Viola (odorata or tricolor)

[Jorge_Stolfi]

When did Latin/Greek names become scientific names?  Is there a specific year?

The origin of the modern system of You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. (Genus + species, one word each, conventionally in italics and with the genus only capitalized, both standardized) is attributed to Gaspard Bauhin, who used it in a book published in 1622.  Prior to that, species were usually named in Latin with a generic name followed by a descriptive word or phrase, not consistent, like "plantago foliis ovato-lanceolatus pubescentibus".

Can we even rely on such names?

The modern names would not have been used in the VMS, nor in herbals of the time, of course.  

Thus they should be used only to designate a specific actual plant, not a page, entry, or drawing from those books.  Like, "I think that the stars with tails in the Zodiac are obviously a gigantic cultivar of the Alpine star flower, Leontopodium nivale".

All the best, --stolfi