Question

Why can’t the vernacular names be used by biologists? Give any two reasons?

Answer 1

Scientists have often given common names to plants and animals, but each scientist may give a different name. It is up to the taxonomists to correctly classify and give an appropriate Latin name to the organism.

Complete answer:
Vernacular names have been in existence ever since man started communicating through oral and then written language. These were usually descriptive of the functioning of the plant or animal, or even based on mythological figures and superstition. These names will vary greatly between geographical regions, from language to language, and also culturally.

Vernacular names are often very far removed from the actual biological classification of a plant or animal. For example, Bombay duck is not a duck, but an eel-like fish. A horseshoe crab is not a crab, but is a living fossil belonging to the phylum Arthropoda. It can thus be very difficult to recognise what an individual is talking about.
Similar problems arise when talking about plants. Egg plants are also known as aubergines, lady-finger is called okra, and these have several other regional names.

There are two important reasons for not using vernacular names. For one, in situations involving poisons. Vernacular names make it difficult for a scientist to identify a toxic plant, and cause great delay in prescribing any kind of treatment.
Secondly, when dealing with research articles, in order for different biologists to replicate or appreciate the work of another, they need to know the exact organism being studied.

Note: There are several Indian vegetables which have been given a number of English names. Coriander and cilantro, Okra and lady-finger are just a couple of common examples. And conversely, Indian names are given to exotic plants.