I am in the process of updating the FAQ's and am moving sections to individual threads in order to make the FAQ's more compact and organized. This thread discusses the problem with trying to put a name to a photo.
I.D.'g a plumeria, if the name isn't known, is very difficult to do both from a picture and even in person. One would have to compare all the characteristics of the unknown to the characteristics listed when the cultivar was first registered. Some characteristics leap out at you -- 'Singapore' has rounded leaf tips; Mardi Gras has a unique petal shape and color; Scott Pratt has dark purple new leaves and holds its leaves upright; Aztec Gold has a strong fragrance of peaches and a large 4" flower; etc. One would need to compare all the characteristics of the unknown -- for example, the leaf shape, the leaf tip, the flower size, the shape of the flower petal, overlap of the petals, the flower color on front and back, the fragrance of the flowers, the growth habit of the tree, etc. -- to the characteristics of the cultivar that it is suspected to be. Because of variations due to environment, some of these characteristics can vary slightly so, unless D.N.A. testing is done, one could never be sure that they have the exact genetic duplicate of the original cultivar. Furthermore, if a flower is self-pollinated, which happens often with plumerias, the seedling could look very much like the parent, but it is not the genetic duplicate of the parent and could vary in some subtle or significant way. It would be wrong to call the seedling of a parent by the parent's name. Additionally color, shading, fragrance, and even petal shape can vary slightly with changing or different environmental conditions, making identification that much more difficult.
So most plumeria collectors feel that, if you have an unknown, it should remain an unknown or identified by you in some other unique way. If the unknown has characteristics which seem to match a known cultivar, it still should be labeled with a question mark because one still could not be sure if it is that cultivar or a seedling of that cultivar. For example, I have one that is called "Loretta?" If I sold it, traded it, or gave it away, I would want the recipient to know that it may or may not be a "Loretta."
This information is helpful to those who buy, sell, and trade cultivars frequently. It is frustrating to buy a certain cultivar only to find out it is not that cultivar, and sellers can lose credibility quickly for making such a mistake. Keeping names straight is also important for those people who are interested in keeping the gene pool pure. Unknown pinks, yellows, rainbows, etc. are no less beautiful than named varieties, and sometimes, they are more beautiful than named ones. To register a plumeria as a particular name with particular characteristics, contact the Plumerias Society of America: http://www.theplumeriasociety.org/cdps/plumeriaregistered.cfm
There are so many more unnamed hybrids out there in the world than there are named ones, and there are actually a lot of named and recognized plumerias which aren't registered with the Plumeria Society of America. Jim Little and Florida Colors, for example, have hybridized many plumerias, which are recognized named cultivars, but many of them are not registered with the PSA.
Jim Little wrote in his 2007 newsletter the following:
"Normally, I don't address the topic of photography. However, I think it is important to bring to your attention that a photograph (film or digital) of a chosen flower can have endless differences in color breadth, depending on the endless variables and influences the photographer uses, knowingly and unknowingly, when taking a picture. This is why I do not identify flowers from a photograph. As a buyer of plumerias from all over the world, I have often been misled when buying from pictures."
Here is a link in which the characteristics of a plumeria are explained: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/OF-31.pdf and you can look at the characteristics of the cultivars that are treated.
This message was edited Apr 13, 2007 12:21 PM
The Problem With Seeking A Name From A Photograph
i agree! buy an unkown and just leave it at that. call it a "noid" for fun (e.g. noid yellow). there's definitely no harm in doing so. there is harm in calling it something that i might not be.
Well said, Dete!
Ditto.... thanks for addressing this...
Brittany