Question

Botanical name of cauliflower is
A. Brassica oleracea var. capitata
B. Brassica campestris
C. Brassica oleracea var.botrytis
D. Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera

Answer 1

Hint: Names of the organisms based on the agreed principles and criteria are called scientific names. Scientific names given to plants are called botanical names of that plant.

Complete Answer:
- Locally used names of a plant are called local names or common names. But common names create confusion as different species may be known by the same name and the same species may be known by the different local names in different parts of the world. So, it is necessary to have common scientific names that are universally accepted for all organisms throughout the world.
- Scientific naming is of different types. They are binomial nomenclature, trinomial nomenclature and polynomial nomenclature. Binomial nomenclature is the method of naming organisms with two components. In a binomial name, the first component is called the generic name or genus name. The second component is called species name or specific name.
- The botanical name of cauliflower is Brassica oleracea var. botrytis. Here, Brassica is the generic name and oleracea is the species name. ‘Var’ stands for variety, which is a taxonomic rank below species and subspecies. It belongs to the family Brassicaceae that includes plants like cabbage, broccoli, etc. Brassicaceae is also called the mustard family.

Hence the correct option is C.

Note: Botanical names are given to organisms according to certain codes. It is called international code for botanical nomenclature (ICBN) and international code for zoological nomenclature (ICZN). These codes are established and improved upon at international botanical and zoological congresses held from time to time.