In botanical nomenclature, autonyms are automatically created names, as regulated by the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants that are created for certain subdivisions of genera and species, those that include the type of the genus or species.
[2] Autonyms are not created if the name of the genus or species being subdivided is illegitimate.
For all taxa, nomenclatural types are preserved specimens or illustrations.
As will be clear from the definition, an autonym can be one of two kinds: The name of a subdivision of a genus that includes the type of the genus is not validly published if its epithet does not repeat the generic name unaltered,[3] in other words: it may not be anything other than an autonym, for example The same goes, mutatis mutandis, for infraspecific taxa.
[4] An autonym is considered to have been published at exactly the same time as the earliest name(s) in that particular rank under the genus or species.