Unregistered Iris

Ellen Gallagher writes:

>   Why wouldn't someone register an iris that he/she would be putting into
commerce?  Is it not "cost-effective" or does one have to wait and see if the
cultivar is fertile, consistent or what?	<<

I think this actually breaks down into several separate questions:

1.	Why would someone sell an iris that hasn't been registered?  

Labels get lost.  Stock may not be accurately identified.  BUT -- there are a
lot of people who want pretty flowers and don't care whether they may be entered
in AIS-sanctioned shows.  As long as people will buy "generic" iris, someone is
going to accommodate them, and "pretty" names help sales -- right or wrong.

2.	Why would a hybridizer have introduced an iris without registering it?

There are two reasons:  1) a great many were introduced before the registration
system was set up; and 2)
AIS registration has not always been a requirement for winning awards.  For
example, once-upon-a-time arils and arilbreds had to be recorded with the Aril
Society but AIS registration was optional so a lot of the older varieties were
not registered.

3.	  Is there any advantage to introducing an iris without registering it
today?

For U.S. hybridizers, the only advantage I can think of is saving the $7.50
registration fee -- and that's minimal compared to the advantages of
registration.  For foreign hybridizers, who may not be interested in eligibility
for AIS awards and shows, registration may well be more trouble than it's worth.
(BTW,  introduction without AIS registration is the norm for bulbous iris
because they are registered with an agency in Europe.)  

Does this answer the original question, or do we need to try again?

Sharon McAllister (73372.1745@compuserve.com)
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