All cultivars have one correct cultivar name. Some cultivars also have another name; this other name is not the cultivar name, but a trade destination.

Especially with roses, chrysanthemums, freesias, Peruvian lilies (Alstroemeria) and Anthurium a trade destination is common use. A trade mark is also a trade destination. Frequently a mark is a word in a modern language just like the cultivar name. But a trade mark is owned by a company. Only the company that owns the trade mark may sell its plants with addition of this trade mark. If the plants of a certain mark are of excellent quality, this will gain publicity for the company.

There is a major difference between a mark and cultivar name. The name of a cultivar always and only remains with the same group of plants, whereas a mark may be used for different cultivars. The cultivar name is the name which is unique for the cultivar, thus it is possible to identify the cultivar by its cultivar name. A (trade) mark belongs to the company and indicates that a product is sold by this company. A mark is not an identification for a product, but for a company.

Should you, after having read the above, still have questions about the correct taxonomy of floricultural products, please contact the taxonomist of Floricode.com

A check on trade mark is to be advised. See www.oami.europa.eu, www.boip.int, www.tmdn.org of trademark-search.