Cultivar rubbish and ideas

From: Barry Meyers-Rice (bamrice@ucdavis.edu)
Date: Thu Nov 19 1998 - 11:32:29 PST


Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1998 11:32:29 -0800 (PST)
From: Barry Meyers-Rice <bamrice@ucdavis.edu>
To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com
Message-Id: <aabcdefg3647$foo@default>
Subject: Cultivar rubbish and ideas

I must amplify Jan's comments about "cultivar." The term "cultivar"
contains a set of implications. Similar words, like "pregnant", "dead",
or "murderer" (to choose exciting examples), are like "cultivar" in that
they cannot be met half-way. A cultivar name can be given to ANY plant,
but you must follow the rules of publication.

The ICPS and CPN are exploring ways of making cultivar registration more
accessible to everyone. Please help us meet this goal by not abusing the
term. If every neat plant is designated an "informal cultivar", or
"unpublished cultivar", then the term cultivar will lose its meaning.

Now, a useful direction this discussion could go in was inspired by Bill
Baumgartl and Jay Lechtman. CPN is the cultivar registration authority,
and is not in the position of judging the MERIT of individual cultivars.
However, the ICPS *could* judge cultivars (thanks to Jay for this
approach). As such, we could DEVISE A SYSTEM OF JUDGING CULTIVARS, similar
to the way the orchid societies do. This system must be carefully devised
so as to avoid various biases, etc. I hope the various CPers on this
discussion group who are also orchid growers take time to make
suggestions. Even if you do not grow orchids, I would love to see
suggestions on cultivar judgements. These would probably have to be genus
specific? Perhaps not?

Useful suggestions needed!

Barry

------------------------
Dr. Barry A. Meyers-Rice
Carnivorous Plant Newsletter
Conservation Coeditor
barry@carnivorousplants.org
http://www.carnivorousplants.org



This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Tue Jan 02 2001 - 17:31:39 PST