today. Nowadays we they have the benefits of things like DNA analysis and other tests, but much of the classification pre dates this technology.
I can’t wait to learn more about the trees that I see and aspire to see in the future.
