A CULTIVAR/SPECIES PROBLEM
Problems in both botanical and horticultural nomenclature can arise when a species is named from a garden plant selected for characters which distinguish it from naturally occurring forms of the species.
As long as it is accepted that the various forms involved do not need to be distinguished botanically, then these problems can be resolved by regarding the garden plant as a cultivar, even though it may represent the type of the species.
This problem and its resolution are illustrated here using Viburnum macrocephalum (Caprifoliaceae) as an example.
It is proposed that the name Viburnum macrocephalum covers the entire species and includes V. macrocephalum f. keteleeri as a synonym, and that the cultivated plant with a snowball inflorescence is known as V. macrocephalum 'Sterile'.
Coombes, Allen J. (1995). A CULTIVAR/SPECIES PROBLEM. Acta Hortic. 413, 49-54
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.1995.413.10
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1995.413.10
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.1995.413.10
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1995.413.10