Latin names will always be with us, but Latin also intrudes into plant naming in other ways. When a new species is first named and described, that description must be in Latin. The reason is simple – when Linnaeus wrote the rules, in the 18th century, Latin was the international language of science.
These days, the rules are debated every six years, when the world’s botanists gather at the International Botanical Congress. At the XVIII Congress in Melbourne, Australia in July 2011, delegates were in revolutionary mood.
They decided that henceforth, instead of requiring a description in a language no one speaks, they would allow a description in a language nearly everyone speaks. So from January 1 2012, it has been permitted to describe a new species in Latin or in English.
Via Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/plants/10911055/No-more-Latin-Botany-rebooted-for-the-21st-century.html
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Seems a shame to get rid of such a long running tradition - but it will be a bit simpler!