General Information

Introduction

I am the new Registrar of Cultivars for 2000 and on. My name is Derek Butcher of 25 Crace Rd, Fulham, 5024, South Australia, Australia. Email cultivars@bsi.org.

Remember that a man-made hybrid is a Cultivar but a Cultivar is not necessarily a hybrid because it can also be a cultural form of a wild species.

Thanks primarily to the previous Registrar, Don Beadle, I have a computer database which was used to print the Bromeliad Cultivar Registry in 1998. In 2000 I was lucky enough to have Michael Andreas who converted this file to one that I could access from here in Australia and add, amend or delete as I saw fit. In fact, a brilliant concept where we can appoint future Registrars from anywhere in the World with a minimum of fuss and where the actual records are more secure than they were previously.

International Registration Authority

The Bromeliad Society International is such an ICRA and therefore follows the rules set down under the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants. The last publication was issued in 2004 (prepared and edited by C.D. Bricknell (Chairman) et al., members of the Editorial Committee).

This booklet of some 125 pages may be purchased from www.actahort.org/books/647.

Bromeliad Cultivar Registry

This Registry is based on the ICNCP (International Code of Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants) rules for information supplied on Cultivated plants. It does not contain solely those plants that have been advised on the formal Registration Document.

There are a few changes in format from the 1998 Edition in that more emphasis is placed on accepted names in the main section. Therefore James Elmore's hybrids have been merged into the main file. Others now form a list of their own. These are:

• 1. Cultivar names given by Alex Hawkes for non-living plants in 1959/63 have been considered illegimate.
• 2. The use of numbers has also been considered illegitimate, most being for Cryptanthus.
• 3. Natural hybrids.

There is no 'List of Unknown Cultivar names' because that is contrary to the aims of Registration and problem names are constantly under review.

The printed version of this registry can be obtained from the Publications Officer. While we cannot show you photographs in the printed registry due to size/cost constraints, the online Registry has plenty of images that can be accessed via the Online Cultivar Database.
Genera And Nothogenera Found In The Bromeliad Cultivar Registry

NOTE: Any new nothogenera can only be accepted by publishing a proposal in the BSI Journal or similar publication.

Bromeliad Cultivar Registry Updates

Every two years I intend to provide an update which will be on this BSI site so that you can print it to update your own copy of the Bromeliad Cultivar Registry 1998. The first list will be available in June 2000 to coincide with the World Conference.

Notice To Hybridists

The catch phrase is QUALITY NOT QUANTITY. Bromeliads are naturally promiscuous and fecund and we all have a responsibility to weed out the inferior and grow the better forms. If in doubt PUTITINABIN.

If a plant is good enough to grow then it is good enough to be given a name. Please check the Registration form at the end of this Section. This can easily be printed for as many copies as you want.

Notice To Affiliate Societies

We know the problems that occur when you have a plant of Show quality but which has a grex formula or a name not found in the Bromeliad Cultivar Registry. An example of grex formula is Aechmea (recurvata × chantinii). You don't know whether it is acceptable - according to the rules! Why not take a photograph and give me as much detail as possible (and a new name instead of the grex formula) and I'll put it in the Bromeliad Cultivar Registry. The photograph can be either shown on this web site or fcbs.org or both depending on your wishes. This way we will be capturing the better class Cultivars for posterity. We must also stress to hybridists for 'Quality not Quantity' and hope that we can work ourselves out of the myriad of say, inferior unnamed Neoregelia hybrids which should have been culled years ago.

Notice To Nurserymen

We know the problems that occur when you get a plant of good sellable quality but it has no name or just the parental formula. Check our Registry. If you cannot find it, why not give it a name and send us a photograph with as much information about the plant that you know? Even if it has a name but we don't have a photo you can still gain. Because your name will be recorded with the photograph when visitors to our Site see a plant they desire you are getting free publicity. This is in addition to mention being made in the Cultivar Registry. You may also consider linking your own Web site to the photographs we hold and concentrate your own efforts on current promotions. A win-win situation.

Notice To Bromeliophiles Outside The USA and Australia

We know that hybridists exist outside these Countries but very rarely do we hear of their exploits. Cultivars do form part of World Trade and the Bromeliad Society did change its name from Incorporated to International. The Bromeliad Cultivar Registry is no different and should cover the World. We encourage your participation.

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