美国玉簪协会 American Hosta Society – 国际品种登记管理局肩负玉簪属新品种的国际登记与命名审查职责

美国玉簪协会（American Hosta Society，简称 AHS）成立于 1968 年，是国际性非营利教育与科学组织，以国际品种登记管理局（ICRA）身份承担玉簪属新品种的国际登记与命名审查工作，并致力于通过教育推广与对外交流增进公众对玉簪属植物的了解与兴趣。协会由 Alex J. Summers 与 Eunice V. Fisher 两位玉簪爱好者共同发起，Frances R. Williams 1930 年代开创的玉簪园艺传统为协会奠定基础，1968 年 7 月首届年会在宾夕法尼亚州 Swarthmore 举办，同年 3 月出版协会首期通讯，1969 年 3 月出版首期《玉簪杂志》。协会按美国 501(c)(3) 非营利组织运营，会员近三千人，分布于美国、加拿大、欧洲、俄罗斯、日本、中国、澳大利亚与新西兰等地区；理事会下设分类命名、品种登记、评选展览、出版、会员服务等委员会，每年举办由地方分会轮流承办的全国年会与一月线上稀有玉簪拍卖，会员可获全年出版的《玉簪杂志》印刷本与电子版、全国官方展示园目录、新品种登记清单与年度奖项评选通知。

协会宗旨与组织定位

美国玉簪协会的宗旨是促进公众对玉簪属植物的认识与兴趣，并通过教育推广、品种登记与命名管理推动玉簪园艺的长期发展。协会作为国际品种登记管理局，肩负玉簪属新品种的国际登记与命名审查职责，所有正式登记的玉簪品种名称会在每年《玉簪杂志》的 Registrations 增刊上统一发布。协会总部注册地为美国，按 501(c)(3) 非营利组织运营，会员与公众捐赠可享受税前抵扣，理事会下设分类命名、品种登记、评选展览、出版与会员服务等委员会，由志愿者与任期制理事共同维持日常运营。

核心服务与会员体系

协会每年向会员邮寄两期高规格全彩《玉簪杂志》并提供额外的电子版期刊，会员可在线查阅全国官方展示园目录、可靠玉簪种植商与园艺用品商名录、年度新品种登记清单、年内活动通知，以及近年的全国年会深度报道电子合辑。协会每年一月举办线上稀有玉簪拍卖、夏季在全国年会现场举办玉簪与其他园艺用品的现场拍卖，拍卖收入用于弥补会员费未覆盖的运营支出。会员还可通过协会志愿者网络与各地的玉簪育种者、收藏者与展示园建立联系，加入各地地方分会参与年度活动与年度大会。

学术研究与品种国际登记

美国玉簪协会自 1970 年代起承担玉簪属的国际品种登记职责，国际登录员（International Registrar for the Genus Hosta）由协会理事会任命，按国际栽培植物命名法规（International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants，ICNCP）审查杂交者与选种者提交的玉簪新品种名称，确保全球范围内玉簪品种命名的唯一性与规范性。协会编辑团队维护的 Hosta Registry 数据库向公众开放，可按品种名称检索栽培历史、植株尺寸、叶形、花色等关键种植信息。协会维护的 Hosta Dictionary 收录标准化的玉簪叶、花、生长习性术语，是协会评选、教育与社区交流的共同语言基础。

全国展示园与社区网络

美国玉簪协会自 1980 年在明尼苏达大学景观植物园设立首个 AHS National Display Garden 以来，已在全美各地发展出二十余处官方展示园，每处展示园需具备至少 100 种正式登记并标注的玉簪品种、明确的教育主题、长期维护安排并经地方分会与协会理事会双重审核。协会官网维护按州与区域划分的地方分会目录，目前在五大湖区域、东北区域等地区活跃着多家地方玉簪协会，每年举办玉簪课堂、园圃开放日、品种展销与地方评选活动，是会员就近参与玉簪园艺活动的核心渠道。

官网：https://americhanhostasociety.org/

The American Hosta Society (AHS) is an international, not-for-profit educational and scientific organization founded in 1968 by hosta enthusiasts Alex J. Summers and Eunice V. Fisher. Today AHS is the International Cultivar Registration Authority (ICRA) for the genus Hosta, coordinating international cultivar registration and nomenclatural review for new hosta varieties in accordance with the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants. Membership spans nearly three thousand enthusiasts across the United States, Canada, Europe, Russia, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand. Volunteer leadership under a Board of Directors oversees the Society’s publications, conventions, auctions, judging and exhibitions, nomenclature, education and member services. AHS produces the long-running magazine-quality periodical The Hosta Journal in print and digital editions and publishes an annual Registrations supplement listing newly registered hosta cultivars, and each summer the Society holds a national convention hosted by a regional or local hosta society, featuring judged hosta shows, educational seminars, garden tours, a vending room with rare and companion plants, and an awards banquet, with a separate online auction running every January. Convention location rotates annually, with 2025 held in Peoria, Illinois.

Mission and Organizational Identity

The American Hosta Society is dedicated to fostering knowledge and interest in the genus Hosta through education and outreach, encouraging the introduction and development of new and improved cultivars into cultivation, and promoting the registration of new cultivars in its role as the International Cultivar Registration Authority (ICRA) for the genus Hosta. AHS is recognized by the United States Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational and scientific organization, and contributions by members and supporters are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. The Society is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and supported by standing committees covering nomenclature, registration, judging and exhibitions, publications, member services, marketing and regional activities.

Core Services and Member Benefits

Members receive two annual print issues of The Hosta Journal along with an additional digital issue, access to the Members Only section of the AHS website, the online Membership Directory, the Online Hosta Journal with extensive convention coverage, and listings of reputable hosta growers and vendors. Two hosta auctions each year, a live auction at the summer convention and a January online auction, offer access to rare and interesting hostas and garden accessories, with proceeds supporting Society operations. Members also gain access to more than 25 AHS National Display Gardens across the United States, regional and local society networks, periodic eNewsletters, and the annual list of newly registered hostas.

Scientific Research and International Cultivar Registration

Since the 1970s AHS has administered international hosta cultivar registration on behalf of the International Society for Horticultural Science, with a Registrar appointed by the AHS Board and supported by an advisory team. New cultivar names submitted by hybridizers are reviewed for uniqueness and conformity with the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants, then published in the annual Registrations supplement to The Hosta Journal. AHS maintains the publicly accessible Hosta Registry database where visitors can look up hosta cultivar names, photos and growing information. The Society’s nomenclature committee curates a Hosta Dictionary of standardized terminology covering leaf, flower and growth descriptors used across the hosta community. Long-running cultivar awards such as the Alex J. Summers Distinguished Merit Award, the Eunice Fisher Distinguished Hybridizer Merit Award, and the Benedict Medal for Garden Performance recognize outstanding hybridizers, hosta varieties and service contributions each year.

National Display Gardens and Community Network

Since the establishment of the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s Hosta Glade as the first AHS National Display Garden in 1980, more than 25 official AHS National Display Gardens have been designated across the United States, each meeting criteria including a minimum of 100 registered and labeled hosta cultivars, an educational mission, ongoing maintenance arrangements and approval by the AHS Executive Board. AHS also coordinates regional and local hosta societies organized into geographic regions such as the Northeast Region, the Great Lakes Region and others, with regional directors supporting local shows, auctions, garden tours and educational gatherings. Together, the display garden network, the regional director system and the local society directory form the community backbone of the American Hosta Society.

Official Site: https://americhanhostasociety.org/