Keep track of your plants with reminders & care tips – all to help you grow successfully
My plants
My calendar
My ideas
My advice
For the latest on RHS Shows in 2021, read more
North Yorkshire
Essex
Devon
Surrey
Greater Manchester
General enquiries 020 3176 5800 Mon – Fri | 9am – 5pm
Help us achieve our goals
Make a donation
A nomenclatural standard is the specimen or image that forms the definitive reference to interpret the name of a cultivar. As the RHS Herbarium specialises in plants of garden value, more especially cultivars, there is an active programme of acquiring standard specimens. Currently, the RHS Herbarium has nearly 5,000 nomenclatural standards. Download a list of nomenclatural standards (139kB pdf)
Above is an example of the standard portfolio for Agapanthus 'Angela'. In this example the nomenclature standard takes the form of a herbarium specimen. A description is attached to the specimen, which includes the colour of the floral features using the RHS Colour Chart. Part of the standard portfolio includes a photographic transparency showing the habit, form and colour, details frequently lost in pressing. The first place of publication is a vital piece of information for interpreting the cultivar. Such a standard portfolio provides a vital resource for botanists and researchers.
Type specimens provide a permanent reference point to determine the correct application of scientific plant names. Under the rules laid out by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature each name at the rank of species or below must have a type specimen attached to it. The RHS Herbarium also has a number of type specimens. View the Nomenclatural standards search View the list of type specimen (1.1MB pdf)
Give the gift of RHS membership
The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.
