The decision at last year's International Botanical Congress to allow the use of either Latin or English for botanical descriptions and diagnoses was hailed as a triumph by the community. The ruling came into effect from 1 January 2012, but many botanists persist in using Latin.

There may be an element of understandable cultural resistance to changing to English. But most scientific journals are English-language publications, and there would seem to be no scientific reason for using Latin — it does not aid clarity or accuracy. It may have been effective for communication centuries ago, but now it has gone the way of the dodo.

The huge amount of literature that contains first-species descriptions in Latin poses a big challenge for translators, but that is no reason to compound the problem by continuing to use this ancient language. Instead, linguaphiles could deploy their skills by editing the computer-generated translations used for online botanical descriptions and books, creating a legacy rather than a liability.

English-language journals could contribute by asking for botanical diagnoses (explanations of how new taxa differ from their relatives) and descriptions to be in English not Latin. Botanists would then be freed up to study the world's flora and help land and natural-resource managers to make informed decisions.