Re: Plant list up

> >For example, Knautia
> >'Mars Midget' is 122.
> 
> So KNA would have been too easy, hmm?

For Knautia it's not a problem, but what about RHO?  Is it Rhodotypos?
Rhododendron?

The other advantage is that the code isn't tied to a plant name which can
change.  If a genus changes (i.e. Cimicifuga to Actaea), it would be 
confusing to have the code stay as CIM.  This is one of the reasons 
Heronswood switched to a numeric system -- they kept running into this
problem.

Normally it's not an issue, but when you have a Web site that links photos
and such in by the plant code, suddenly everything breaks.  If I rename
CIM to ACT, every photo that has CIM in it would have to be renamed as
well.  And all past orders would suddenly link to a name that no longer
existed.

> >So 122 becomes 07A
> No, it's 078. O7A is Lewisia.

Sorry.  Typo.  :)

> >The first part of the code is actually the genus -- each genus gets
> >its own number, and they're created sequentially.
> 
> OK, Anemonella is 062 and Aquilegia is 063.  so what happens if you decide 
> to carry Anemonopsis?

It will become whatever number is next sequentially.  In this case 0B5, or
181.

> >The second part is base 10 and is an identifier for the species.
> >The first species in a genus is 0001, the second is 0002, etc.
> 
> But not alphabetically?  In Carex, the species conica is #11 while flacca 
> is #3.

Right.  They're just added in the order that they get added to the system.
So this year's numbers will probably be low; as I become involved with more
and more species the numbers will increase.

> This really makes it all easier for you?

Actually, yes.  :)

There's another factor that came into play too.  There are certain standards
for bar codes, and some don't allow letters, some don't allow spaces, etc.
Using a standard that only used 0-9, A-E and hyphens let me produce one of
the shortest barcodes so that I could fit them on the plant labels OK.  
Otherwise I would have had to invest in a new laser printer that could print
a finer resolution.  And of course, small barcodes are more susceptible to
errors, especially when printed on weatherproof labels that stay outdoors.

> Well, so long as it works for you, but it is a little awkward for the buyer 
> because the system isn't evident.  The genus sometimes has letters, 
> sometimes doesn't, and when it does, the letter's not always in the same 
> place.  I'm not complaining, just noting that, to someone who doesn't have 
> the inside scoop, it seems strange. (I've got the scoop and I'm still 
> confused)

So what you're saying is that I need to get the online store up, eh?  ;)

Chris

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