I got to name a hybrid!

[SouthPark]

That's a nice name. I wonder if there is a limit on the number of words ...... like if it could have been called Gabriel's Green Trumpet With Violet Lip. Or Green Hornet with Violet Lip etc hehe.

That was a clever idea indeed. I wonder if it's the first time this has been done - as in auctioning with new owner choice of registration name.

[Roberta]

I think there is a limit of 3 words for a grex name.

[SouthPark]

Thanks Roberta! Also - with the naming of cultivars ---- are commercial cultivar names for orchids official? And official list? I heard about awarded cultivars going into the official book - eg. AOS. But interestingly - not sure about orchids in general --- as in if it can be shown/proven/otherwise (which could be hard to do) that a particular that is not a clone - that hasn't yet got a cultivar name, then can somebody just give it a cultivar name?

Although, some issues could be predicted out of all that. But would be nice to know how the cultivar naming process works - if there is a process.

[Fairorchids]

Originally Posted by Roberta

I think there is a limit of 3 words for a grex name.

I did a few checks, and I think you are right about the 3 word limit.

There is also a 30 character/space limit. To test this, Orchids Ltd. in MN submitted, and got approval on:

Paphiopedilum Greenteaicecreamandraspberries

[Roberta]

Cultivar names, unless they are attached to an awarded plant (serve to identify that specific plant) are not registered. One can name an individual plant whatever one wants... no record of it unless as part of an award. What is registered is the grex - the name associated with the progeny of two parents (at the grex level). So unless it's on your tag, you also don't have any information as to which specific plants were crossed. (Breeders keep detailed notes about exactly which plants - cultivars - they crossed, which of course affects what the hybrid looks like) So the grex is just the grex (hybrid name) or species name of each of the two parents. On a tag the pod parent (mother) is first, the pollen parent (father) second, but as far as registration is concerned, the reverse cross carries the same grex name (though it may look different... the mother can contribute mitochondrial DNA as well as nuclear DNA.) So the registered "pedigree" can be traced back to the component species, but can't establish exactly what produced that awardable plant. For that level of detail you need to go to the breeder (or read the original tag if it has that detail) who is likely to know which precise plants were crossed (at least the part that they know about... some hybrids are older than the breeders' records)

[SouthPark]

Thanks very much Roberta for your time to share that particular kind of information. That is golden. Genuinely appreciated.

[BrassavolaStars]

I have a quick question:

If I enter my new plant in a contest and it gets awarded (HCC, AM, or FCC) do I get to give it a clone name too?

[Roberta]

Quick answer - yes! So check the AOS judging schedule in your area (probably best on a future blooming... the green color is probably stronger when the flower first opens) A lot of the AOS judging centers aren't operating now, or may have modified locations, but by the next blooming, we can hope that things are more normal. Actually, you can give your plant a cultivar name at any time, but it doesn't get into the AOS record unless awarded. The grex name, of course, will be "official" as soon as the registration (with RHS in the UK) is completed. The RHS is the registrar of record of hybrid names for the whole world, where each country has its own system(s) for recording awards.

[BrassavolaStars]

Here is a photo I took that shows the color well. I had to adjust the photo setting to get a better color match to the original. It is truly somewhere between a banana peel and a stick of butter.

I think the color would be best described as sliced pineapple. I really like it.

[Roberta]

That is so beautiful!