What is the scientific name of neem?
- A.Ocimum sanctum
- B.Azadirachta indica
- C.Ficus religiosa
- D.Santalum album
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Azadirachta indica. Neem is Azadirachta indica, a tree valued in Indian medicine for its leaves, bark and oil, and it is remembered in current affairs as well because a European patent on a neem based fungicide was revoked after India challenged it. Option A is wrong because Ocimum sanctum is tulsi, the holy basil, a shrub of the mint family. Option C is wrong because Ficus religiosa is the peepal, while the banyan of the same genus is Ficus benghalensis and is the national tree of India. Option D is wrong because Santalum album is sandalwood, the fragrant tree of the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu forests whose heartwood yields sandal oil. The neem is also called the village pharmacy for the range of its uses, and its name is worth learning together with Ocimum sanctum for tulsi and Santalum album for sandalwood, because the three are set as one group.
Read the full article: Scientific Names of Plants and Animals: GK List
Practice Questions
View allThe system of binomial nomenclature was given by which scientist?
- A.Charles Darwin
- B.Carolus Linnaeus
- C.Gregor Mendel
- D.Robert Hooke
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The Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus introduced the two part naming of organisms in Systema Naturae and applied it to the plant kingdom in Species Plantarum, and because he also built the ranked system of classification he is called the father of taxonomy.
Read the full explanation →What is the scientific name of the mango?
- A.Mangifera indica
- B.Musa paradisiaca
- C.Psidium guajava
- D.Carica papaya
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The mango belongs to the genus Mangifera and the species epithet indica marks its Indian origin; it is also the national fruit of India, which is why this name appears in both science and static general knowledge papers.
Read the full explanation →Panthera tigris is the scientific name of which animal?
- A.Lion
- B.Leopard
- C.Tiger
- D.Cheetah
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Panthera tigris is the tiger, the national animal of India, and the Bengal tiger found in the country is its subspecies Panthera tigris tigris, a three part name that illustrates trinomial nomenclature.
Read the full explanation →Oryza sativa is the scientific name of which crop?
- A.Wheat
- B.Rice
- C.Maize
- D.Barley
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Rice is Oryza sativa, a member of the grass family, and the epithet sativa, meaning cultivated or sown, marks it as a crop raised by farmers rather than a wild species.
Read the full explanation →What is the scientific name of the Indian peafowl, the national bird of India?
- A.Pavo cristatus
- B.Columba livia
- C.Passer domesticus
- D.Corvus splendens
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The Indian peafowl, declared the national bird of India, is Pavo cristatus, the epithet cristatus referring to the crest on its head, and it is protected under the Wild Life Protection Act of 1972.
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