Efforts by hybridizers to improve the appearance of the bromeliad have been very successful with new colors, shapes and sizes being introduced everyday. The sheer number of new introductions has made the collector and grower much more selective in what he is able to collect and grow. Frustration has occurred when a grower has attempted to acquire a certain choice clone or cultivar and received instead a plant with the same name but of different character and appearance. This happened because, in the past, emphasis was placed on naming the grex rather than the clone or cultivar. Today the registration process of the Bromeliad Society International is concerned solely with registration of named cultivars.
GREX is a term that means "seedling batch" (all the plants resulting from making a hybrid). More often than not a GREX, especially one with complex hybrids in the cross, will contain plants differing significantly in appearance. A CULTIVAR is an individual that has been selected from a GREX because of a particular attribute or combination of attributes. It is clearly distinct, uniform and stable in its characteristics, and when propagated by pupping, retains those characteristics because it is of identical genetic makeup. Thus, when a CULTIVAR is given a name and distributed, one can be assured that all plants with this name have the same characteristics and uniformity. This is the main reason why we register only named cultivars, and with the cooperation of every bromeliad grower, collector and hybridizer, the confusion of the past can be avoided. If the plants of a seedling batch are all basically identical (as in a true F1 crossing) and prove to retain their characteristics through propagation by pupping, then all the plants can be registered under one CULTIVAR name. The use of a GREX formula to identify a parent is allowed on the Registration Form but is frowned upon. Only one plant of the GREX would have been used in the breeding program and should have been worthy of a name in its own right!!
CULTIVAR GROUP replaces the concept of Grex and covers all plants that look similar irrespective of parentage. As an example, in the Bromeliad Cultivar Registry 1998 there are listed cultivars of Neoregelia carolinae but we will be going further than that and include hybrids that have a look of Neoregelia carolinae about them to form a cultivar group. Because better known species names are fairly static and are defined we intend to use them as much as possible thus Carolinae group or Concentrica Group etc. As this develops it will mean that enquiries can be made on look-alike cultivars via this cultivar group code. It may even develop that different genera will have different solutions but each must be simple and easy to understand.
SPORT is a visible asexual mutation. A SPORT is acceptable as a CULTIVAR provided it is reasonably stable. Although rare in most CULTIVARS it generally arises in the form of variegation. It is also liable to change. Therefore, we will want to know the identity of the plant whose offset produced the mutation. There is a much closer relationship between a plant and its sport relative than in a grex relationship and this link will be shown in the Bromeliad Cultivar Registry
CHOOSING CULTIVARS TO BE NAMED
The most important decision you must make before attempting to register a cultivar
is to satisfy yourself that the cultivar is truly unique and recognizable.
Cultivars should be grown through several cycles of pupping and blooming to ensure
that they are stable and reproduce consistently. Another reason for having the
period of testing is so that you have more than one plant in existence. It would
not be in the interests of Registration if there were only just the one plant and
nothing to propagate asexually when this dies.
"Recognizable" should mean that the cultivar has unique characteristics which allow it to be identified or recognised without a tag, especially by someone other than yourself. This decision is yours to make and your best judgment is required to prevent the registration of large numbers of essentially identical plants under different cultivar names. For instance, if you make a hybrid grex consisting of a variety of clones or cultivars, selecting and registering only the truly unique clone or clones is the most appropriate way to proceed. The next appropriate thing to do is to destroy the balance of the grex.
PLANT DESCRIPTION
In many cases this will be minimal because your colored photo will do this for you
but things like height and width are essential. Indicate in the appropriate space
the plant or cultivar group your cultivar most resembles. This makes the Cultivar
easier to visualize. A written description of the feature or character that makes
the cultivar unique is also required because this is a reminder to the Applicant
that the Cultivar they are registering is clearly different. The applicant may use
the plant the cultivar resembles as a reference. For instance, Aechmea
'Ensign' may be described as resembling Aechmea orlandiana but having green
leaves with white margins suffused with red.
WHAT TO REGISTER
Any bromeliad cultivar may be registered: a unique cultivar of a species
plant, a new, unknown or undescribed species (eg. Neoregelia
'Fireball') or a hybrid with unknown parentage. It must simply fit the
definition for cultivar as described above.
PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORD or CULTIVAR 'STANDARD'
New cultivar registrations must be accompanied by two or more slides, prints,
or negatives (PRINTS PREFERRED). One photograph should show a full frame
overall view of the plant with another showing the bloom as close-up as
possible. Either of these, or perhaps another photograph, should show the
feature or character that makes the cultivar unique. Watch to see that the
background is not busy and does not detract from the plant.
INFORMATION UPDATE
The database into which the information from the registration sheet is
entered is an open one which will allow updating, adding additional
information, or changing data at any time. If you learn anything further or
get a better photograph please let us know.
GUIDELINES FOR CHOOSING NAMES
The cultivar name you choose should follow the guidelines below:
- On or after 1 January 1996, new cultivar names must consist of no more than 10 syllables and no more than 30 letters or characters overall, excluding spaces and the single quotes which indicate the cultivar name.
- The name must not be in Latin, or include botanical names and terms or similarities to existing names which might lead to confusion.
- It is preferable not to use abbreviations, articles, numerals, arbitrary sequences of letters, or terms such as "Cross", 'Hybrid", "Grex" or words exaggerating the merits of a cultivar which may become inaccurate through introduction of new cultivars.
To register a cultivar online select the form appropriate to the cultivar type:
Online Registration Now Available
Click here 
to view the application form.
Them click the PRINT button on your browser to print the application form, fill in the appropriate information and then mail them to the Cultivar Registrar at: