GUIDELINES FOR NAMING AND REGISTERING CULTIVARS
What is cultivar registration?
Registration of cultivar names is a process that was begun due to the
increasing numbers of cultivars available in the nursery trade today.
Information regarding the cultivar's parentage, selection, propagation,
introduction, and distinguishing characteristics are sent to the appropriate
registration authority (there are different ones for different plant groups),
who then checks the information to determine whether or not the proposed
cultivar name is already registered for another cultivar. If the name
is not already being used, and if it is a legitimate cultivar name according
to the guidelines given below, the registration authority will then officially
register the plant, adding it to the cultivar register. In most cases,
registration authorities are not able to check out the cultivar to see
that it is truly different from others, or that it is "worthy"
of naming and registration. This is to be determined by the person requesting
the registration.
Why register cultivars?
There are two important reasons why new cultivars should be registered.
The first of these is that it helps eliminate the possibility of confusion
in the nursery trade by preventing a registered name from being used to
refer to two different hybrids. Of course it cannot eliminate such things
as incorrect labeling, mix-ups during propagation or growing, etc.; these
mistakes may occasionally occur. But it does regulate the use of the names
of the registered plants. Secondly, and equally important, the registration
process provides a written permanent record of the origin and characteristics
of the cultivar. This is important from a practical and a historical perspective.
Which cultivars should be registered?
Only cultivars which are truly unique from others should be registered.
In addition, it is recommended that the cultivar be propagated and available
commercially, or at least that it be propagated and distributed to someone
other than the originator. This is to prohibit the naming of what is essentially
a single individual plant; that is, a plant that will never be propagated,
and which may be lost over time. IT IS ALSO ESSENTIAL THAT THE PLANT BE
VEGETATIVELY PROPAGATED (via cuttings, grafting, etc.) rather than propagated
by seed. Seedlings will be variable and may not look or act like the parent;
therefore seedlings may not carry the cultivar name. Although it is not
a requirement, it is strongly recommended that the proposed cultivar be
in some way superior to existing cultivars. Why name a plant that is inferior
to that already available?
How do I name my new cultivar so that it meets registration requirements?
According to the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants
(the "Cultivated Code"), cultivars should be named according
to the following rules:
The name must be a "fancy" name, in a modern language. Cultivar
names such as 'Alba', for example, are no longer acceptable as they were
in the past. Examples of "fancy" names are 'Golden Gem', 'Mossman's
Giant', 'Joe McDaniel', etc.
The name must consist of no more than three words, and preferably only
one or two words. A sequence of letters, an abbreviation, or a numeral
is counted as a word.The following guidelines are strongly recommended,
but not required:
The name should not include abbreviations; for example 'Saint Mary's'
is preferred over 'St. Mary's'.
The name should not include forms of address, such as Mr., Dr. Miss, Herr,
Mademoiselle, etc.
The name should not consist of excessively long words.
Names should not contain an initial article unless required by linguistic
custom. For example, use 'Warrior', not 'The Warrior'; on the other hand
'El Azteca' due to linguistic custom.
Names should avoid exaggerating the merits of the cultivar which may become
inaccurate through the introduction of future cultivars or other circumstances
(example: 'Earliest of All')
Names should not consist only of some attribute common to a group of related
cultivars. For example, 'Pink' should be avoided, but 'Pink Dream', 'Pink
Ice', etc., are acceptable.
Names that might be confused with existing names should be avoided. For
example, if 'Helen' already exists, avoid using 'Helena' or 'Helen of
Troy' for new cultivars.
In summary:
Although this may seem like a lot of rules to follow, most of them are
common sense. The idea is that the plant and the name should be unique
so that they cannot be confused with others. Please do not name plants
that are not truly distinct or that will not be distributed. This creates
rather than eliminates confusion as to what cultivar is what and which
are available. When choosing your name, keep the above requirements and
recommendations in mind. You also want to think about the marketability
of the name. 'Golden Glow' creates a nice image in the mind of the potential
buyer; but don't be misleading. If there is no golden glow, don't name
it that. Nor do you want to name your plant something that evokes potentially
unpleasant images, such as 'Green Swamp'. Even if the plant was selected
from Green Swamp, try to think of a more marketable name. Numbers and
arbitrary letter combinations are hard for consumers to keep up with,
so avoid 'KP497'. In short: Choose the best possible plants to register,
and give them the best possible names.
Please fill out the Cultivar Registration form (one for each cultivar
to be registered) and return it to the Registrar – via either e-mail
or to the mailing address. Please provide as much information as possible;
if you do not know a particular piece of information that is asked for,
just leave it blank. All the blanks do not have to be filled in for the
cultivar to be registered, but obviously the more information you can
provide, the better.
Once the form is received, I will notify you as to whether the cultivar
name is acceptable or not, and therefore whether or not your plant has
been registered. If you follow the guidelines for naming plants, there
should be no problem.
Once a cultivar is accepted for registration, a description is written
up based on the information provided on the registration form, and that
description will appear, along with others registered in that year, in
an article in the Journal of the Magnolia Society. The Journal is published
twice a year, and the registration article usually appears once each year.
If you send a color slide of the plant along with the registration form,
the photo can be published along with the article, providing even more
documentation of the cultivar.
The Cultivar Registration Form is in a PDF format - Adobe Acrobat Reader is required.
If there is a problem with the form, contact the Webmaster.
Do not contact the Registrar.