Venue, timetable, and registration

The Nomenclature Section of the XX International Botanical Congress will take place in the Villanueva Pavilion, Real Jardín Botánico, Madrid 28014, Spain, from Monday, 15 July 2024 (beginning at 08:30 hours) to Friday, 19 July 2024. Entry to the Real Jardín Botánico will be via the southern entrance at Calle Claudio Moyano 1 (not via the public northern entrance at Plaza de Murillo 2).

Each person registered for at least one full day of the Congress is entitled to register as a member of the Nomenclature Section. Registration for the Congress should be done in advance; the confirmation received will be the evidence of eligibility for Nomenclature Section registration, which will start during a welcome reception on Sunday, 14 July, at 17:00–20:00 hours in the Villanueva Pavilion. Nomenclature Section registration will continue on Monday, 15 July beginning at 08:00 hours in the Villanueva Pavilion.

The Nomenclature Section will be livestreamed (see below), to allow observation of the proceedings, although physical presence is required for interactive commenting and voting.

Proposals to amend the Code

The International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants is governed by its users, who are represented by members of the Nomenclature Section of an International Botanical Congress. The Nomenclature Section has the power to modify the Code by discussing and voting on formal proposals. Full details can be found in the Code: Division III. Provisions for Governance of the Code.

433 proposals to amend the current edition of the Code (the Shenzhen Code) have been published in the journal Taxon, beginning in volume 69 issue 3 (June 2020) and ending in volume 72 issue 5 (October 2023). A synopsis of all published proposals including the Rapporteurs’ comments has been published in volume 73 issue 1 (February 2024, see below).

The Nomenclature Section also elects the members of the Permanent Nomenclature Committees, which represent the users of the Code between Congresses.

Bureau of Nomenclature

The Bureau of Nomenclature is responsible for the Nomenclature Section, in cooperation with the Organizing Committee of the Congress. Members of the Bureau of Nomenclature are as follows:

• President: Sandra Knapp (United Kingdom)
• Vice-presidents: to be appointed
• Rapporteur-général: Nicholas J. Turland (Germany)
• Vice-rapporteur: John H. Wiersema (USA)
• Recorders: Inés Álvarez (Spain) and Anna M. Monro (Australia)

The Organizing Committee of the Congress includes the following members responsible for the Nomenclature Section:

• Jefferson Prado (Brazil) and Inés Álvarez (Spain)

Preliminary guiding vote (“mail vote”) and Synopsis of Proposals

Please read Synopsis of Proposals on Nomenclature – Madrid 2024: A review of the proposals to amend the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants submitted to the XX International Botanical Congress, which has been published in Taxon and can be freely accessed and downloaded.

The purpose of the preliminary guiding vote is to advise the Nomenclature Section of the level of support for proposals to amend the Code. Any proposal that receives 75% or more “no” votes in this ballot is automatically rejected at the Nomenclature Section unless a proposal to discuss it is moved by a member of the Section and supported (seconded) by five other members. The Nomenclature Section makes the final decisions on proposals to amend the Code.

The following persons are entitled to vote in the preliminary guiding vote:

1. Individual members of the International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT)
2. Authors of proposals to amend the Code
3. Members of the Permanent Nomenclature Committees (i.e. General, Editorial, and Registration Committees, Committee on Institutional Votes, Committees for Vascular Plants, Bryophytes, Fungi, Algae, and Fossils)

If you belong to one or more of these groups, you should automatically receive a ballot, normally by email, from the IAPT office. If you do not receive a ballot (and have checked junk/spam email), you may request a copy from the IAPT office at office@iapt-taxon.org stating why you should have received one. Your completed ballot must be returned to the IAPT office no later than 31 May 2024.

Institutional votes

Please read Institutional Votes at the XX International Botanical Congress, Madrid, 2024: Report of the Committee on Institutional Votes, which has been published in Taxon and can be freely accessed and downloaded. It contains a list of institutions allocated institutional votes and instructions on how to exercise those votes, should they be needed.

In April 2024, each institution listed in this report should receive a letter advising them of the number of institutional votes allocated and including a form by which a delegate may be authorized to exercise those votes at the Nomenclature Section in Madrid. The letter will be sent by the IAPT office, normally by email, to the correspondent listed for the institution in Index Herbariorum. If your institution’s listed correspondent does not receive this letter (and has checked junk/spam email), you may request a copy from the IAPT office at office@iapt-taxon.org stating your institution’s herbarium code (“herbarium acronym”) and the number of votes allocated in the report.

Please note that institutional votes are exercised at the Nomenclature Section and not in the preliminary guiding vote.

Livestreaming the Nomenclature Section

Please read Livestreaming the Nomenclature Section at the XX International Botanical Congress in Madrid, 15–19 July 2024, which has been published in Taxon and can be freely accessed and downloaded. Each day’s sessions will be open to observers, but interactive commenting and voting will not be possible. Observers must register in advance to access the live broadcast, and this registration is independent of registration for the Congress. Full details will be provided on this page.