Cultivar Registration Program:
Heliconias, Etlingeras and Costaceae
The Heliconia Society International is the official International Cultivar Registration Authority (ICRA) for the genera Heliconia, Etlingera, Costus, Cheilocostus, Chamaecostus, and Paracostus. A cultivar name must comply with the standards as found on the website of the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) at http://www.ishs.org/sci/icra.htm. A cultivar name is "accepted" if it is compliant with the naming standards of the ISHS. The name becomes "established" only after it has been published in hard copy with a description in a publication that meets the requirements of the ISHS. The Heliconia Society International will periodically publish accepted cultivar names of Heliconias, Costaceae and Etlingera and will provide registration services, following the rules of the ISHS.
Generally, the following information is required to register a new cultivar:
1. Cultivar name
2. Parentage of cultivar - genus/species of plant and/or hybrid parents
3. Origin of cultivar - Where did it come from? Who discovered or bred it? Who named and introduced it?
4. Written description of cultivar with characteristics that distinguish it from other similar cultivars or species.
5. Photo of the inflorescence and/or other plant parts that distinguish it.
6. Citation of the earliest dated hard copy publication, if any, of the cultivar.
If you would like to register your cultivar name, you may contact the Heliconia Society by email toCultivarRegistry@heliconia.org for further information. Your email will be forwarded to the appropriate Registrar. The Registrar will send you the registration forms and procedures for that genus. Click on the links below for further information and cultivar registration details of a specific genus.
Heliconia Cultivars - Bryan Brunner
Etlingera Cultivars - Jan Hintze
Costaceae Cultivars - Dave Skinner
