species

noun

(L. species: type, species) A group of interbreeding individuals, not interbreeding with another such group, being a taxonomic unit including two names in binomial nomenclature, the generic name and specific epithet, similar and related species being grouped into a genus. A category of classification lower than a genus or subgenus and above that of a subspecies or variety; a group of plants that possesses one or more characters in common distinguishing is from other groups and does or may interbreed and reproduce its characters in offspring, exhibiting only minor variations bridged over by differences ascribable to age, sex, polymorphism, individual peculiarity, or accident or selective breeding by man; species in a small genus will be separated by relatively large differences in characters, whereas species in a large genus are usually separated on the basis of very small differences that would be ignored in the former; interpretation of species limits depends largely on individual judgment; opinions among botanists differ widely in regard to polymorphic taxa or apomicts which have disparate morphological characters but hybridize freely; classical, or Linnaean, species are based on morphological (presumably constant) differences, biological species, or reproductive isolation.