International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants
Encyclopedia
The International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (ICNCP, Cultivated Plant Code) regulates the names of cultigen
s (plants whose origin or selection is primarily due to intentional human activity). These are, for the most part, plants with names in the classification categories cultivar
, Group
and grex
, the classification categories within the scope of the Cultivated Plant Code (as specified in the 2009 Cultivated Plant Code).
William Stearn has outlined the origins of the first Code, tracing it back to the International Horticultural Congress of Brussels in 1864, when a letter from Alphonse de Candolle to Edouard Morren
was tabled. This set out de Candolle's view that Latin names should be reserved for species and varieties found in the wild, with non-Latin or "fancy" names used for garden forms.
Karl Koch
supported this position at the 1865 International Botanical and Horticultural Congress and at the 1866 International Botanical Congress, where he suggested that future congresses should deal with nomenclatural matters. De Candolle, who had a legal background, drew up the Lois de la Nomenclature botanique (rules of botanical nomenclature). When adopted by the International Botanical Congress of Paris in 1867, this became the first version of today's International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants
.
Article 40 of the Lois de la Nomenclature botanique dealt with the names of plants of horticultural origin:
This Article survived redrafting of the International Rules of Botanical Nomenclature until 1935 and its core sentiments remain in the present-day Cultivated Plant Code of 2009.
Following the structure of the Botanical Code the Cultivated Plant Code is set out in the form of an initial set of Principles followed by Rules and Recommendations that are subdivided into Articles. Amendments to the Cultivated Plant Code are prompted by international symposia for cultivated plant taxonomy which allow for rulings made by the International Commission on the Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants. Each new Cultivated Plant Code includes a summary of the changes made to the previous version and these have also been summarised for the period 1953 to 1995.
The ICNCP operates within the framework of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature which regulates formal names for plants in general.
Note that the ICNCP does not regulate trademarks for plants: trademarks are regulated by the law of the land involved. Nor does the ICNCP regulate the naming of plant varieties
in the legal sense of that term.
under the selling name "Iceberg", in France
as "" and in Germany
as "".
The Code states that "trade designations must always be distinguished typographically from cultivar, Group and grex epithets." It uses small capitals for this purpose, thus Syringa vulgaris (trade designation) is distinguished from S. vulgaris 'Andenken an Ludwig Späth' (cultivar name). Other sources, including the Royal Horticultural Society
, instead use a different font for selling names, e.g. Rosa 'Korbin'.
Cultigen
A cultigen is a plant that has been deliberately altered or selected by humans; it is the result of artificial selection. These "man-made" or anthropogenic plants are, for the most part, plants of commerce that are used in horticulture, agriculture and forestry...
s (plants whose origin or selection is primarily due to intentional human activity). These are, for the most part, plants with names in the classification categories cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
, Group
Cultivar group
In naming cultivated plants, a Group is a formal classification category, under the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants :The term "Group" was introduced in the 2004 ICNCP, replacing the "Cultivar-group" of the 1995 ICNCP.A Group is united by some common trait; for example...
and grex
Grex (horticulture)
The term grex , derived from the Latin noun grex, gregis meaning flock, has been coined to expand botanical nomenclature to describe horticultural hybrids of orchids, based solely on their specified parentage...
, the classification categories within the scope of the Cultivated Plant Code (as specified in the 2009 Cultivated Plant Code).
Brief history
The first Cultivated Plant Code (Wageningen), which was agreed in 1952 and published in 1953, has been followed by eight subsequent editions - in 1958 (Utrecht), 1961 (update of 1958), 1969 (Edinburgh), 1980 (Seattle), 1995 (Edinburgh), 2004 (Toronto), and 2009 (Wageningen).William Stearn has outlined the origins of the first Code, tracing it back to the International Horticultural Congress of Brussels in 1864, when a letter from Alphonse de Candolle to Edouard Morren
Charles Jacques Édouard Morren
Charles Jacques Édouard Morren , was a Belgian botanist, professor of botany and director of the Jardin botanique de l'Université de Liège from 1857-1886. His special field of study was the Bromeliaceae on which family he was the recognised authority...
was tabled. This set out de Candolle's view that Latin names should be reserved for species and varieties found in the wild, with non-Latin or "fancy" names used for garden forms.
Karl Koch
Karl Koch (botanist)
Karl Heinrich Emil Koch was a German botanist. He is best known for his botanical explorations in the Caucasus region, including northeast Turkey. Unfortunately, most of his collections have today been lost. He is also known as the first professional horticultural officer in...
supported this position at the 1865 International Botanical and Horticultural Congress and at the 1866 International Botanical Congress, where he suggested that future congresses should deal with nomenclatural matters. De Candolle, who had a legal background, drew up the Lois de la Nomenclature botanique (rules of botanical nomenclature). When adopted by the International Botanical Congress of Paris in 1867, this became the first version of today's International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants
International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants
The International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants is the set of rules and recommendations dealing with the formal botanical names that are given to plants, fungi and a few other groups of organisms, all those "traditionally treated as plants"., Preamble, para...
.
Article 40 of the Lois de la Nomenclature botanique dealt with the names of plants of horticultural origin:
Among cultivated plants, seedlings, crosses [] of uncertain origin and sports, receive fancy names in common language, as distinct as possible from the Latin names of species or varieties. When they can be traced back to a botanical species, subspecies or variety, this is indicated by a sequence of names (Pelargonium zonale Mistress-Pollock).
This Article survived redrafting of the International Rules of Botanical Nomenclature until 1935 and its core sentiments remain in the present-day Cultivated Plant Code of 2009.
Following the structure of the Botanical Code the Cultivated Plant Code is set out in the form of an initial set of Principles followed by Rules and Recommendations that are subdivided into Articles. Amendments to the Cultivated Plant Code are prompted by international symposia for cultivated plant taxonomy which allow for rulings made by the International Commission on the Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants. Each new Cultivated Plant Code includes a summary of the changes made to the previous version and these have also been summarised for the period 1953 to 1995.
Examples of names governed by the Cultivated Plant Code
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-
-
- Clematis alpina 'Ruby' : a cultivar within a species
- Magnolia 'Elizabeth' : a hybrid between at least two species
- Rhododendron boothii Mishmiense Group : a Group name
- +Crataegomespilus+Crataegomespilus+Crataegomespilus is the generic name applied to graft-chimeras between the genera Crataegus and Mespilus. It is not to be confused with ×Crataemespilus, which is applied to sexual hybrids between those genera, nor with Chamaemespilus which is a segregate genus or subgenus of Sorbus....
: a graft-chimaera of CrataegusCrataegusCrataegus , commonly called hawthorn or thornapple, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the rose family, Rosaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia and North America. The name hawthorn was originally applied to the species native to northern Europe,...
and Mespilus - Paphiopedilum Sorel grex : a grexGrexGrex is the Latin word for herd or flock. The word is also used for:* GREX, the Georgetown Rail Equipment Company located in Georgetown, Texas...
name - Apple 'Jonathan' : permitted use of an unambiguous common name with a cultivar epithet
-
-
The ICNCP operates within the framework of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature which regulates formal names for plants in general.
Note that the ICNCP does not regulate trademarks for plants: trademarks are regulated by the law of the land involved. Nor does the ICNCP regulate the naming of plant varieties
Variety (plant)
Plant variety is a legal term, following the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants Convention. Recognition of a cultivated plant as a "variety" in this particular sense provides its breeder with some legal protection, so-called plant breeders' rights, depending to some...
in the legal sense of that term.
Trade designations
Many plants have "selling names" or "marketing names" as well as a cultivar name; the Code refers to these as "trade designations". Only the cultivar name is governed by the Code. It is required to be unique; in accordance with the principle of priority it will be the first name that is published or that is registered by the discoverer or breeder of the cultivar. Trade designations are not regulated by the Code; they may be different in different countries. Thus the German rose breeder Reimer Kordes registered a white rose in 1958 as the cultivar 'Korbin'. This is sold in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
under the selling name "Iceberg", in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
as "" and in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
as "".
The Code states that "trade designations must always be distinguished typographically from cultivar, Group and grex epithets." It uses small capitals for this purpose, thus Syringa vulgaris (trade designation) is distinguished from S. vulgaris 'Andenken an Ludwig Späth' (cultivar name). Other sources, including the Royal Horticultural Society
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 in London, England as the Horticultural Society of London, and gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861 by Prince Albert...
, instead use a different font for selling names, e.g. Rosa 'Korbin'.
See also
- Cultivated plant taxonomyCultivated plant taxonomyCultivated plant taxonomy is the study of the theory and practice of the science that identifies, describes, classifies, and names cultigens—those plants whose origin or selection is primarily due to intentional human activity...
- International Cultivar Registration AuthorityInternational Cultivar Registration AuthorityAn International Cultivation Registration Authority is an organization responsible for ensuring that each plant cultivar receives a unique, authoritative botanical name....
- CultigenCultigenA cultigen is a plant that has been deliberately altered or selected by humans; it is the result of artificial selection. These "man-made" or anthropogenic plants are, for the most part, plants of commerce that are used in horticulture, agriculture and forestry...
- International Code of Botanical Nomenclature