List of Names of woody plants and perennials

User's guide

Plant names Protection by plant breeders’ rights and trademarks
Other additions to names Presentation and lay-out

The List of names of woody plants and the List of names of perennials are reference books, to easily find the preferred name of a plant and its spelling. This information is also available on the website www.internationalplantnames.com . The names appear alphabetically, in the following cate­gories: "Trees and shrubs", "Conifers" and "Fruit". The "Fru­it" category includes a separate list of rootstocks for fruit trees. Besides the preferred names, the Lists contain trade names, protected trademarks, syno­nyms, cultivar groups and family names of genera. In the list also cultivars that are protected by plant breeders’ rights are indicated with a symbol.

Genera, species, subspecies and formae

All plant names start with the generic name. This is always written with a capital initial. The generic name is usually followed by the specific epithet, in lower case (example 1). The specific epithet is sometimes omitted from cultivar names (see next paragraph). A specific epithet preceded by a hybrid cross sign (×) indicates an interspecific hybrid, a cross between two species from the same genus (example 2). If the × precedes the generic name, this indicates an intergeneric hybrid, a cross between plants of different genera (example 3). Within species several subdivisions can be made: subspecies (subsp., example 4), varietas (var., example 5) and forma (f., example 6). In woody plants grafting can in exceptional cases produce a graft chimaera, a plant with a mixture of tissues from different species. This is indicated by a + sign (example 7). For commercial purposes the × and + signs may be omit­ted from the preferred name. In the Lists of names the family name of a genus is given in the right column behind the generic name. Of the taxonomical terms subspecies, varietas and forma only one per preferred name is mentioned, for practical reasons. They are also omitted from cultivar names for the same reasons. If a cultivar clearly does belong to a subspecies, varietas or forma, this is indica­ted in the second column as extra information. It is allowed to add this information to a plant name, but it is not compulsory.

Examples:

1. Acer platanoides
2. Ilex × meserveae
3. ×Cupressocyparis leylandii
4. Pinus nigra subsp. laricio
5. Callicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii
6. Catalpa fargesiif.duclouxii
7. +Laburnocytisus adamii
Cultivars

The cultivar denomination follows the specific epithet or interspecific hybrid name (examples 8 & 11). The names of hybrid cultivars, of which the exact taxonomical origin is unknown or commercially irrelevant, are written as generic name plus cultivar denomination (example 9). All words in a cultivar denomination have capital initials, and the entire denomi­nation is put between single quotes (example 10). Exceptionally some words in a cultivar denomination, like articles, are written in lower case (example 11). Sometimes certain types of plants are distinguished within a cultivar. This is quite common in old fruit cultivars. The type indications are given behind the cultivar name, separated by a hyphen (example 12).

Examples:

8.     Buxus sempervirens 'Herrenhausen'

9.     Hypericum 'Hidcote'

10.   Calluna vulgaris 'Peter Sparkes'

11.   Ceanothus × delilianus 'Gloire de Versailles'

12.   Malus domestica ‘Golden Delicious’ -Crielaard

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Cultivar groups, mixtures and provenances

Cultivar group names (also called group names) can optionally be placed before or behind the cultivar denomination, or be omitted altogether. They must be placed between round brackets. (Examples 13, 14 & 15). In the Lists of names cultivar groups are placed in the right column behind the plant name. Here the cultivar group names are given in English, but they may be translated into other languages, except for Latin words in the group name. Cultivar groups can be used in two different ways. Firstly they can divide cultivars into groups, giving extra information on their properties or origin. Secondly cultivar group names them­selves can serve as a name for a group of plants. These names are commonly given to plants that share the properties of a certain cultivar group, but do not possess a cultivar name them­selves (Example 16). Mixtures of seed-grown plants can also have names that do not have the status of a cultivar name (Example 17). Named provenances, common in forestry, are less uniform and stable than cultivars, but are also used to distinguish plants (Example 18). In the Lists these names have been alphabetised like the cultivars, but can be recognised by the fact that they are not placed between single quotes.

Examples:

13.   Clematis ‘Helios’ (Tangutica Group)

14.   Clematis (Tangutica Group) ‘Helios’

15.   Clematis ‘Helios’

16.   Acer palmatum Dissectum Viride Group

17.   Agapanthus Headburn Hybrids

18.   Betula pendula Penla

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Trade names and trademarks

Trade names, which include legally protected trademarks, can be given to plants for commer­cial reasons. One cultivar can have several trade names, and one trade name can be used for different cultivars. That is why it is important that trade names are always used in combi­nation with the cultivar name, to establish the correct identity of the plant, and avoid mis­under­standing. (See also chapter: Editorial decisions). Trade names and protected trademarks are indicated in the Lists by using a special font: small capitals (see examples). In the nursery trade, trade names can be given if a cultivar denomination is difficult to pro­nounce (example 19), as a commonly used translation of the cultivar denomination, especially in fruit cultivars (example 20), or if the cultivar denomination is a code name (example 21). Trade names can be legally protected as trademarks (see paragraph ‘Protection by plant breeders’ rights and trademarks’). Depending on whether the names are used for scientific or commercial purposes, the trade names of cultivars can be omitted or be indicated very prominently (examples 22, 23 & 24). In the Lists of names trade names can be found in the alphabetical list (example 21) and they are mentioned behind the cultivar name (example 23).

Examples:

19.   Syringa vulgaris Beauty of Moscow (= ‘Krasavitsa Moskvy’ )

20.   Malus domestica Boskoop Rouge (=‘Rode Boskoop’)

21.   Rosa Brother Cadfael (=’Ausglobe’)

22.   Rosa ‘Ausglobe’

23.   Rosa ‘Ausglobe’ ( Brother Cadfael )

24.   Rosa Brother Cadfael (=’Ausglobe’)

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Synonyms

Besides their preferred name, many plants also have one or more synonyms. Synonyms are usually invalid or obsolete names, and should no longer be used in nursery catalogs, or only if accompanied by a reference to the preferred name. The synonyms in the Lists of names can be found in brackets behind the preferred names, often partially abbreviated. They are also included in the alphabetical list, with a reference to the preferred name (examples 25 & 26).

Examples:

25.   Populus ×canadensis 'Keppel's Glorie' : P. ×canadensis 'Tardif de Champagne'

26.   Populus ×canadensis 'Tardif de Champagne' (P. canadensis 'Keppel's Glorie')


Protection by plant breeders’ rights and trademarks

This edition contains information on plant breeders’ rights of cultivars in Europe. This information has been provided by the owners of the rights and remains their responsibility. The information is incomplete, and can become outdated. Also, the protection is only valid in certain countries or regions. Information on Plant Breeders Rights (PBR) is provided by CPVO and some national PBR-offices.

N.B.! The presence or lack of a protection symbol in this list offers no guarantee and should always be checked with the official registration agencies! (See also chapter ”Editorial decisions” and the list of “Main registration agencies of Plant Breeders Rights and Trademarks” elsewhere in this edition. On the internet site of the Lists of names ( www.internationalplantnames.com ) links are given to the official registration agencies for plant breeders rights. In this List protection by plant breeders’ rights is indicated by the symbol PBR behind the cultivar name (example 27). Protected trademarks are not indicated by a symbol. Tradenames could be protected by trademark rights and should be checked by users themselves (example 28). For more information see paragraph ‘Plant breeders’ rights and trademarks in the Lists of names’ (Chapter ‘Editorial decisions’).

Examples:

27.   Lonicera ‘Honey Baby’ PBR

28.   Rhododendron Marianka (='Hachmari')

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Other additions to names

Besides the symbols for plant breeders’ rights in the Lists other symbols or information can be added to a name. Sometimes an author’s name is added to the name of a species. This only happens if the name could be confused with other preferred names or synonyms (example 29). Sometimes the abbreviation “HORT.” is placed behind a preferred name or synonym. This means in the nursery trade this name is commonly given to the plant, but it is incorrect or no longer correct, usually because the plant was misidentified in the past. English publica­tions usually call this type of names “misapplied” (example 30). Some names are indicated as preferred names, but do not comply with the present rules for nomenclature. These are indicated with a star, * (example 31). Cultivars grown from seed and seed provenances of woody plants are indicated by (SO), for seed origin (example 32).

Examples:

29.   Fuchsia cordifolia Benth.

30.   Betula costata HORT.: B. ermanii 'Blush'

31.   Taxus baccata 'Columna Suecica' *

32.   Acer campestre Uppsala (SO)

Presentation and lay-out of the Lists

In the Lists preferred names are printed in bold fonts. The generic name and specific epithet are only written in full once. When a species contains cultivars, subspecies (subsp.), varieties (var.) or forms (f.), these are preceded by a — sign. The order is alphabetical, including cultivars without a specific epithet. Cultivar groups are shown in the right column, behind the cultivar name, and also behind the trade name if relevant.

Examples:

Helianthemum

lunulatum                         (= Helianthemum lunulatum )

'Mrs C.W. Earle'                (=Helianthemum ‘Mrs C.W. Earle’)

   nummularium                (=Helianthemum nummularium)

   — subsp. grandiflorum   (= Helianthemum nummularium subsp. grandiflorum)

   — 'Mutabile'                   (= Helianthemum nummularium ‘Mutabile’)

 

Lavandula

    ‘Alexandra’                                                               Stoechas Group

   angustifolia

  — ‘Aquarelle’

  — ‘Twickle Purple’

  Colace (= ’Lavender Lace’)                                        Stoechas Group

   ’Lavender Lace’ ( Colace)                                          Stoechas Group              
 

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Presentation and lay-out of names for other purposes

The lay-out presented above is in no way compulsory. The Lists of names only prescribe the right spelling. In catalogs, on plant labels etc. deviations of the lay-out presented above commonly occur, like:

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