<P> Linnaeus's trivial names introduced an important new idea, namely that the function of a name could simply be to give a species a unique label . This meant that the name no longer need be descriptive; for example both parts could be derived from the names of people . Thus Gerard's phalangium ephemerum virginianum became Tradescantia virginiana, where the genus name honoured John Tradescant the Younger, an English botanist and gardener . A bird in the parrot family was named Psittacus alexandri, meaning "Alexander's parrot", after Alexander the Great whose armies introduced eastern parakeets to Greece . Linnaeus's trivial names were much easier to remember and use than the parallel polynomial names and eventually replaced them . </P> <P> The value of the binomial nomenclature system derives primarily from its economy, its widespread use, and the uniqueness and stability of names it generally favors: </P> <Ul> <Li> Economy . Compared to the polynomial system which it replaced, a binomial name is shorter and easier to remember . It corresponds to the widespread system of family name plus given name (s) used to name people in many cultures . </Li> <Li> Widespread use . The binomial system of nomenclature is governed by international codes and is used by biologists worldwide . A few binomials have also entered common speech, such as Homo sapiens, E. coli, Boa constrictor, and Tyrannosaurus rex . </Li> <Li> Uniqueness . Provided that taxonomists agree as to the limits of a species, it can have only one name that is correct under the appropriate nomenclature code, generally the earliest published if two or more names are accidentally assigned to a species . However, establishing that two names actually refer to the same species and then determining which has priority can be difficult, particularly if the species was named by biologists from different countries . Therefore, a species may have more than one regularly used name; all but one of these names are "synonyms". </Li> <Li> Stability . Although stability is far from absolute, the procedures associated with establishing binomial names, such as the principle of priority, tend to favor stability . For example, when species are transferred between genera (as not uncommonly happens as a result of new knowledge), if possible the second part of the binomial is kept the same . Thus there is disagreement among botanists as to whether the genera Chionodoxa and Scilla are sufficiently different for them to be kept separate . Those who keep them separate give the plant commonly grown in gardens in Europe the name Chionodoxa siehei; those who do not give it the name Scilla siehei . The siehei element is constant . Similarly if what were previously thought to be two distinct species are demoted to a lower rank, such as subspecies, where possible the second part of the binomial name is retained as the third part of the new name . Thus the Tenerife robin may be treated as a different species from the European robin, in which case its name is Erithacus superbus, or as only a subspecies, in which case its name is Erithacus rubecula superbus . The superbus element of the name is constant . </Li> </Ul> <Li> Economy . Compared to the polynomial system which it replaced, a binomial name is shorter and easier to remember . It corresponds to the widespread system of family name plus given name (s) used to name people in many cultures . </Li>

Benefits of binomial nomenclature to taxonomists and scientist