The binomial system of nomenclature is structured so that the scientific name of a plant consists of two names:the genus or generic name, and the specific epithet or species name.
Scientific names. The scientific name of a species is governed by internationally accepted rules that determine what the name is and insure that each species has only one. Thus scientific names are the same in every locality and in every language. Each scientific name of a species is two words (a binomen) the first is the name of the genus to which the species is assigned, the second is the specific name. The genus name is capitalized, the specific name is not, and both are printed in italics Merge this question into. Split and merge into it. Answer by Meganelyse. Confidence votes 15. A scientific name consists of the genus name and the specific name. It is a universal name for a species, therefore it is the same all over the world. A common name however, is a very generalized name. The common name of a particular species in one place may be very different in another. The same common name may also be used for two very differerent species. A name used by scientists, especially the taxonomic name of an organism that consists of the genus and species. Scientific names usually come from Latin or Greek. An example is Homo sapiens, the scientific name for humans. A name used by scientists, especially the taxonomic name of an organism that consists of a genus name and a specific epithet, such a Scientific names are also designed to tell you something about the animal's relationships with other animals. The scientific name of each species is made up of a generic name (generic epithet) and a specific name (specific epithet). In our bluegill sunfish example the generic epithet is Lepomis and the specific epithet is macrochirus. The specific name, megalotis, means big ears.. Another example is, whose scientific name is Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus, which literally means yellow-headed, yellow head.. Scientific names also sometimes bear the names of people who were instrumental in discovering or describing the species. The system of nomenclature used today is based on the binomial system of nomenclature, developed by Linnaeus in the late 1700's. The binomial system of nomenclature is structured so that the scientific name of a plant consists of two names: (1) the genus or generic name, and (2) the specific epithet or species name. There are rules to follow when writing a scientific name. Genus Name The genus name is written first.  The scientific name of an organism is written in Latin and in some ways reflects the relationship of that species with other Life on Earth. A scientific name for a species is a unique name, which means that no species can have the same scientific name. For help finding out the scientific name of an organism or the scientific names of its containing groups you can search: 1  The ToL: 2  Do a Quick search (google the Tree of Life) for the common name. 3  Do an Advanced search (either a group search or a text search Every recognized species on earth (at least in theory) is given a two-part scientific name. This system is called binomial nomenclature.. These names are important because they allow people throughout the world to communicate unambiguously about animal species. The specific name, megalotis, means big ears.. Another example is, whose scientific name is Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus, which literally means yellow-headed, yellow head.. Scientific names also sometimes bear the names of people who were instrumental in discovering or describing the species. The scientific name of a species is formed by the combination of two terms The first name (capitalized) is the genus of the organism, the second (not capitalized) is its species. How to Write the Scientific Name of a plant: There are precise convention to follow when writing a scientific name. Genus Name. 
http://entnemdept.ifas.ufl.edu/walker/buzz/h00names.htm http://www.answers.com/Q/What_constitutes_a_scientific_name http://www.thefreedictionary.com/scientific+name http://animaldiversity.org/animal_names/scientific_name/ http://generalhorticulture.tamu.edu/h202/labs/lab3/sciname.html http://tolweb.org/tree/learn/TreebuilderTools/BuildingGuide/SciNames.html http://animaldiversity.org/animal_names/scientific_name/ http://www.cactus-art.biz/note-book/Dictionary/Dictionary_S/dictionary_scientific_name.htm
what constitutes a scientific name