Conference Proposals
Dear Nepenthes enthusiasts and members of Terra Forums.
Below is the 'Final Draft' of our Conference Recommendations. Although this is called the "Final" draft this does not mean that this story is over and participants are encouraged to offer more 'questions' regarding the implementation and application of the rules of registry.
You are welcome to respond with questions and comments here on you own forum (I will check back often and try to answer questions promptly.) or at
http://pitcherplants.proboards34.com/index.cgi?board=naming&action=display&thread=1171666811
The Need For A Nepenthes Grex Registry
The last several decades have witnessed a marked growth in
Nepenthes cultivation around the world. The number of
Nepenthes species in cultivation has risen from somewhere around 80 species twenty years ago to about 100 today and at the current rate of exploration could perhaps reach 120 by 2008. Major nurseries have become established in Europe, Australia, Japan, America and Indonesia and there are now more species available to collectors and enthusiasts than ever before in history. Parallel with this growth in discovery has been the rise in the number of manmade
Nepenthes hybrids available for cultivation. The world leader in
Nepenthes hybridization has been Exotica Plants of Australia and Geoff and Andrea Mansell have produced hundreds of unique and exceptional plants. But Geoff and Andrea are not alone as nurseries around the world are now actively producing
Nepenthes hybrids and with many of the newly discovered species now reaching maturity in cultivation the future of
Nepenthes horticulture seems certain to continue to grow at an accelerated rate.
The existing
Nepenthes Group system of registry has been rejected or ignored by the vast majority of
Nepenthes growers and the need for consistent and complete record keeping among breeders has become pronounced. Selective breeding for desirable qualities in
Nepenthes requires careful record keeping and the sharing of significant breeding data among growers and breeders. To this end a universal grex naming system for horticultural breed plants of the genus
Nepenthes is desirable in order to provide an historical record of
Nepenthes hybridization efforts for the use of breeders, collectors and enthusiasts around the world.
Conference Recommendations
I.
Nepenthes Grex Registry
It is the considered recommendation of this conference that a grex registry for
Nepenthes be established, that it should be sex respective, i.e., that a female plant crossed with a male of a different species is not the same as a male plant crossed with a female respectively, and once established it should be the sole official method of
Nepenthes grex registration and that the existing
Nepenthes Group system of registry should be discontinued and deemed archaic.
II.
Requirements of Registration
1. Greges should not be considered for registration until 2 or more years after germination.1 A pictorial description of a ‘grex representative’ specimen is required at the time of registration so as to provide a convenient reference of an example(s) of a plant(s) from the grew being registered.2 This pictorial description would follow the proposed 1-5+ picture format (see "Definitions" below).
2. Names of parent plants including varietal epithets and descriptors3 (when known) are mandatory for registration of a grex. Names considered legitimate are natural species names, historical hybrid epithets4 , grex and registered cultivar names.
3. Descriptions of the features of the parent plants in a grex are mandatory for registration. Descriptions of parent plants are to be primarily pictorial and follow the 1-5+ picture format (see "Definitions" below). Also, a short written description noting unusual or distinctive features not readily ascertainable in photographs along with notes on plant origins and significant particulars of cultivation would be desirable.
1 In order to insure survivability of the grex before registration and to provide evidence of the existence of the grex registered.
2 It is to be understood that no single specimen can completely describe the spectrum of phenotypic expression produced in a particular grex and that the ‘grex representative’ descriptions (photo or otherwise) are intended only to provide registry users with a sample(s) of the plants resultant from the grex registered.
3 "Varietal epithets and descriptors" is not to be construed as representative of taxonomical forms but as those epithets and descriptions currently employed in Nepenthes horticulture. Examples would include N. alata, boschiana mimic, N. refflesiana, nivia, N copelandii, Mt. Apo, etc.
4 For the purposes of grex registration historical hybrid epithets are to be considered to represent uniform botanical entities. Individual parent plant descriptions would still be required for registration.
III.
Proposed Grex Naming Formulas
A.
New greges and remakes of primary greges and historic hybrids.
GENERIC - Grex1Grex2 - (AXB) – Historical Epithet – Date / Nursery
The ‘GENERIC’ name is mandatory but may be shortened to
‘N.’ (
Nepenthes … Generic name: Latin, Italic, First letter capitalized)
The "Grex1" epithet is mandatory. A "Grex" epithet must follow the Definitions (see "Definitions" below) but are chosen at the discretion of the breeder. Grex epithets are fixed and are retained in all future, sex-respective, crossings of the same species, greges or hybrids.
The "Grex2" is mandatory if either of the following two conditions apply:
a) The grex to be registered is a remake of an existing registered grex.
b) A Historical Epithet is quoted in the Grex1.
Examples:
N. Blackbird (N. inermis x ramispina) 11/06 Browning Nursery
N. Blackbird Pinole (N. inermis x ramispina) 3/08 Pinole Gardens
N. Rokko Pinole (N. thorelii x maxima) 5/08 Pinole Gardens
The "(AXB)" is a shorthand notation for a record of derivation. For the purposes of registry the genetic derivation of a plant is to be expressed in a formula recording female plant first and the male plant second, i.e., (
N. maxima (f)
x ventricosa (m)). Complex crosses having more than two species as ancestors are to be described in the same fashion, employing set theory type bracketing to clearly define order of crosses involved, and factored to species level1.
Example:
(
N. x Rokko xx Dyeriana)
x ventricosa
Must be factored to:
((N. thorelii x veitchii) x ((N. northiana x maxima) x (N. rafflesiana x veitchii))) x N. ventricosa
The (AXB) expression of derivation is mandatory and non-commutative with female plant always listed first in the expression.
[SIZE="2"[SIZE="1"]]1 Historical epithets are not allowed in the expression of derivation and must be factored to species level.[/SIZE][/SIZE]
B.
Horticulturally Breed Species and Natural Hybrids
GENERIC - Natural Epithet - Grex1Grex2 - (AXB) - Date / Nursery
The Natural Epithet is mandatory and precedes the mandatory Grex epithets. The Natural Epithet is the existing species or natural hybrid name. The default source for Natural Epithets is the ICPS database.
IV.
Grex Registration Procedures
To insure that the proposed registration system finds acceptance among growers and breeders, registration procedure must be quick and simple to complete. The registry should be easily available and accessible to breeders and enthusiasts around the world.
It is the recommendation of this conference that:
1. That the grex registry should be hosted and maintained by the International Carnivorous Plant Society and accessible through the ICPS Website.
2. That registration should be considered accomplished upon submission of the required data. That no publication of grex descriptions beyond the ICPS database should be required for the completion of registration procedure 1
3. That the registry should be easily updated by contributing breeders as supplemental information, not known at the time of registration, becomes available.
4. That new entries to the registry database be published in the ICPS Newsletter, without pictures, at annual intervals.
1 See ‘Transition Phase of Registry’, Section IX..
V. Definitions
Grex1: Primary grex epithet. This is the name chosen and assigned by the breeder to a particular grex. In a new grex this name becomes fixed with the registered derivation and is retained in all future registered greges of the same derivation.
Grex2: Secondary grex epithet. This is the secondary name chosen and assigned to a grex by the breeder under the conditions defined in Section II, A.
(AXB): A shorthand notation for a record of derivation. For the purposes of registry the genetic derivation of a plant is to be expressed in a formula recording female plant first and the male plant second, i.e., (
N. maxima (f)
x ventricosa (m)). Complex crosses having more than two species as ancestors are to be described in the same fashion, employing set theory type bracketing to clearly define order of crosses involved, and factored to species level.
(HE): Shorthand for "Histroical Epithet" and signifying that the particular grex in question is a remake of a cross that appears in the ICPS or other historical hybrid database.
(NE): Shorthand for "Natural Epithet" and meaning the species or natural hybrid name.
Date: This the month and year of pollination.
Nursery: This is the Nursery of origin or simply the breeder’s name.
1-5+ Picture Format:
1) Picture of plant. This should be representative of the entire plant to allow for determination of general growth pattern and foliar display characteristics.
2) Frontal/angle view of a typical lower pitcher.
3) Frontal/angle view of a typical upper pitcher.
4) View of leaf detail and attachment
5) View of inflorescence.
- - - - - - - - -
6) View of pitcher lid.
7) View of peristome details
8) View of stem details.
Pictures should include a scale for reference.
VI.
Nepenthes Color Chart
The establishment of the new registry should be accompanied by the production of a color -range chart specifically for Nepenthes. This chart should be inexpensive and available through the ICPS. This chart would contain 25 – 30 standardized colors.1
1 Nepenthes can be quite variable in color when grown under different climatic conditions and color description should, most often, be expressed color ranges rather than as a single color.
VII.
Labeling
Plants should always be clearly labeled. Registered plants intended for distribution should be labeled in such a way as to clearly make reference to their registered status and name. At a minimum, plant labels should bear the registered Grex1 and Grex2 epithets (and Natural Epithet when applicable).
VIII.
Grex Decision Tree and Sample Registration Forms.
http://alohanepenthes.com/grex/1r.htm
IX.
Special Features
One of the advantages of a new registry is that it can be designed to take full advantage of data storage and retrieval hardware and software. A well-designed database would allow for easy ‘search’, ‘indexing’, ‘linking’, ‘sorting’ and other database functions. In time data could easily be displayed as clads or family trees.
X.
Transition Phase of Registry.
A. Transition to new naming and registration rules pose a challenge to hose already deeply involved in
Nepenthes breeding efforts. Many plants have been created in the last few decades and it would be unfair to expect that an active breeder would have the time or energy to enter upon a massive backlog of plants needing registration in an immediate fashion. Therefore, the new registry should allow for a transition period wherein breeders could submit a listing of existing greges intended for registration within the transition period and establish registration priority for their creations.
Breeders would be expected to submit within the first year an accounting of all previous greges intended for registration and noting date of pollination and derivation information. The registrar would utilize these lists to establish priority with regard to registration dates. After submission of their list a breeder would be expected to embark upon the tasks of completing the registration process for all those greges submitted. All greges to be thus "grand fathered" into the registry would be required to be completed by the end of the second transitional year.
B. During this period of transition it will also be necessary to embark upon an educational program to inform breeders of the new rules and procedures of registry. The rules of registry should be published in the ICPS Newsletter and made available on the ICPS website.
C. It is important that the registry be designed in such a fashion as to take full advantage of the data storage, retrieval and interface technology available today. Furthermore, it is equally important that the format adopted be flexible enough that it does not become dead-ended by future improvements in technology. The first year of the two year transition phase of the registry would be devoted to planning and development of the registry database and website interface. The registry should be operational and doing real-time data processing by, or before, the end of the second year of the transitional phase.
XI.
A Few Questions and Answers
Q: “ I don’t have a computer or Internet access, can I register by mail?”
A: Get one. Or go to Kinko’s or the Library or a friend’s house. This is what you would be told by your child’s school, your employer, your government or a thousand different businesses.
Q: “I have made a cross with pollen collected from the wild, and I do not have a picture of the donating male plant. Can I still register this grex?”
A: Although the new registry would rely heavily on pictorial descriptions this does not mean that you cannot still present a written description.
Q: “What happens if a grex is registered and then later found to exist as a natural hybrid and description published by taxonomists?”
A: Once the natural hybrid has a published description then, the new taxonomical name would, follow nomenclature formula B, and the natural hybrid name would precede the grex epithets in updated printings.
Q: “What if two breeders make the same cross at the same time?”
A: After the transition phase has concluded registration would be on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Q: “What happens if a historical record is discovered after an grex has been registered?”
A: This is really not a problem. The discovery of an historical crossing would only mean that an ‘(HE)’ would then be appended to the given grex record.
Q: “What about those breeders that refuse to participate?”
A: Participation is voluntary.
Q: “Will this new registry mean the end of confusion, poor record keeping, unknown plants and misrepresented plants?”
A: Of course not. Some will have no interest, some will find it too much work and others will see a personal interest in keeping this information to themselves. The BIG BOX chains and the large agricultural industries (growers of ‘units’) will do whatever maximizes profits and will name plants anyway they want (‘WALpenthes’, ‘HOME Depenthes’, etc.) without regard to the rules of nomenclature, grex or otherwise. This is the way of the world.
Q: “If its not going fix everything then, what good is it?”
A: It won’t fix everything. What it will do is to give serious breeders, collectors and enthusiasts a consistent set of rules, an easily accessible and current registry and database where they can get reliable information about those plants that do make it into the registry. In time it will become a powerful tool for breeder’s and give new meaning to the terms ‘selective breeding’ in
Nepenthes horticulture.
Q: “Everything is in English. Won’t this limit participation?”
A: Yes, and this is why the registry process should be designed in a simplistic, decision-tree fashion, with simple and easily translatable instructions.
