Botanists vote to change racist plant names

Erythrina affra
The coast coral tree will now be known as Erythrina affra - JANNICK TESSIER/ISTOCKPHOTO

Botanists have voted to change the name of more than 200 plants to remove a word associated with a racial slur.

Following a six-day session involving more than 100 researchers, it was agreed as part of the International Botanical Congress that all plants, fungi and algae names that contain the word “caffra” would be replaced by the word “affra”.

The word “caffra” is an ethnic slur against black people. “Affra” will be used instead to denote their African origins.

More than 200 species will be affected, including the coast coral tree, which will now be known as Erythrina affra.

A special committee ruling on names given to newly discovered plants, fungi and algae was also agreed upon at the meeting. Traditionally, newly discovered species are named by those who first described them in scientific literature.

But now the given names can be overruled by the committee if they are thought to be derogatory to a group or race.

The changes are the first rule alterations that taxonomists have officially agreed to concerning the naming of species.

A more general move to rule on other controversial historical labels is yet to be agreed upon.

Sandra Knapp, a plant taxonomist at the Natural History Museum in London, who presided over the six-day nomenclature session, welcomed the changes.

She told the Observer: “This is an absolutely monumental first step in addressing an issue that has become a real problem in botany and also in other biological sciences.

“It is a very important start.”

Among the plants affected by the new rule is the Erythrina affra, a coral tree native to southeastern Africa
Among the plants affected by the new rule is the Erythrina affra, a coral tree native to southeastern Africa - MANOLI PEREZ/ALAMY

It came after Prof Gideon Smith and Prof Estrela Figueiredo of Nelson Mandela University in South Africa proposed the change to remove the word “caffra” from species names.

The pair have campaigned for years for changes to be made to the international system for giving scientific names to plants and animals so that objectionable names can be altered.

“We are very pleased with the retroactive and permanent eradication of a racial slur from botanical nomenclature,” Prof Smith told the Observer. “It is most encouraging that more than 60 per cent of our international colleagues supported this proposal.”