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Taxonomic Information on Cultivated Plants in GRIN-Global




Common Names

Presently, 69,306 common names for 22,618 taxa, including 35,489 common names of non-English origin, have been entered into GRIN-Global. To avoid the necessity of treating the multiple variations of a common name that can arise from differences in spelling, word union, or hyphenation (e.g., sugar beet, sugar-beet, or sugarbeet), we have attempted to standardize treatment of common names in GRIN-Global by adopting the conventions of Kartesz and Thieret (1991) on matters of union or hyphenation of group names and modifiers. Further decisions on joining or separating the elements of common names follow usage in Webster's Third New International Dictionary (Gove et al., 1961). These rules dictate that group names are correctly applied only to certain genera (such as rose for Rosa or vetch for Vicia) or families (e.g., grass for Poaceae). Some 619 "true group" names are provided in GRIN-Global for genera. Usage of these true group names for plants in other genera or families requires hyphenation or adjoining to preceding modifiers (such as moss-rose for Portulaca grandiflora or milk-vetch for Astragalus). General terms, such as tree, weed, or wort, that cannot be linked to any particular plant group always require adjoining or hyphenation. A few exceptions to allow usage of some true group names for more than one genus exist, such as pitcherplant for Nepenthes and Sarracenia, especially when genera have been recently dismembered, such as wheatgrass for Agropyron, Elymus, and Elytrigia.

Common names have been extracted from a variety of sources, such as floras, agronomic or horticultural works, or economic botany literature. Although some names appear in several sources, at least one source is presented in GRIN-Global for each common name. Sources are frequently indicated using GRIN-Global literature abbreviations, expansions of which can usually be found by consulting the references cited for that taxon. No effort has been made to include every locally used common name appearing in the literature; instead the focus has been to record those in wider usage. Some common names clearly in restricted use, such as those accompanying rare and endangered taxa, have been entered for reference purposes.



International Rice Genebank Germplasm Distribution and Exchange Policy


IRRI continues the free international exchange of germplasm, in accordance with the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). We provide rice in small quantities to any entity or establishment for research, breeding, or training for food and agriculture purposes; free of charge. At the same time, we gratefully receive seed contributions to add to our collection.

The procedure for acquiring seeds from IRRI are as follows:
1. Read, study and comply with Standard Material Transfer Agreement(SMTA).
2. Inquire, search and choose accessions through GRIN-Global or Genesys websites.
3. Submit requests electronically through the public websites (refer to #2)


Software Disclaimer

This software was created by USDA/ARS, with Bioversity International coordinating testing and feedback from the international genebank community. Development was supported financially by USDA/ARS and by a major grant from the Global Crop Diversity Trust. This statement by USDA does not imply approval of these enterprises to the exclusion of others which might also be suitable.

USDA dedicates this software to the public, anyone may use, copy, modify, publish, distribute, perform publicly and display publicly this software. Notice of this access as well as the other paragraphs in this notice shall be included in all copies or modifications of this software.

This software application has not been tested or otherwise examined for suitability for implementation on, or compatibility with, any other computer systems. USDA does not warrant, either explicitly or implicitly, that this software program will not cause damage to the user’s computer or computer operating system, nor does USDA warrant, either explicitly or implicitly, the effectiveness of the software application.

The English text above shall take precedence in the event of any inconsistencies between the English text and any translation of this notice.

Last updated: 2 July, 2020