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Understanding Landscape Cultivars

Tree City USA Bulletin #26—Sources for More Information

Staying current about cultivars on the market is not easy. The best method is to enter the cultivar of interest, or the species name, into a search engine. For example, "crabapple cultivars." This will provide leads to the hundreds of cultivars available and other news regarding that group of trees.

Books

Handbook of Landscape Tree Cultivars

For many years this was the “bible” on cultivars of all landscape species. This fine publication showed the shape of the cultivar at age 30, provided descriptive information, and listed the person or organization that developed it. Today it is out of print but some copies are available through amazon.com.

Street Tree Factsheets

This current source is a valuable reference for over 200 cultivars and native species in the northern part of the U.S. Full color photos accompany each tree and a color code provides quick access to trees by size classes. It also includes a thorough bibliography. Available at amazon.com or:

Publications Office
112 Agricultural Administration Building
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA 16802-2602
814-865-6713

Remember: If you purchase a book at amazon.com and enter the site through the Conferences & Seminar’s Bookstore here at arborday.org, the Arbor Day Foundation receives a percentage of the sale to help support education and environmental stewardship.

Manual of Woody Landscape Plants

This classic by Michael A. Dirr is a “must have” for arborists or anyone with a serious interest in trees. Its 1,187 pages includes detailed and authoritative descriptions of species and lists brief descriptions of important cultivars of those species. Available at amazon.com or:

Stipes Publishing Company
P.O. Box 526
Champaign, IL 61824
217-356-8391

Information about Plant Patents

An online guide to how to patent a new plant cultivar is available at: www.anla.org/pdffiles/plantpatent.pdf or:

National Association of Plant Patent Owners
c/o American Nursery & Landscape Association
1000 Vermont Ave., N.W., Suite 300
Washington, DC 20005-4914
202-789-2900

Recommended Periodicals

More Information

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