Source Codes & abbreviations on labels.

DD0420 Source Codes & abbreviations on labels.
From Facebook notes, Peter Tristram/Chris Larson, and others.

To establish the identity of our plants, we must firstly record their name. Preferably on an attached label AND in a data base.
To this is usually added the date plant entered our possession, and/or date re-potted, date flowered, date sold, etc depending on our own needs.
This is usually enough to tell one plant from another within our OWN collection, especially when it links to more detail in our "stud book" or data base.

But to identify our plants on a larger stage, more 'provenance' is usually required.
Lacking more information can be disastrous.
Bromeliad identities WILL frequently be questioned and it often turns out there are subtle differences that can only be traced by knowing more about its 'provenance'.

So if you purchase a plant, PLEASE, PLEASE, try to keep as much information as you can. Especially info. you inherit from the source.
It is inevitable that some day you will wish you had, even if you do not yet count yourself as an "expert".

Here is an explanation of some of the codes that Peter Tristram, Chris Larson (and now others) use to record the original sources of plants.
Even when exactly identified plant species names are known, it is not uncommon for their to be a dozen "versions" of that plant available. The 'source' etc. can help differentiate them.

Peter Tristram 04/20
I posted this info on Facebook to help explain how I label plants. As many of you know, I supply many of the newer species and some hybrids into collections. Many of these codes apply to Chris Larson’s more recent imports too as they were often sourced by me. We share most. Since plants I have imported, propagated up, or grown from seed are being spread far and wide, my label codes (And Chris’s) need to stay with any newly written labels.

For my hybrid Neoregelias in particular, if under formula, a # code is used if there is more than 1 pup of the clone (individual seedling). Different codes of the same cross mean different clones of that cross. If no code it’s either the only plant of that clone or it’s named/Registered.

For Aechmea, Quesnelia, Canistrum,Tillandsia, Vriesea, etc., the same applies to some crosses, especially if there are obvious differences between plants of the same cross.

With Tillandsias and certain other genera (mainly species), the main codes I use are source codes. For more info on many, simply search the web. I also put country of origin sometimes.

Bak = Peter Bak (The Netherlands)
BD = Bruce Dunstan (Australia)
BG = Barry Genn (Australia)
BH = Bob Hudson (Australia)
Boe & AB = Andreas Boeker (Germany)
BRT = Birdrock Tropicals (USA)
CL = Chris Larson (Australia)
Col = Colombia
CR = Costa Rica
CS = Chester Skotak (Costa Rica)
EG/Utrecht = Eric Gouda/Utrecht Botanic Gardens (The Netherlands)
FG/Col = Franz Gruber/ Bromelia de Colombia (Colombia)
Goet/t = Goettingen BG (Germany)
GS = George Stamatis (Australia)
Halle = Halle BG (Germany)
Heid = Heidelberg Botanical Gardens (Germany)
HEL = Harry Luther USA/Singapore
Holm = Burkhard Holm (Germany)
HP = Hermann Prinsler (Germany)
JK = Jeff Kent (USA)
JO = John Olsen (Australia)
KK = Karel Knize (Peru)
LC = Len Colgan (Australia)
LH = Lieselotte/Lotte Hromadnik (Austria)
LK = Lydia Koehres (Germany)
Mex = Mexico
MF = Michael Ferenczi (Australia)
MSBG/Selby = Marie Selby Botanic Gardens (USA)
NR = Neville Ryan (Australia)
NT = Nigel Thomson (Australia)
OT = Olive, Len, Bec Trevor/The Olive Grove (Australia)
PH = Petra Hensel (Germany)
PT = Peter Tristram (Australia)
RE = Renate Ehlers (Germany)
RFI = Rainforest Flora Inc. (USA)
Trop = Tropiflora (USA)
UD/DB = Derek Butcher (Australia)
Uwe = Uwe Scharf (Germany)
Vienna/WT = Vienna BG/Walter Till (Austria)
And so on using the source person’s initials.

Once a plant becomes widely distributed, I don’t always code the label. I also forget to code and have been known to make mistakes or writing seems illegible, when writing hundreds of labels for shows, etc. It’s easy to ask me for clarification, as some of you thankfully do.

It’s worth getting the spelling correct too! Take a little time to check if unsure.
http://registry.bsi.org/
https://botu07.bio.uu.nl/bcg/taxonList.php

Enjoy your broms!


Chris Larson
I also use:
Bromel = Bromelifolia, Guatemala
GA = Greg Aizlewood
JER = Jeronimo in Guatemala
MK = Maurie Kellett
MR = Mick Romanowski
PD = Paradisia
I use both RFI & PTI for Paul Isley. (gets confusing with PT at times)
& then the same as others


Updated 16/07/20