Registered Neofinetia Varieties in Japan and Korea

[Hakumin]

Originally Posted by bjmac

I would have thought that Kuro Shinju would be on this list. I thought that it is a old neo and can only come from division, or did I miss it on the list.

Firstly, Kuroshinju is seed propagable, though that, strictly speaking, shouldn't have much of a bearing on registration. Quite a few of the ones you see for sale are probably seed grown. Also, I have not been able to find a specific date of discovery, but I don't think the variety is actually that old...I suspect perhaps 30-40 years since it was first discovered.

Regardless, I agree that it's surprising that Kuroshinju is not registered. I can confirm though that it is not.

There are many old varieties as well that have been around for a long time, even ones that can only be propagated by division, that have still not been registered. Registration in Japan is extremely selective, so there are many famous varieties that are not registered.

Some may be too similar to ones that have already been registered, others may be considered not special enough. However, there are yet other varieties that have been around for a while and are quite celebrated and special, but have yet to be registered.

For example, Seikai-shima has documentation dating over 200 years ago. Specimens do currently exist and are extremely expensive and sought after. Yet it's not registered.

On the other hand, others just seem to miss the radar for a long time but eventually get registered. In 2017, Hagihosen was finally registered 34 years after it's discovery. It's a very highly prized variety and many were confused why it took so long to be registered.