International Cultivar Registration Authority

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An International Cultivation Registration Authority (ICRA) is an organization responsible for ensuring that the names of plant cultivars and cultivar groups are defined and not duplicated.^[1]

The ICRA system was established more 50 years ago, and operates under the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (ICNCP), which in turn works with the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants. Its chief aim is to prevent duplicated uses of epithets for cultivars and cultivar groups within a defined denomination class (usually a genus), and to ensure that names are in accord with the latest edition of the ICNCP. Each name designation must be formally established by being published in hard copy, with a description in a dated publication.

The International Society for Horticultural Science appoints and monitors all ICRAs. At present it recognizes over 70 ICRAs, ranging from societies focused on a specific genus (such as Clivia, Quercus, or Saxifraga), through organizations with broader sets of interests (including the Singapore Botanic Gardens and the United States National Arboretum), to individuals.