The subject of "Plant Names" is one of the fundamental differences between Ideas Genie and Ideas Genie Pro.
In 2003, I assigned my daughter to the task of keying up plant names to create the Acers database.
A few plants couldnt be added exactly in Ideas Genie.
The investigation opened my eyes to the complexities of Plant names.
As it happened, the names which caused the problems were plants with "Collector names" included as part of the Plant name.
You'll find lots of plants like that in the RHS Plantfinder.
I had a very good contact in a customer from Scotland, a professional gardener. I explained that I ws considering making a major revamp to allow IG to cope with collector names.
His comments?
I am slightly obsessive about correctly naming the plants that I have purchased. If I buy from a Nurseryman who has made the Great effort to Trek through the Himalaya or Siberia to source a particular species,who am I to leave out his collection number.So, off I went on what turned out to be a massive change to the system.
My research started at home (Belfast), here:
http://www.habitas.org.uk/gardenflora/taxa.htmPaul Hackney, curator of Botany was very very helpful.
My first questions to him were in relation to the names used in some of the most popular Seed catalogs. He informed me that they were wrong, and suggested the proper names.
I concluded that in some cases the suppliers just dont seem to know, or certainly dont bother.
Well, if they dont know, what hope have I, I thought!
Then the introduction of another issue. The proper botanical names "dont sell", so they get presented in a more "user friendly" fashion.
That led to the now accepted way around that problem... Trade names, as used by Growers and Nurseries.
Jim Mann-Taylor has created (probably,to quote Carlsberg) the very best web site on the planet to explain that thorny subject.
http://www.nccpg.com/Page.Aspx?Page=110That discussion will also introduce you to PBR (Plant Breeder Rights)
You'll find lots and LOTS of plants with Trade names AND PBR in the RHS Plantfinder.
I thought I had it at that stage, then I discovered the next hurdle... Author names, as part of a plant name.
Heres an example, taken from the RHS Plantfinder:
Echinops ritro L.
What does the L. mean? Its the author, Carl Linnaeus
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/linnaeus.htmlhttp://www.linnean.org/index.php?id=47http://www.linnaeus.uu.se/map.htmlhttp://www.botan.uu.se/katalog.htmlIf you happen to look at the plants in a Botanical garden, the author names can be a lot more complex. Further research took me to this site:
http://www.ipni.org/index.htmlI made contact by email asking for help to "interpret" this plant name (as I thought, a good example):
Aceraceae Acer amplum Rehder var. convexum (W.P.Fang)W.P.Fang
To my amazement, back came a very prompt response from Christine Barker of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew!
I wont go into all the details, but... aw heck, I'm sure you are dying to know so heres part of the reply:
They are all authors of plant names!
Rehder published the species name Acer amplum (in 1911)
W.P.Fang published the infraspecific name Acer amplum var. convexum (in 1979)
But, the author in parentheses is also an important component of the name. A double author citation indicates that there has been a change in taxonomic position and/or rank of the taxon. In other words, the taxon name that has a double author citation is a newer name based upon an older one. The older name is known as the basionym and was published by the author within the parentheses. The newer name is known as a new combination and is published by the author after the parentheses. Both of these names have the same type.
In your example, Acer amplum var.convexum (W.P.Fang) W.P.Fang is a new combination based on Acer bodinieri var. convexum W.P.Fang.
[W.P.Fang decided that the taxon he originally described as A. bodinieri var. convexum was better placed as a variety of A. amplum. To make this 'official' W.P.Fang published the new combination, the double author citation indicating that W.P.Fang was also the author of the basionym.]You probably wont need to enter many plants like the above.
But, when you do, Ideas Genie Pro can take it!!
I will edit this page from time to time to list web links to plant collectors who have web sites.
Heres a modern day plant collector from the US:
Dan Hinkley (Heronswood)Our forum friend Pixydish sent me an email to say she is visting Heronswood this weekend! Ive asked her to be sure to bring her camera.
