Dear Group,

CBR (botanical recognition) and CHM (horticultural merit) I believe
are both provisional upon taxonomic verification. All awards are
provisional on payment of the fee.

The biggest part is the fee payment **GRIN**.

Actually, according to Handbook on Judging and Exhibition (HJE) (5.5.3.1
Provisional Awards) (1) All AOS awards that cannot be certified for publication
pending registration of awarded hybrids or taxonomic verification of previously
unawarded species, shall be classified as provisional awards. Species not
identified to the satisfaction of the judging team may also be given
provisional awards.

A new unnamed hybrid, brought to the table as A x B, can be given any AOS award
by a properly constituted AOS team, including a FCC. The award will be
provisional until 1) It is named and registered with RHS, 2) the registration
info is relayed to Chair of the Judging region, 3) the provisional status is
removed by the Chair and the award is forwarded to AOS, and finally 4) payment
of the AOS fees. There is a one year period, but extension are often granted.

In the case of new species, previously unawarded, the award is provisional
until taxonomic verification is received by the Chair, then same scenario as
above. BTW, the award can be any award, not just CBR or CHM. HJE (5.5.2.1 (5)
)

HJE 5.5.2.1 (6) Any AOS Certified Judge, on the floor (NB not on team), may
question the identity of a species being considered for any award. The award
will be provisional until taxonomic verification. I was in just such a
situation several years back, questioned the identity of a species, it went to
taxonomic verification and was a different species, which already had a CBR,
but not an AM. So it got an AM for the correct species.

The slides are automagically submitted to the AOS for consideration for
one of the national awards - can't remember which off the top of my head (best
FCC).

Down here, Florida North Central (FNC) we select slides from FNC awarded plants
for the year and submit them to the Trustees' meeting for all the national
awards, such as Butterworth, Nax, etc. The FCCs are sent to AOS for publication
in the magazine edition which shows all FCCs, awarded by the AOS for the year.

Last year 2003, FNC awarded 6 FCCs, I was on the team for four of them. 20
years of Judging, never close, then 4 FCCs in three months, the more amazing 2
at the same judging session. Incredible flowers.

Cheers, almost as much wind as Frances

Jerry

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