[AISdiscuss] hosta website

[bfilardi@comcast.net]

Hi all:  Received the following today from a member named Caroline Nave:

This is some information that I just received from the Hosta Society about their new downloadable hosta descriptions etc.   This is what I have been begging AIS to do.
We could go them one better and require a photograph of each cultivar at the time it is registered.  
Need money for AIS?  Have away for the local societies or individual members to be able to download both picture and descriptive information from the web and charge their credit card .50 per picture.  A $5 minimum order could be required.   
AIS really need to become more "Lay grower" friendly and offer more services that benefit the affiliate.  The insurance is  wonderful benefit.  
How about the Registry?  Seems like a no brainer.  
Caroline Nave

HEY FOLKS, THERE IS A GREAT NEW WEB TOOL FOR FINDING ALL THE DATA YOU WANT ON REGISTERED HOSTAS.
SEE THE BELOW EMAIL ABOUT THE NEW AMERICAN HOSTA SOCIETY  bHOSTA REGISTRYb
(Thanks to Cornelia Holland for sending this notice to us) 

AHS Hosta Registry
http://hostaregistrar.org

Every now and then a new web site will pop up on the internet that becomes an invaluable resource and tool for its intended audience.  I am pleased to announce such a web site for Hosta enthusiasts the world over.

The Hosta Registry of the American Hosta Society located at http://hostaregistrar.org/ is a free online search utility of the official registry record of the International Cultivar Registration Authority (ICRA) for the plant genus Hosta.  I have had the pleasure to work with Kevin P. Walek, the Hosta Registrar, to utilize the current Hosta registration database and place it on the internet as a simple and searchable  powerful utility.

The first phase of a more detailed plan is what you now have available.  The Hosta Registry contains five powerful search utilities.

Cultivar Name Search 
Hybridizer Name Search 
Leaf Color Search 
Leaf Characteristic Search 
Parentage Search 

Each of the five search forms are fairly identical, except they ask for different information.  Before you click the submit button or press the benterb key on your keyboard, make sure you understand the three special options that are available under each submittal form.  This is where you see a checkbox/radio button to help you focus your search.  The three options are: 

all words 
any of the words 
exact phrase 

Experimenting with these options will demonstrate the extra capabilities of the online database search feature.  For example, if you are doing a Cultivar Name Search and enter sum and into the box, and submit your search for ball wordsb, your search results will yield the single cultivar H. bSum And Substanceb.   

However, the identical search for Sum And with bany of the wordsb selected returns 161 cultivar names on 4 pages of search results.   The first three cultivars returned are: H. bAlex Summersb, H. bAlice In Wonderlandb, and H. bAll This And Heaven Toob.

Your results are served with a maximum of 50 cultivars per page.  Clicking on the cultivar name brings up a bdetail pageb for that specific cultivar containing detailed information about your selection.  You may then click the bprevious pageb link on the current web page to return to your main results page, or you may use the bback buttonb in your web browser.  The main result page also has indicators and controls informing you how many cultivars match your search criteria and how many pages of search result there are.  The controls allow you to navigate through the results quickly.

Hybridizer Name Search:  This utility queries the following fields of the database to return matching cultivar names:

Registrant 
Originator 
Introducer 
Nominant 

The bregistrantb is the primary field of the four that is referenced most often in discussing hostas.  However, all four of these fields are tracked in The Hosta Registry and this search can be very informative.  
Leaf Color Search: This search utility allows you to search the Hosta Registry for cultivars that have particular colors in the leaf center and the leaf margin. To refine your search you should use the special selector buttons. For example: a search for "blue white" and selecting "all words" returns 150 cultivars, while the same search with "any of the words" returns 1,585 cultivars.  A list of primary search keywords is also located below this search form to assist you in running your query.
Leaf Characteristics Search: This search utility will search four specific database fields. These are: 
1.      Leaf Appearance
2.      Leaf Shape
3.      Leaf Top Texture
4.      Petiole Characteristics
Below the search box you will see some suggested keywords/phrases that will help you define your search.
Parentage Search: Use this search form to search the registry for specific hosta cultivars that have specific cultivars recorded for these three parentage fields:
1.      pod parent
2.      pollen parent 
3.      sport of a particular variety
You will notice that the main results for all five searches are served with up to 50 per page.  Additionally, each of the main result pages is custom formatted for the type of search being conducted.

There are some other wonderful features included in The Hosta Registry such as the ability to display, print, and even download all the previously printed checklists that have been published.  These are available in either Flash Paper or PDF document form.  I recommend the Flash Paper option as the files are smaller in size and the interface is better than for the PDF documents.

You will also be able to print and download a Registration Form for registering new Hosta cultivars.  Soon you will have the option to complete your Hosta registrations online, including payment and image submission.

I am very pleased to have had the opportunity to develop The Hosta Registry for the American Hosta Society.  Kevin Walek was definitely the driving force that made this resource a reality.  Kevin can also be contacted for all your Hosta registration questions and comments regarding The Hosta Registry.

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