Hello friends in bonsai -
In searching for an answer for the true botanical name of the cultivar
we call 'Kingsville' boxwood, I was fortunate enough to be directed to
Lynn Batdorf at the US Natl. Arboretum. He's the curator of the
boxwood collection there, the registrar of cultivar names, the author
of the Boxwood Handbook, and just pretty much the ultimate arbitor for
such a question. Also, he was kind enough to give a thorough history
of the so-called Kingsville box, and asked me to pass it on to you.

I do so here to the list as well as to the IBC Gallery where the
question originally arose, knowing that the readership of the two
doesn't entirely overlap. Apologies to anyone who gets it twice.

Anita
(who, I have to admit, still calls her 'Compacta' boxes Kingsville in
moments of forgetfullness)

from Lynn Batdorf:

Yes, probably the entire bonsai community incorrectly uses the name
Buxus microphylla /Kingsville/ and /Kingsville Dwarf/ when referring
to'Compacta'. I'm very glad to set the record straight for you.

Buxus microphylla 'Compacta' was registered by Dr. Donald Wyman in his
1963 article "Boxwood Prized Where Ever Hardy Form is Found" which
appeared in the 117(7):50 issue of American Nurseryman.

Henry Hohman had showed the plant to Wyman who went on to register it.
It originated as a seedling selected by William Appleby of Baltimore
in 1912. When Appleby died in the 1920's, Hohman bought the boxwood
seedlings and began propagating them. 'Compacta' was released to the
trade in 1937. At the suggestion of Dr. Wyman then of the Arnold
Arboretum in Massachusetts, Hohman originally named the plant Buxus
microphylla var. compacta.

Growing very slowly with small leaves and treelike branching has made
'Compacta' a prefect and popular choice for bonsai. The first
'Compacta' used for bonsai originated from the Kingsville Nursery in
Kingsville, Maryland, thus using the source as a name, bonsai
enthusiasts call it /Kingsville/ or /Kingsville Dwarf/.

The named selected by Hohman (B. microphylla var. compacta) is a
synonym for B. microphylla 'Compacta'. /Kingsville/ and /Kingsville
Dwarf/ are also a synonym for B. microphylla 'Compacta'.

I would be grateful if you could pass this registration information on
to the larger bonsai community. I find it quite unfortunate to see
such a beautiful bonsai specimen as 'Compacta' repeatedly and
incorrectly named as either /Kingsville/ or /Kingsville Dwarf/.

As a point of interest, your nurseryman in Kingsville is correct.
Also, as you correctly noted, 'Compacta' does throw sports of its own,
having given rise to several other registered boxwood cultivars that
are stable: 'Curly Locks', 'Grace Hendrick Phillips', 'Helen Whiting',
'Henry Hohman', and 'Sunlight'.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,
Lynn R. Batdorf
International Cultivar Registration Authority for Buxus
U.S. National Arboretum

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Thanks, Anita. It's nice having such a tremendous resource as
the National Arboretum in the "neighborhood," I bet. I'd guess
he's not the only "Authority" on the staff.

Does anyone care to place any bets as to whether this
information -- no matter how widely disseminated -- will change
anything in what bonsaiests call this plant?

I don't.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - VEGETARIAN:
An Indian word meaning "lousy hunter." (Borrowed from a sig by
fellow listowner, Scott Peterson)



Hello friends in bonsai -
In searching for an answer for the true botanical name of the
cultivar
we call 'Kingsville' boxwood, I was fortunate enough to be
directed to
Lynn Batdorf at the US Natl. Arboretum. He's the curator of the
boxwood collection there, the registrar of cultivar names, the
author
of the Boxwood Handbook, and just pretty much the ultimate
arbitor for
such a question. Also, he was kind enough to give a thorough
history
of the so-called Kingsville box, and asked me to pass it on to
you.

I do so here to the list as well as to the IBC Gallery where
the
question originally arose, knowing that the readership of the
two
doesn't entirely overlap. Apologies to anyone who gets it
twice.

Anita
(who, I have to admit, still calls her 'Compacta' boxes
Kingsville in
moments of forgetfullness)

from Lynn Batdorf:

Yes, probably the entire bonsai community incorrectly uses the
name
Buxus microphylla /Kingsville/ and /Kingsville Dwarf/ when
referring
to'Compacta'. I'm very glad to set the record straight for you.

Buxus microphylla 'Compacta' was registered by Dr. Donald Wyman
in his
1963 article "Boxwood Prized Where Ever Hardy Form is Found"
which
appeared in the 117(7):50 issue of American Nurseryman.

Henry Hohman had showed the plant to Wyman who went on to
register it.
It originated as a seedling selected by William Appleby of
Baltimore
in 1912. When Appleby died in the 1920's, Hohman bought the
boxwood
seedlings and began propagating them. 'Compacta' was released
to the
trade in 1937. At the suggestion of Dr. Wyman then of the
Arnold
Arboretum in Massachusetts, Hohman originally named the plant
Buxus
microphylla var. compacta.

Growing very slowly with small leaves and treelike branching
has made
'Compacta' a prefect and popular choice for bonsai. The first
'Compacta' used for bonsai originated from the Kingsville
Nursery in
Kingsville, Maryland, thus using the source as a name, bonsai
enthusiasts call it /Kingsville/ or /Kingsville Dwarf/.

The named selected by Hohman (B. microphylla var. compacta) is
a
synonym for B. microphylla 'Compacta'. /Kingsville/ and
/Kingsville
Dwarf/ are also a synonym for B. microphylla 'Compacta'.

I would be grateful if you could pass this registration
information on
to the larger bonsai community. I find it quite unfortunate to
see
such a beautiful bonsai specimen as 'Compacta' repeatedly and
incorrectly named as either /Kingsville/ or /Kingsville Dwarf/.

As a point of interest, your nurseryman in Kingsville is
correct.
Also, as you correctly noted, 'Compacta' does throw sports of
its own,
having given rise to several other registered boxwood cultivars
that
are stable: 'Curly Locks', 'Grace Hendrick Phillips', 'Helen
Whiting',
'Henry Hohman', and 'Sunlight'.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact
me.

Sincerely,
Lynn R. Batdorf
International Cultivar Registration Authority for Buxus
U.S. National Arboretum


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***************
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************************************************** ***************
***************
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http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail
+++++


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Jim Lewis wrote:

Thanks, Anita. It's nice having such a tremendous resource as
the National Arboretum in the "neighborhood," I bet. I'd guess
he's not the only "Authority" on the staff.

Does anyone care to place any bets as to whether this
information -- no matter how widely disseminated -- will change
anything in what bonsaiests call this plant?

I don't.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - VEGETARIAN:
An Indian word meaning "lousy hunter." (Borrowed from a sig by
fellow listowner, Scott Peterson)


Sorta like calling a photocoper a "Xerox" machine or tape "Scotch" tape even though
both of those are name brands for a product. There isn't any way all of society
will make that change or will see the need to do so. I will try to be more correct
in my usage, but it will be an uphill climb and I don't have the energy for the
battle. More important things to worry about.

Craig Cowing
NY
Zone 5b/6a Sunset 37

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+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

There is nothing wrong with calling it "Kingsville boxwood." Everybody does; it
is a colloquial name. But your label, and the label at a show, should also read
Buxus microphylla 'Compacta.'
Same as "Blue Moss Cypress"
Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Boulevard.'
There are a lot of such things, people, too.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

Iris Cohen wrote:

There is nothing wrong with calling it "Kingsville boxwood." Everybody does; it
is a colloquial name. But your label, and the label at a show, should also read
Buxus microphylla 'Compacta.'
Same as "Blue Moss Cypress"
Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Boulevard.'
There are a lot of such things, people, too.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)


I guess that's the way I'm looking at it. "Kingsville" is a common name, not a
scientific one. In a display, as Iris has indicated, it should have the scientific
name as well as the common name.

A parallel word usage is the "title" used for my profession "Reverend." This word
is an adjective, as in "The Rev. Craig L. Cowing." I am not a "reverend." It is
not a noun. However, people are always going to use the word in that way and I do
not have the energy to constantly correct them. There are more important battles
to fight.

In the case of Holman's contribution by developing this marvelous cultivar, by
using the scientific name when displaying the plant that's probably enough. The
Kingsville nursery, after all, did have a part to play in this by introducing this
cultivar as a subject for bonsai cultivation. When things are around long enough
they leave the hand that brought them into the world.

Craig Cowing
NY
Zone 5b/6a Sunset 37

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Thanks for the research Anita.
Whew! I can sleep now! :)
I agree with Jim and Craig. Probably won't change anything. I'll probably
still call them "Kingsvilles" along with everyone else and I can get back to
worrying about multiple car payments!
Dale

----- Original Message -----
From: "Craig Cowing"
To:
Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2003 8:01 AM
Subject: [IBC] the Kingsville which is not


Jim Lewis wrote:

Thanks, Anita. It's nice having such a tremendous resource as
the National Arboretum in the "neighborhood," I bet. I'd guess
he's not the only "Authority" on the staff.

Does anyone care to place any bets as to whether this
information -- no matter how widely disseminated -- will change
anything in what bonsaiests call this plant?

I don't.

Jim Lewis -

Sorta like calling a photocoper a "Xerox" machine or tape "Scotch" tape
even though
both of those are name brands for a product. There isn't any way all of
society
will make that change or will see the need to do so. I will try to be
more correct
in my usage, but it will be an uphill climb and I don't have the energy
for the
battle. More important things to worry about.

Craig Cowing

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++++Sponsored, in part, by Lisa Kanis++++
************************************************** ******************************
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+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

In a message dated 11/5/2003 7:52:16 PM Eastern Standard Time,
writes:
The named selected by Hohman (B. microphylla var. compacta) is a
synonym for B. microphylla 'Compacta'. /Kingsville/ and /Kingsville
Dwarf/ are also a synonym for B. microphylla 'Compacta'.

I would be grateful if you could pass this registration information on
to the larger bonsai community. I find it quite unfortunate to see
such a beautiful bonsai specimen as 'Compacta' repeatedly and
incorrectly named as either /Kingsville/ or /Kingsville Dwarf/.
Michael Dirr refers to Kingsville as Buxus microphylla 'Kingsville Dwarf'
(var. japonica form).

Anita, can you send me a direct number for Lynn.

Cordially,

Michael Persiano
members.aol.com/iasnob/index.html

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Jim Lewis wrote:

Thanks, Anita.

Does anyone care to place any bets as to whether this
information -- no matter how widely disseminated -- will change
anything in what bonsaiests call this plant?

Jim, sad to say, you are probably right.

Nevertheless, I think the information that Anita provided should be disseminated as
widely as possible, say through club journals and news letters and maybe even be
published by major bonsai magazines, such as International BONSAI, The Journal of
the ABS, etc..

So, I'd like to be the first (?) to get it published in the Toronto (TBS) journal.
Whose permission would I have to get to quote Anita's quote? Credit, of course,
would be given.

John

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