(043) Proposal to amend the definition of “diagnosis” in Article 38.2

According to Art. 38.2 of the Shenzhen Code (Turland & al. in Regnum Veg. 159. 2018), “A diagnosis of a taxon is a statement of that which in the opinion of its author distinguishes the taxon from other taxa.” We feel that instead of “other taxa” it should be the nearest allied taxon or taxa, which is in actuality followed when describing a new taxon. So, we propose to amend the Article. “38.2. A diagnosis of a taxon is a statement of that which in the opinion of its author(s) distinguishes the taxon from other its nearest allied taxon or taxa.” The entry for “diagnosis” in the Glossary is to be modified accordingly. We thank Dr. A.A. Mao, Director, Botanical Survey of India and Dr. R.K. Gupta, Scientist “E” and Head of the Office (CAL) for providing facilities to the first two authors. We also thank Nicholas J. Turland and Dr. John H. Wiersema for refining the manuscript.