Someone submitted data proposals for two of those Buddlejas you added, Dave, and I noticed the new entry format and applauded it because it removes so much ambiguity. Choosing the spot for the trademarked series name always seemed rather arbitrary before.

While I was approving those proposals, however, I also made a change in the names of the two plants because "hybrid" isn't an accepted species name for most genera. According to The Plant List, there can be a Petunia x hybrida, for example, but no Calibrachoa x hybrida or Buddleja hybrid. I subsequently saw that you had created those entries. What's your thinking on this? Should we be treating "hybrid" as a valid species name?

Sorry about that, zuzu. I had taken the name from the Ball Hort site: http://www.ballhort.com/Nurser...

I admit the species name did seem wrong but I ignored my intuition. Thankfully you noticed the glaring error.

Joannabanana said:But, this one did not have a patented cultivar name, so see what happened...

Each plant that has a trade name must have a patented cultivar name.

Genus Calibrachoa is missing from the above examples. Did this happen as a result of the genus name being edited out of an existing entry?

Zuzu, The Plant List that you refer to should be updated. The patent documents have "Calibrachoa x hybrida" http://www.ptodirect.com/Resul...)

Enter "Balcabdebu" for the search criteria

Dave & Evan,

You guys are confusing me. Is the Trade Name the variety name or not? And yes there are many varieties that do not have patents, like many of the Cabaret Series of Calibrachoa

Please explain how these are to be entered into our system. Please help

Joanne, a variety name is not a botanical term in the sense often used. It's less confusing to use the term variety only for botanical varietas such as Aquilegia flabellata var. pumila and Aquilegia flabellata var. pumila 'Silver Edge'.
Fan Columbine (Aquilegia japonica)
Fan Columbine (Aquilegia japonica 'Silver Edge')

Trade names are not varieties in that strict sense.
Patents note a registered cultivar name.
Cultivars must be registered and accepted.
Cultivar names cannot be trademarked.
Trade names are applied to a registered cultivar to allow the owner to market the plant in a proprietary way. A patent will expire while a trademarked Trade name can be renewed indefinitely.

I see that Evan has already responded to this. I would only add, Joanne, that updating The Plant List and other lists of this type only seems to reduce the number of species and never increases it. ITIS, which is more up to date, accepts only one species (parviflora) for Calibrachoa. That's a little too drastic for me.

The rules for patenting are not the same as the rules of plant taxonomy. Many plants are patented as hybrids, but our database uses species names..

Evan,

Please use a few of the Calibrachoa Cabaret Series as an example to follow. As mentioned, I want to correct the database, but still am not clear what you guys really want. I have enter all the Cabaret Series in the database a few weeks ago. So please tell me exactly what needs to change. That particular series has a few varieties with different patent names, some varieties with patent pending and also a few varieties that is also sold as part of the Isabells Series. If you can spell it out to me with that series, then I should be able to fix the others. Still not clear

Will do. Give me a bit of time because for me Calibrachoa can be really frustrating to nail down.

Evan: "Calibrachoa can be really frustrating to nail down" Don't need to tell me
Thank you very much for clarifying. I'm sure once you give me some very specific examples I should be able to understand how you want it done and be able to follow suit with the others.

How do I add the Genus name for Calibrachoa? I do not see it as an option in Edit plant name or edit plant details? I really goofed up.

The genus is the botanical name so that's where you put it in the Edit plant name area.

eclayne said:Genus Calibrachoa is missing from the above examples. Did this happen as a result of the genus name being edited out of an existing entry?

This is what I'm concerned with and trying to figure out what I did wrong
The example was Calibrachoa Cabaret Deep Blue and Colorburst Deep Blue

The two that I edit name with Trade Name & Series.

Plant ID 229626
Million Bells (x hybrida Cabaret™ Deep Blue)
Cultivar names:
Balcabdebu
Trade name information:
Series: Cabaret™
Name: Deep Blue
Common names:
(0) Million Bells
(0) Mini-Petunia
(0) Callies
Botanical names:
x hybrida Accepted
Also sold as:
Isabells Deep Blue


Plant ID 542252
Million Bells (x hybrida)
Trade name information:
Series: Colorburst
Name: Deep Blue
Common names:
(0) Million Bells
(0) Mini-Petunia
(0) Callies
Botanical names:
x hybrida Accepted

Joannabanana said:This is what I'm concerned with and trying to figure out what I did wrong
The example was Calibrachoa Cabaret Deep Blue

I need a lightbulb icon to click on. I didn't realize that the genus name itself was being removed.

I can go in and re-add those for you. No big deal.

Joanne I proposed a change to Deep Blue for you to review. I think the issue on this one was when: "Add a new plant to the database" there is a field for genus.

When you "Edit plant name" the field says Latin name. This is where genus and species go.

Evan,

Your change does not result in a search with Cabaret Deep Blue.
If I type Cabaret in the search field, its not shown as an option. If I type Cabaret Deep Blue, it shows no results. It has something to do with the x hybrida change to the name yesterday

Keep in mind that the search engine doesn't find changes for up to an hour after they are made!

Thanks Dave,

The search does work now.

Evan, Zuzu & Dave,

For the varieties that seem to only have a Trade Name, do I only populate "Cultivar" field, which will be the series + assigned variety name (typically it's colour) and then enter the Trade Name and Series info. Like in Calibrachoa Colorburst Deep Blue. Basically no blanks for cultivar.

Million Bells (Calibrachoa Colorburst™ Deep Blue)

Thanks

I don't think that's a perfect solution since the cultivar at some point in the future may actually be created by the plant registrar, but at such a time, it will be simple enough to add it into the plant.

What you have done is a good workaround that lets us have entries for these plants.