▁code ▁of ▁nom en cl ature . ▁ ▁Within ▁the ▁limits ▁set ▁by ▁that ▁code ▁there ▁is ▁another ▁set ▁of ▁rules , ▁the ▁International ▁Code ▁of ▁N omen cl ature ▁for ▁Cult iv ated ▁Pl ants ▁( IC N CP ) ▁which ▁applies ▁to ▁plant ▁cultiv ars ▁that ▁have ▁been ▁deliber ately ▁alter ed ▁or ▁selected ▁by ▁humans ▁( see ▁cult igen ). ▁ ▁History ▁and ▁scope ▁ ▁Botan ical ▁nom en cl ature ▁has ▁a ▁long ▁history , ▁going ▁back ▁beyond ▁the ▁period ▁when ▁Latin ▁was ▁the ▁scientific ▁language ▁throughout ▁Europe , ▁to ▁The op hr ast us ▁( c . ▁ 3 7 0 – 2 8 7 ▁BC ), ▁Dios cor ides ▁( c . ▁ 4 0 ▁– ▁ 9 0 ▁AD ) ▁and ▁other ▁Greek ▁writers . ▁Many ▁of ▁these ▁works ▁have ▁come ▁down ▁to ▁us ▁in ▁Latin ▁transl ations . ▁The ▁principal ▁Latin ▁writer ▁on ▁bot any ▁was ▁Pl iny ▁the ▁E lder ▁( 2 3 – 7 9 ▁AD ). ▁From ▁Media eval ▁times , ▁Latin ▁became ▁the ▁universal ▁scientific ▁language ▁( ling ua ▁fran ca ) ▁in ▁Europe . ▁Most ▁written ▁plant ▁knowledge ▁was ▁the ▁property ▁of ▁mon ks , ▁particularly ▁Bened ict ine , ▁and ▁the ▁purpose ▁of ▁those ▁early ▁her b als ▁was ▁primarily ▁medic inal ▁rather ▁than ▁plant ▁science ▁per ▁se . ▁It ▁would ▁require ▁the ▁in vention ▁of ▁the ▁printing ▁press ▁( 1 4 5 0 ) ▁to ▁make ▁such ▁information ▁more ▁widely ▁available . ▁ ▁Leon hart ▁F uchs ,