National Mentha Collection - glossary for this website

This page is still being developed, so will be changed and added to from time to time.

accession	An accession is what each plant is called within the Plant Collection. It could have the same and even be the same as several other identified plants within the Collection. The recognition of any uniqueness is because at time of acquisition differences may not be known, and may only be known many years later with some resistance to drought, water logging, disease, or other unforeseen event. Each accession will be given a unique number (or letter-number system) to the Collection Holder, which will never be reassigned to any other plant.
cultivar
form	Form (or forma, in botanical latin) is a level of description and naming of wild plants, below variety (varietas, in botanical latin). Within written plant names it is abbreviated to f. and not italic. It is also used as a description and name of the variants from within a hybrid group, between two or more wild species. The word nothomorph ( shortened to nm.) is also used by some learned institutions. Don't ask me why it is allowed to have two possible ways of writing the level, because it is far from helpful! e.g. Mentha x villosa f. alopecuroides and Mentha x villosa nm. alopecuroides.
nothomorph
rhizome	This a plant stem which also acts as a storage area for plant nutrients. In irises they look quite like they have a specialised function, but in mints they are very similar to stems, except they grow horizontally mostly under the soil surface, which makes them pale although if exposed to light they become greener. The rhizome is the part of mint that survives the winter underground or at soil level, whereas the more vertical stems die down, unless we have a very mild winter. Some people have been known to call mint rhizomes "stolons", or "runners" , which are normally explained as having different functions.
runners
stolon
taxa	The accurate term used to describe the number of plants, which are different, in the collection (although not always yet given a botanical or horticultural name). In general gardening the terms "variety" or "form" are often used, but these do have specific botanical meanings which are very different, and very vague meanings in colloquial use, so to avoid confusion they will not be used except where accurate. If referring to only one plant, "taxon" is the singular of taxa.
variety	Variety (or varietas, in botanical latin) is a level of description and naming of wild plants, below species (or subspecies) and above form (forma, in botanical latin). Within written plant names it is abbreviated to var. and not italic.


primary hybrid
hybrid group