What’s Kit Knotts – former IWGS “In the 1700’s, during the period In a Name? Registrar and hybridizer of known as the Age of Enlightenment,” Victoria and Nymphaea began Piers Trehane, “the cultural revo- lution in Europe included natural histo- THE BOSS AND THE CODE Mini-Glossary ry. The interest in plants was wide- by Kit Knotts Nomenclature – the way spread, and a young man named Carl plants are named in an began the study of the flora of his native Piers Trehane at Denver Botanic ow are cultivated plants named, and understandable, interna- Gardens, April 2001. Sweden. Since surnames didn’t really who is the amazing man who is boss tional system exist at the time, this man gave himself H of that process? Before answering Taxonomy – the way plants are classified into the last name of Linnaeus, after the linden these questions, we need to wade through a related botanical groups trees near his home.” few items. Nymphaea – waterlilies Linnaeus, it seems, was an arrogant, naughty, Nymphaeaceae – the bigger waterlily family saucy young man who, as he flitted around The Acronyms which includes the genus Victoria and several Northern Europe, collected as many ladies as he IWGS – International Waterlily and Water others did plants and plant names. Nevertheless, his Gardening Society Nelumbo – lotus, which used to be part of system of naming plants, developed somewhat CWGS – Colorado Water Garden Society Nymphaeaceae but now given its own family by accident, is that used almost universally ISHS – International Society for Horticultural by taxonomists today. During that time, the convention was to Science Piers Trehane displays RHS color charts to the group with Taxon – the nickname for a taxonomic group use descriptive phrases in Latin for genus and ICRA – International Cultivar Registration Andrew Doran looking on Cultivar – (from the glossary of the Code) a species plant names. As more and more plants Authority (ISHS governs these and IWGS is taxon of cultivated plants that is clearly dis- were discovered, the names grew longer and ICRA for Nymphaeaceae and Nelumbo) Cyndie Thomas – President of CWGS tinct, uniform, and stable in its characteristics longer. In 1753, Linnaeus published his Species ICNCP – International Code of Nomenclature Nancy Styler – Co-Administrator of the IWGS and which, when propagated by appropriate Plantarium, the title another testament to his for Cultivated Plants (for cultivars) Victoria Conservancy and CWGS Publicist means, retains those characteristics. ICBN – International Code of Botanical Trey Styler – Co-Administrator of the IWGS Nomenclature (for species) Victoria Conservancy and member of the If you don’t think it would be fun to be in the DBG – Denver Botanic Gardens IWGS Board of Directors same room at the same time with all the above RHS – Royal Horticultural Society, based Joe Tomocik – DBG Aquatic Manager people, initials, and potential subjects for dis- in England Stan Skinger – Propagator of tropical waterlilies cussion, stop reading now. The weekend of at DBG, CWGS Vice-president April 7-8, 2001, it happened. The Players Walter Pagels – IWGS Librarian, Historian, CWGS seized the possibility that Piers Trehane Piers Trehane – Chairman of the ISHS Board Member and legendary collector might be available to travel from England to Commission for Registration and Mary Mirgon – with husband John and Joe Denver to be the keynote speaker at their annual Nomenclature, chief editor of the current Tomocik, founders of CWGS, the first “Ponds…Links to Learning” seminar. The invita- ICNCP waterlily society tion was made, accepted and a special session was Andrew Doran – DBG Taxonomist and IWGS Andy Lohaza – Canadian water gardener, spe- offered with Piers for those especially interested Registrar for Nymnphaeaceae cializing with William Phillips in culture of in the naming and registration of waterlilies. We Piers Trehane, Virginia Hayes, Walter Pagels, Teresa Virginia Hayes – IWGS Registrar for Nelumbo Australian waterlilies convened at DBG and Piers spoke. Westhoven, and Andy Lohaza behind them 64 Pond & Garden “Creating backyard havens” 65 The “Bible” for naming Space Center, Cape Canaveral, wild plants is the ICBN. It Florida. addresses both rules of This name cannot be consid- naming and tries to unrav- ered as valid under ICBN rules el the confusion in nomen- since it was not accompanied clature created by the by a description in Latin! As a wars, distances, and bad “selected” form of the species, communication of the it falls under the rules for culti- past. For many years, the vars in the ICNCP. It must be same system was used for given what Piers calls a “fancy” manmade plants. In the Bill Frase crossed N. ‘Castali Flora’ with N. ‘Orchid Star’ to create the lovely N. name, one in a modern lan- ‘Enid Frase.’ 1950’s, a new Commission guage with capital letters and was assigned the task of “published and established” under specific con- single quotes around it. Since the Denver meet- developing the first ditions set forth in the Code. ing, Bill Frase has named this selection N. mex- Nymphaea mexicana ‘Cape Canaveral’ Frase 1958 ICNCP, currently in its When you have a new and wonderful icana ‘Cape Canaveral’, and the name is meet- sixth edition with another waterlily and consider naming and registering it, ing the requirements of acceptance right here arrogance, since it literally means all the species due in 2003. Until the 1995 Code was published, the first thing you have to determine is that you on the planet. even the Preamble was incomprehensible to do indeed have a new cultivar. There are a num- In order to work effectively with the printer most lay people. Piers, as Chief Editor of the ber of criteria that need to be met, the most of Species Plantarium, Linnaeus jotted “trivial 1995 Code, made it a handbook that all can important of which are “Is it really different?” names” (inconsequential – not real scientific understand and use. and “Do I have a number of plants that are uni- names at all but just handy tools) in the mar- “As human beings, we sort things into form and stable in their characteristics?” gins of his manuscript, which made their way groups every day. They are things that are The full name of the new cultivar is the genus into the printed form of the book. It is this enough alike to have the same name. We sort name, in this case Nymphaea, together with the “trivial name” concept that denotes Linnaean flatware into knives, forks, and spoons. Those name you give it, the “epithet.” New names nomenclature used by the botanical and zoo- are taxonomic groups. Taxonomy sorts into must be published in a dated publication (not logical community ever since. It is also called groups and nomenclature gives the groups electronic!) in order to be “fixed,” protected binomial nomenclature since it is limited to names.” Piers then discussed the elements of under the Code. By crossing N. ‘Blue Beauty’ with N. ‘Panama Pacific’, Bill Frase created the perfect delphinium blue N. ‘Laura Frase’. two words and not more. Though efficient, it the Code in detail. An interesting example of how the Codes divorces the names of plants from the science Within waterlilies, as in all other groups, we (ICBN and ICNCP) work has to do with N. mex- and now. It is being formally published and of taxonomy and gives Piers and his associates can’t duplicate names or it will cause great con- icana forma canaveraliensis Frase 1958 pub- established in these pages of Pond & Garden. job security forever. fusion. The names of wild plants are expressed lished on page 220 in Slocum & Robinson’s What all this means is that we gardeners can “We name plants for the purpose of commu- in Latin form and must also be described in Water Gardening Water Lilies and Lotuses, go to our favorite garden center and, over nication,” Piers continued. “The discipline of Latin, or the names cannot even be considered Timber Press 1996. This mexicana is a larger time, have more assurance that the tags on the nomenclature became a pursuit of its own, not a as valid. Fortunately, for most of us, cultivar flowered, larger leaved version than the regular plants we buy are really indicative of the cor- science though the scientists had to learn and names must be expressed in a modern language N. mexicana usually seen and cultivated. It was rect names being given to the correct plants use it. Every few years the scientific community with certain restrictions in length, form, etc. In collected by Bill Frase from the estuary that now and we go home with what we want. The gathers to discuss and update rules.” order to be “accepted” names, they must be divides the space shuttle launch pads at Kennedy “Boss” says it will be so.❧ 66 Pond & Garden “Creating backyard havens” 67 THE NAMING OF part of a developing 70-acre garden, a summer- Nymphaea ‘Andre Leu’ like climate is maintained year round with the by Kit Knotts Australian lilies now the centerpiece. By way of the IWGS email list, Andre Leu, illiam Phillips discovered the beauty huge, rounded blossoms. The love affair was from Daintree, Queensland, Australia, has of native Australian waterlilies in a mutual since plants from the waterlily subgenus always been generous with his knowledge of Wstrange way. He ordered N. gigantea Anecphya, notoriously tricky to grow, absolute- Australian native lilies. Because they can be from a catalog that displayed a picture of the cor- ly thrive in William’s heated greenhouse ponds hard to start and to keep going, interest has rect flower, but what he received, once he’d in Memphis, Tennessee. Few have ever grown been limited, however passionate.