Trade names, variety names, and names of market grades and brands are capitalized. Some trade names have come into usage as generic terms (e.g., cellophane, thermos, and aspirin); when reference is being made to the formal company or specific product name, capitalization should be used. (See Chapter 4 "Capitalization Examples" trade names and trademarks.)
- Choice lamb (market grade)
- Red Radiance rose (variety)
- Xerox (the company)
but photocopy (the process)
The name of a phylum, class, order, family, or genus is capitalized. The name of a species is not capitalized, even though derived from a proper name. (See rule 11.9.)
- Arthropoda (phylum), Crustacea (class), Hypoparia (order), Agnostidae (family), Agnostus (genus)
- Agnostus canadensis; Aconitum wilsoni; Epigaea repens (genus and species)
In scientific descriptions coined terms derived from proper names are not capitalized.
- aviculoid
- menodontine
Any plural formed by adding s to a Latin generic name is capitalized.
- Rhynchonellas
- Spirifers
In soil science the 12 soil orders are capitalized. (See Chapter 4 "Capitalization Examples" soil orders.)
- Alfisols
- Andisols
- Aridisols
Capitalize the names of the celestial bodies as well as the planets.
- Sun
- Earth
- Venus
- Moon
- Mercury
- Mars
- Jupiter
- Uranus
- Saturn
- Neptune
but the moons of Jupiter
