In the taxonomy example, what is the genus?

In the taxonomy example, what is the genus?

• A. Saccharum
• B. Sapindales
• C. Acer
• D. Aceraceae

Answer: (C)

In taxonomy, the genus is the grouping that sits above species and below family, and it’s the first part of the scientific name used to categorize closely related species. In the example, the name Acer identifies the genus, which includes maples. The full species name would be Acer saccharum for the sugar maple, where Acer is the genus and saccharum is the species epithet. Saccharum is a different genus (sugarcane). Sapindales is an order, not a genus. Aceraceae is a family name (historically used for maples; in modern classifications it’s included in Sapindaceae). So the genus in this context is Acer.

In taxonomy, the genus is the grouping that sits above species and below family, and it’s the first part of the scientific name used to categorize closely related species. In the example, the name Acer identifies the genus, which includes maples. The full species name would be Acer saccharum for the sugar maple, where Acer is the genus and saccharum is the species epithet. Saccharum is a different genus (sugarcane). Sapindales is an order, not a genus. Aceraceae is a family name (historically used for maples; in modern classifications it’s included in Sapindaceae). So the genus in this context is Acer.