Wikipedia:WikiProject Plants/Automated taxobox system

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Given the complicated nature of the "automatic taxobox system" ({{Automatic taxobox}}, {{Speciesbox}}, etc.), this (incomplete) page is aimed at assisting WP:PLANTS editors in utilizing the new templates for most possible cases encountered in article space. The automated taxobox system uses back-end templates (e.g. {{Taxonomy/Plantae}}) that all use the form Template:Taxonomy/taxon. The back-end templates are connected in a hierarchy so that future changes to classifications will be easy to manipulate by editing a few templates rather than hundreds or thousands of individual taxoboxes.

There are three "automated taxoboxes", used in plant articles in different cases.

• {{Automatic taxobox}} – for articles about taxa at the level of genus or above (and a few other very special cases – see below).
• {{Speciesbox}} – for articles about species
• {{Infraspeciesbox}} – for articles about subspecies or varieties covered by the ICN, i.e. requiring a "connecting term" in their name ({{Subspeciesbox}} is only for zoological taxa)

Automatic taxobox example

Suppose we started with the following manual taxobox and wanted to convert it to use the automated taxobox system.

{{Taxobox
| name = ''Magnolia''
| image =Sweetbay Magnolia Magnolia virginiana Flower Closeup 2146px.jpg
| image_caption = ''[[Magnolia virginiana]]''
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| unranked_divisio = [[Angiosperms]]
| unranked_classis = [[Magnoliid]]s
| ordo = [[Magnoliales]]
| familia = [[Magnoliaceae]]
| genus = '''''Magnolia'''''
| genus_authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
}}

• We're dealing with a genus, so the right template to use is {{Automatic taxobox}}. To convert to an automatic taxobox, begin by changing the title of the template from {{Taxobox to {{Automatic taxobox (with the lowercase "t" in taxobox).
• Now let the automatic taxobox know which taxon the template is supposed to be about by adding |taxon = Magnolia; this can usually replace |name=. This step is not strictly necessary when taxa are titled at their taxon name, but if the page were ever to be moved, the automatic taxobox would be broken without the taxon = parameter.
• Now remove all classification from regnum (or domain) down to the article's taxon authority.
• Finally change genus_authority to plain authority.
• Any other parameters can be left alone.

This gives the following (template setup on left, new automatic taxobox on right), assuming the template is on the Magnolia page:

Magnolia
Magnolia virginiana
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Magnoliids
Order:	Magnoliales
Family:	Magnoliaceae
Genus:	Magnolia L.

{{Automatic taxobox
| taxon = Magnolia
| image =Sweetbay Magnolia Magnolia virginiana Flower Closeup 2146px.jpg
| image_caption = ''[[Magnolia virginiana]]''
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
}}

(Because the taxobox isn't on the right page, live version needs |name=.)

When you create a new automatic taxobox, the back-end templates need to exist or be generated: in this case Template:Taxonomy/Magnolia and upwards. If the template doesn't exist, various information/error messages will appear. Among them will be "Unrecognized taxon (fix)" where "fix" is a link. Follow the "fix" link, which will lead you to a pre-filled back-end template with instructions on how to complete it. Basically you fill in |rank= (don't forget to latinize the ranks, e.g. "familia" not "family") and |parent=. The key part of Template:Taxonomy/Magnolia looks like this:

{{Don't edit this line {{{machine code|}}}
|rank=genus
|link=Magnolia
|parent=Magnoliaceae
}}

If the parent's back-end template doesn't exist (here Template:Taxonomy/Magnoliaceae), then the process needs to be repeated until you reach a taxonomy template that does exist.

Speciesbox example

Suppose we started with the following manual taxobox and wanted to convert it to use the automated taxobox system.

{{Taxobox
| name = ''Magnolia virginiana''
| image = Sweetbay Magnolia Magnolia virginiana Comparison 4400px.jpg
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| unranked_divisio = [[Angiosperm]]s
| phlylum = [[Tracheophyte]]
| unranked_classis = [[Magnoliid]]s
| ordo = [[Magnoliales]]
| familia = [[Magnoliaceae]]
| genus = ''[[Magnolia]]''
| species = '''''M. virginiana'''''
| binomial = ''Magnolia virginiana''
| binomial_authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
| range_map = Magnolia virginiana range map 3.png
}}

• We're dealing with a species, so the right template to use is {{Speciesbox}}. To convert to an automated taxobox, begin by changing the title of the template from {{Taxobox to {{Speciesbox.
• Now let the taxobox know which taxon the template is supposed to be about by adding |taxon = Magnolia virginiana; as for a genus, this can often replace |name= and is not strictly necessary when taxa are titled at their species name rather than their English name.
• Now remove all classification from regnum (or domain) down to the article's taxon authority.
• Finally change binomial_authority to plain authority.
• Any other parameters can be left alone.

This gives the following (template setup on left, new automated taxobox on right):

Magnolia virginiana
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Magnoliids
Order:	Magnoliales
Family:	Magnoliaceae
Genus:	Magnolia
Species:	M. virginiana
Binomial name
Magnolia virginiana L.

{{Speciesbox
| taxon = Magnolia virginiana
| image = Sweetbay Magnolia Magnolia virginiana Comparison 4400px.jpg
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
| range_map = Magnolia virginiana range map 3.png
}}

If the relevant back-end template doesn't exist (here Template:Taxonomy/Magnolia), then it will need to be created as described above for a genus article. In most cases there's no back-end template for the species, only for the genus, since the genus can be picked up from the full species name. If, exceptionally, subdivisions of genera are to be displayed, then a species taxonomy template will be needed.

More examples

A normal genus article

Levenhookia
Levenhookia pauciflora
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Stylidiaceae
Subfamily:	Stylidioideae
Genus:	Levenhookia R.Br.
Sections and species
See text.
Synonyms
Coleostylis Sond. Leeuwenhoekia Spreng.

{{Automatic taxobox
|image = Levenhookia pauciflora flower1.jpg
|image_caption = ''[[Levenhookia pauciflora]]''
|taxon = Levenhookia
|authority = [[Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)|R.Br.]]
|subdivision_ranks = [[Rank (botany)|Sections]] and [[species]]
|subdivision = See text.
|synonyms_ref = <ref name="synref">See [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Plants#Synonyms]] for appropriate sources for taxonomic synonyms.</ref>
|synonyms = *''Coleostylis'' <small>[[Sond.]]</small>
*''Leeuwenhoekia'' <small>[[Spreng.]]</small>
}}

Here we use |authority= for the genus authority. The template knows the rank of the template since this information is supplied at Template:Taxonomy/Levenhookia and places the authority in the proper place.

Monotypic genus

Assume the article is under the genus name, as is the normal policy. Then it needs to show the genus and the only species. The correct taxobox to use is {{Speciesbox}}.

Calluna
Flowering Calluna vulgaris
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Ericaceae
Genus:	Calluna Salisb.
Species:	C. vulgaris
Binomial name
Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull

{{Speciesbox
| image = CallunaVulgaris.jpg
| image_caption = Flowering ''Calluna vulgaris''
| taxon = Calluna vulgaris
| parent_authority = [[Richard Anthony Salisbury|Salisb.]]
| authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]) Hull
}}

Notice that to display the authority for the genus, we use |parent_authority= and not |genus_authority=. If the genus were in a monotypic family, we would add |grandparent_authority=, and so on.

Note: because this page doesn't have the title "Calluna", a non-bold link to "Calluna" is shown in the taxobox; in the real article the circular link is detected and shown as bold non-linked text.

Monotypic plant family

See Emblingia.

{{Speciesbox
| taxon = Emblingia calceoliflora
| grandparent_authority = ([[Ferdinand Albin Pax|Pax]]) [[Herbert Kenneth Airy Shaw|Airy Shaw]]
| parent_authority = [[Ferdinand von Mueller|F.Muell.]]
| authority = [[Ferdinand von Mueller|F.Muell.]]
}}

Here not only do we need | parent_authority = for the genus authority, but we also need | grandparent_authority = for the familia authority. I then had to create Template:Taxonomy/Emblingia and Template:Taxonomy/Emblingiaceae, which linked to the already-existing parent Template:Taxonomy/Brassicales.

It is important to note that at Template:Taxonomy/Emblingiaceae, that |link=Emblingia|Emblingiaceae be used. This makes the term bold in the taxobox. If we had used |link=Emblingiaceae, relying on the redirect, the term would have just been blue-linked. This is problematic when pages are moved.

For another example of this, see Welwitschia. If we could identify a reliable source that notes the authority for the order Welwitschiales, we would use |greatgrandparent_authority = .

Disambiguated article

See Cadia (plant).

Cadia purpurea
Cadia purpurea
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Faboideae
Tribe:	Podalyrieae
Genus:	Cadia Forssk.
Species
See text.

{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Cadia purpurea Taub101c.png
| image_caption = ''[[Cadia purpurea]]''
| taxon = Cadia
| authority = Forssk.
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = See text.
}}

The back-end taxonomy template needed in this case is at Template:Taxonomy/Cadia rather than at the disambiguated "Template:Taxonomy/Cadia (plant)" because the disambiguation doesn't include an organism under a different nomenclature code. The key part of this template is:

{{Don't edit this line {{{machine code|}}}
|rank=genus
|link=Cadia (plant)|Cadia
|parent=Faboideae
}}

We need to set |link= in this case to ensure that in the generated taxobox, "Cadia" links to "Cadia (plant)" rather than the disambiguation page.

A species article, such as Cadia rubra, can then have a {{Speciesbox}} with |taxon=Cadia rubra.

If there were an animal with the genus name Cadia, then

• in the taxobox, use |taxon=Cadia (plant)
• create the back-end taxonomy template at "Template:Taxonomy/Cadia (plant)"; this also needs to have |link=Cadia (plant)|Cadia

In this case, a species article, such as Cadia rubra, must use |genus=Cadia (plant) and |species=rubra rather than |taxon=Cadia rubra.

Genus article with tribus and subfamilia displayed

The advice at WP:TX on minor taxa suggests we should not show minor taxa unless they are critical to the understanding of the article's topic. This is largely true for subgeneric taxa being displayed on species articles, e.g. Levenhookia pauciflora. In these cases, the immediate minor rank parent will always display; here the section Levenhookia will display on this article. If there was ever a subspecies or variety described under this species, it would not display the section rank unless |always_display=true was inserted into Template:Taxonomy/Levenhookia sect. Levenhookia. Only use the "always display" parameter if the taxon should be displayed in all descendant taxoboxes.

In some articles, especially in the Fabaceae and other families, both tribus and subfamilia are important. Here's how you make sure both ranks display in the automatic taxobox:

See Acacia.

{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Acacia greggii thorns.jpg
| image_caption = ''[[Acacia greggii]]''
| taxon = Acacia
| display parents = 2
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = About 1,300; see [[List of Acacia species]]
| authority = [[Philip Miller|Mill.]]
}}

Here we use | display parents = 2 to let the automatic taxobox know that it is supposed to display not only the tribus Acacieae, but also the subfamilia Mimosoideae. This only works if Template:Taxonomy/Acacia lists Acacieae as its parent and Template:Taxonomy/Acacieae lists Mimosoideae as its parent. You can display more parents if necessary, e.g. in situations with subtribes. Remember, WP:TX suggests we not show minor ranks if the context is not necessary, e.g. you don't necessarily need a tribe being displayed on a species article, especially if the genus article shows it clearly.

EncycloPetey's comments

Perhaps a list of linked model pages would be better at this point. Pages in which various problems and their solutions are immediately illustrated. Such as: a group that displays subfamilies / tribes; groups that combine more than one rank on a single page; a group with a fossil range; groups with unranked parent taxa; groups with incertae sedis; a fossil taxon; and a group that is still used as a taxon even though its monophyly is no longer considered realistic.