“In some publications, particularly scientific publications, the names of orchid species or natural hybrids will be suffixed with the author who originally described the orchid. Due to the large number of taxonomic changes occurring with orchids and the same name being used by different authors for different orchids, the addition of the author ensures that the orchid to which the name refers is non-ambiguous. Author names are generally abbreviated. Abbreviations have not been standardized in the past, but the ICBN recommends the use of Brummitt & Powell’s Authors of plant names (1992). These standard abbreviations can be found at the IPNI, Author Query page.”

Examples:

• Dendrobium curvicaule (F.M.Bailey) M.A.Clem. & D.L.Jones: Originally described by Frederick Manson Bailey 1827-1915 but later reclassified to species level without name change by Mark Alwin Clements and David Lloyd Jones.
• Dendrobium kingianum Bidwill ex Lindl.: Originally published by John Lindley 1799-1865 but authored by John Carne Bidwill 1815-1853.

But who are these peoples?

Let’s start with the most important one, Carl von Linné who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. Born in 1707 , died in 1778.

Some other abbreviations and corresponding author:

Binn.: Simon Binnendijk – 1821/1883
D.L.Jones: David Lloyd Jones – 1944
F.M.Bailey: Frederick Manson Bailey – 1827/1915
Gagnep.: François Gagnepain – 1866/1952
Hook. F.: Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker – 1817/1911
Kraenzl.: Friedrich (Fritz) Wilhelm Ludwig Kränzlin – 1847/1934
Lindl.: John Lindley -1799/1865
M.A.Clem.: Mark Alwin Clements – 1949
Rchb.f.: Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach -1823/1889
Ridley: Henry Nicholas Ridley – 1855/1956
Schltr.: Friedrich Richard Rudolf Schlechter -1872/1925
Seidenf.: Gunnar Seidenfaden – 1908/2001
Teijsm.: Johannes Elias Teijsmann – 1808/1882