[RFC] Feature Proposal – Taxonomic rank

Hi mappers,

Currently, taxonomic ranks are either tagged separately using rank-specific root keys (e.g., species=, genus=) or taxon sub-keys. I’ve made a proposal to coexist with these existing tags to (optionally) make the taxon key more usable and reduce redundant tagging.

https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Proposal:Taxonomic_rank

In short, the proposal is:

  • Introduce a two‑tag pattern — taxon=* and taxon:rank=* — to record taxa and their rank, instead of requiring additional rank-specific keys (species=, genus=, taxon:cultivar=*, etc.).

  • Keep support for rank-specific keys.

  • Preserve the original purpose of taxon=* as a loose interpretation, with the addition of verifying taxonomic rank using taxon:rank=*.

I think it’s ready for comments. Any feedback is appreciated!