Racism in Taxonomy: What’s in a Name?

Inequities run deep in the natural sciences, and it’s apparent in the racist and xenophobic nomenclature of some trees and plants. Even within the last 30 years, anti-Black slurs were commonly used to describe plants. There are many examples, including Echinocactus polycephalus and Bertholletia excelsa (Brazil nuts), that carry ugly colloquial names that only recently … Continue reading Racism in Taxonomy: What’s in a Name?