ICNCP

The International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (ICNCP) is a nomenclatural code that governs the naming of cultivated plants and their groupings. It operates separately from the botanical codes that cover wild and naturally occurring plants, providing rules for the formation, publication, and registration of cultivar names, as well as for cultivar groups and interspecific hybrids. The ICNCP is published by the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) as part of its Continuum of horticultural reference works, and it is developed with input from national and regional cultivar registration authorities.

Key concepts in the ICNCP include cultivars, cultivar groups, and the standard methods for naming and classifying cultivated plants. A cultivar is a plant or assembly of plants selected for desirable traits and propagated to maintain those traits. A cultivar name is a formal designation placed after the botanical name, typically written with the cultivar epithet in single quotation marks (for example, Rosa hybrida 'Peace'). A cultivar group designates a named collection of cultivars sharing defined characteristics. Names are managed by International Cultivar Registration Authorities (ICRAs) to ensure uniqueness and traceability, with guidelines governing the creation of new names, language use, and the treatment of synonyms and variants.

The ICNCP is used by plant breeders, nurserymen, seed traders, and botanical gardens to ensure stable, internationally recognizable names for cultivated plants. The code is periodically revised, with new editions and supplements issued by ISHS to reflect evolving horticultural practice and nomenclatural needs, while maintaining coherence with related nomenclature systems for cultivated and wild plant names.