Terminology--BS, BSE, shelves, ledges

Michael's series of excellent photos and descriptions of "beard spine" and "beard spine extension" have suggested a better way of describing what we have been calling at various times and various places "shelves" and "ledges."
 
I have a suggestion.  I propose we standardize on a single set of terms that really will relate to the genetic makeup we are trying to uncover.  Michael's "beard spine" and "beard spine extension," especially with the photos he has offered, make excellent sense.  I suggest we adopt the BS and BSE (for short-hand) for the SAGE study and Bulletin article still in the percolation stage.
 
I have noted what he describes as far back as the fifties and never have heard or seen it described before.  Being a nosy and inveterately curious person, I've poked, prodded and felt just about every feature in TB irises there are.  The sailing ship sail that shows on ADVANCE GUARD shows on a lot of other oldtimers also.  I've seen that many times.  Likewise the "felt" elevated ridge of a BS (beard spine) is something I've seen or felt for many years.  It just never occured to me to explore further what it meant. Thanks to Lloyd Austin's work, persistance and advertising skills we have the SA's today.  The potential has been around for a very long time and may even have some specific species origins. (Talk about redundant language!)
 
Thanks to Michael's curiousity, time and attention which he has applied to this problem we have both photos and terms that actually get at the underlying issues we are trying to discuss.  I would find it very helpful if we settled on these terms as our standard, and set aside "shelved, shelf and ledge" as history and go foreward with the more descriptive terms of "Beard Spine" and "Beard Spine Extension"--and get in the habit of abbreviating them to BS, BSE in our internal communications.  In order not to alienate newcomers and cut off outsiders from SAGE we are going to have to use the longer form a while so that those that are just learning terms like "amoena, variegata" and the like aren't even more bewildered than we were when we first got started.
 
Is everyone okay with this?  "BEARD SPINE" and "BEARD SPINE EXTENSION" as our standard language. 
 
I'd rather not do this by fiat.  How about some feedback--do others find this as useful as I do?
 
Neil Mogensen  for SAGE

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