Why Proper Plant Nomenclature is Important for Your Botanical Business

Plant for Profits Column, Leslie F. Halleck

Plant Names are Getting Messier in the Horticulture World

A big part of selling plants as part of your botanical business is making sure you’re correctly representing what you’re selling to customers. That means using the correct names of plants and properly labeling them in pot on signs, and online in your shop and marketing. Unfortunately, plant nomenclature seems to just be getting messier and messier these days. To the point that many customers just aren’t getting the plants they think they are.

As more enthusiasts and hobbyists enter the plant selling market, I see more and more incorrect usage of proper plant names as well as misidentified and labeled plants. I also see a lot more plant jargon, incorrect abbreviations, and nicknames for plants being used in this community, leading to increasing plant I.D. confusion. Now, this is not to say it’s only newbies committing nomenclature crimes. There are plenty of established breeders, growers, retailers, and plant promoters who should know better who are also guilty of improperly citing names and mislabeling plants. And it is, or course, the established industry that has driven the trend in branded plant trade names.

Why is proper plant nomenclature so important? Well, at the most basic level the binomial system of naming plants using Botanical Latin is our global system and written language of plant taxonomy. There are rules in place for naming and writing such names, so that no matter where you are or what verbal language you speak you can confirm you’re working with the correct plant.

The intersection of botanical taxonomy and horticultural plant names can be a bit messy, to be polite. Many terms are used interchangeably, causing a fair amount of confusion in the marketplace. Ultimately, in horticulture for consumers, we try to distinguish between naturally occurring versus cultivated varieties and hybrids. In breeding programs and genetics, the classifications get broken down a bit further. The increasing use these days of trade designations and trademark names has made things even messier and more confusing.

Beyond accuracy and the integrity of plant records, as a commercial plant vendor it’s important to inspire confidence in your customers by making sure you’re selling them the plant you say you are and authentically and truthfully representing your product; and that you actually look like you know what you’re doing by using proper nomenclature. If you're trying to differentiate your small business in a crowded market space, this is one stand out way to do it.

Today I’ll break down some of the bare minimum basics you’d be expected to adhere to when labeling or writing about your plants, and address some specific questions I’ve received as working examples. Now, this is a much more complex topic with a lot more information and nomenclature categories to cover than I can in this column. If you want to get further into the details of plant nomenclature you can take my Botany or Indoor Plants course.

The Basics of Botanical Latin Binomials

The binomial system of botanical Latin, or the species name, combines the genus and the specific epithet to identify the plant. For example, Pilea peperomioides.The genus is always capitalized, the specific epithet is always lower case. You must note the binomial in either italics or each word underlined, Pilea peperomioides. You can abbreviate a binomial as such: P. peperomioides. A subspecies of a species is noted as a trinomial: Epilobium ciliatum subsp. ciliatum or you can use the abbreviation ssp. A naturally occurring variety of a species is noted as such: Pinus contorta var. latifolia. If you are referring to a number of species within one genus, you’d note Pilea spp. If you are labeling one species of a genus for which you can’t confirm the specific epithet it should be noted Pilea sp. You’ll see the subsp, var., spp.,sp., cv. and other similar abbreviations that are not technically part of the binomial or trinomial name are not italicized.

Yes, there have been many botanical reclassifications in the last few years. As DNA research advances, botanists will continue to reclassify plants into a genus to which they are more closely related genetically; so reclassifications are likely to increase in frequency, not decrease. Unfortunately, the marketplace seems wholly resistant to making such name changes to their plant listings and tags. I get it, it can be a hassle and tough to keep up with the changes. But it's just part of the plant business and so I do think it's important to try and keep up with scientifically correct names - otherwise the entire identification system falls apart. When an old binomial is still being use for a plant, it should at least have the synonym abbreviation Syn. associated with it.

Plant Cultivar Names

A cultivar of a species, subspecies, or variety is never in italics, is capitalized, and is always in single quotes - never double quotes. You can also use the abbreviation cv. in place of single quotes to note the cultivar name For example Albuca spiralis ‘Frizzle Sizzle’, or Albuca spiralis cv. Frizzle Sizzle, or Albuca ‘Frizzle Sizzle’. Or, Euonymus hamiltonianus subsp. sieboldianus 'Coral Charm'. If the cultivar is a hybrid cross, it would look like this: Platanus occidentalis × Platanus orientalis ‘Bloodgood’ (also acceptable is Platanus occidentalis × P. orientalis ‘Bloodgood’). This is an example of an interspecific hybrid. Sometimes the hybrid is given a new name of its own: Platanus × hispanica ‘Bloodgood’.

Now, there are also intergeneric, and complex hybrids that require the full names for each parent varieties or cultivars to be noted collectively with notation for crosses along with any new cultivar named assigned to the hybrid. These names are LONG...and this is where a lot of nomenclature gets even messier because many home breeders are using jargon and abbreviations instead of following the correct naming conventions. Breeders will also have other categorizations for cultivars such as clonal cultivars, synthetic cultivars, pure-line cultivars in addition to hybrid cultivars. But we don’t have time to get into those specifics here.

Cultivar naming conventions are established by the ICNCP.

Side rant: Dear magazine and blog editors, these formatting rules are not up for editorial discretion. I can’t count the number of times magazine or online editors have “corrected” my Latin plant names by removing the italics or replacing cultivar single quotes with double quotes without telling me. Once they’ve published their errors under my byline, and I try to explain to them that they have made an error that makes me look uneducated, I’m told I’m not an editing expert and I’m arrogant and difficult. I've been fired as a writer for bring this up. No joke. Editors: Pretty please learn the rules of plant nomenclature if you’re publishing plant related content.

Questions About Botanical Latin, Plant Patents, and Trade Names

Here are a few questions I’ve received that may help clarify some nomenclature confusion:

Q: I know a lot of conifer enthusiasts will find a broom in the wild and then cultivate it. I know of one called 'Chief Joseph'. It was found in the wild but is now a named cultivar. How does that work?

A: A naturally occurring variety found in nature and simply collected, propagated and sold is not a cultivar. It's just that, a variety of the species.It should be noted with the var. abbreviation. A cultivar infers human involvement, via selection, hybridization, etc. within a managed collection. I believe the species you're referring to is Pinus contorta var. latifolia, which is a naturally occurring variety found in nature. Simply discovering a natural variety doesn't grant cultivar naming rights. I see it's referred to online as 'Chief Joseph', which technically would not be correct nomenclature if this was actually a variant found in the wild. Technically you'd just refer to this as a variety, as I did above or in this form: Pinus contorta 'Latifolia'. This plant also can't be registered as a cultivar or patented. So in reality the name Chief Josef would not be in single quotes, as it's not a cultivar, it should just be part of the common name, so Pinus contorta var. latifolia Chief Joseph lodgepole pine.

Common names usually come last in the list of names, and are usually lower case, unless they include a proper noun.

Now, if someone collected a specimen of Pinus contorta var. latifolia and brought it into cultivation in their nursery, home collection, or garden, and over time that specimen threw off a distinct sport that had a mutation (that could be vegetatively propagated) or a seedling with a distinguishable variation from the parent specimen, then that variety selection from the managed collection could then be named, registered, and sold as a cultivar of Pinus contorta var. latifolia 'New Cultivar Name'. If this is how what is labeled as 'Chief Joseph' actually came about, then it would in fact be considered a cultivar.

Also know that there are naturally occurring hybrids out in nature, of course. But again, those are naturally occurring hybrids, not cultivars.

Q: Is the cultivar name different from the patent name, if it’s a patented plant.

A: NO. Even if you or the breeder has not officially registered a cultivar name for a plant with the appropriate agency, if a patent for the plant is filed then whatever name is registered with the patent application becomes the official cultivar name of the plant. Like it or not. That means if say you as a breeder have a variegated sport of Tagetes erecta you feel is distinct and patentable, and you’ve had it labeled as ‘B01048T’ in your breeding program and that’s what you file the patent with in a rush to secure it before you’ve decided what you really want the marketable cultivar name to be, you’re now stuck with ‘B01048T’ as the official cultivar name. Unfortunately, ‘B01048T’ also does not conform to cultivar naming rules and as such would be considered a "nonsense cultivar name", further mucking up the formal nomenclature.

Q: What is a trade name and is that part of the official plant name or cultivar registration?

A: Plants can be given either a trade designation and or a trademark. Neither are part of the official nomenclature of the plant, nor recognized by cultivar registries. Trade designations and Trademark names of cultivars have come about because too often breeders are rushing to secure patents for new plants BEFORE they have chosen a proper cultivar name that would also make sense for marketing. Trade designations or trademark names are never in single quotes as they are not a cultivar name, and should include the registered trademark symbol if it’s actually registered. Say you decide to create a trade designation of SPARKLE to market your Tagetes erecta ‘B01048T’; you should note the plant as Tagetes erecta ‘B01048T’ SPARKLE. If you are applying for, but have not yet received a registered trademark, you may list the plant as Tagetes erecta ‘B01048T’ SPARKLE (TM) (TM superscript when formatting allows). Once you are awarded the registered trademark then Tagetes erecta ‘B01048T’ SPARKLE®. Now, let's say you made SPARKLE® the series name, because you have more than one distinct sport, and this first one has white variegation so you call it Tagetes erecta ‘B01048T’ SPARKLE® Snow.

Unfortunately the notation of the official cultivar name often doesn't accompany trademarked plants in the marketplace. That’s what misleads customers. It is always incorrect to list a trademarked plant without the official cultivar name.

Trade designations that have not been formally trademarked are not legally protected, but Trademarked names are. It's important to know that the same cultivar can end up being sold under multiple different trade designations and another trademark at the same time. If the cultivar is in the public domain - either never patented or the patent has expired - anyone can take it and slap a new trade designation on it and sell it under that name. If someone secures a trademark for that plant, only they can sell it under that trademarked name..but that same plant could be out in the market labeled as another trade designation. Of course you may also find it sold under just its official cultivar name (and likely pay less for it that way).

It's important to know that a plant patent protects the plant while the trademark only protects the marketing name. Also, U.S. plant patents or trademarks aren’t enforceable outside of the U.S. So growers elsewhere can then take up that plant and name it something else as well.

Plant Nomenclature is Complicated Even for Professionals

Rest assured, this isn't easy for anyone. It's messy and even us professionals have likely made many mistakes along the way when noting plant names. Especially many of us who "grew up" in the industry while all this plant branding stuff came about and has since evolved. The goal is to work to educate yourself on the conventions of plant naming, press your vendors for proper ID and labeling, press yourself to adhere to the rules as a grower or breeder, and make sure you're being a responsible educator for your customers.