MEDIA ADVISORY
97-5
CONTACT:  Richard Maulsby
                     Lisa-Joy Zgorski
                    (703)305-8341
                              
               NO, MS. STEIN, A ROSE IS . . .
                        AN INVENTION
                              
ARLINGTON, VA.  The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office too is
celebrating St. Valentine's Day.   The 362 plant patents issued
in 1996 constitute a small fraction of the 237,000 patent
applications examined and 121,806 patents issued last year.  But
nonetheless, on Friday, February 14th, (some varieties of)
patented plants will take center stage.

Particularly, the invention that earned the first plant patent
from the PTO.   U.S. Plant Patent Number 1 was issued to New
Jersey resident Henry Bosenberg on August 18, 1931 for "New
Dawn," a plant which bears champagne-colored roses.

Red roses came later.  On June 20, 1950, F. H. Howard received
Plant Patent Number 953 for his rose plant with the following
description: "Outstanding among its qualities is the clear red
color of its flower, which, unlike most red roses, has never
blued or faded.  Also especially notable are the exceeding long
flower stems, the fragrance and substance of the flowers, and the
large quantity of bloom."  Today there are over 1,870 rose
patents, of which over 400 mention the word red.

There are 2 patent "cultivars" or cultivated varieties which
contain the word Valentine in their names:  My Valentine, U.S.
Plant Patent No. 3,935, was issued to Robert Moore in 1975 for a
red miniature; and Valentine, No. 1,029, was issued to Herbert
Swim of Ontario, Canada in 1951 for a red floribunda.  Moore, 90,
is still an active plant breeder in Visalia, CA.

Some current trends in rose breeding are toward the attainment of
old fashioned roses of heavy fragrance, repeat bloom, and super-
miniatures.  Several breeders are primarily focusing on disease
resistance to reduce the necessity of chemical application and
for easier and safer culture by growers and gardeners.  There
have been a number of recently-developed thornless rose cultivars
which have been patented and are publicly available.   Due to the
market popularity of such superior patented roses as "Madame
Delbard" (red hybrid tea) and "Mercedes" (a red floribunda), a
number of color sports (mutants) have been discovered and
patented.
                          --more--
Plant patents can be granted to anyone who invents or discovers
and asexually reproduces any distinct and new variety of plant.
Utility patents, PTO's most commonly issued patent type, are
granted for any new and useful process, machine, article of
manufacture, or composition of matter; and design patents, for
new, original, and ornamental designs for articles of
manufacture.

Two individuals at the PTO devote their professional expertise to
examining plant patent applications.  "Combined, Howard Locker
and James Feyrer have nearly 40 years of experience at PTO.  They
have issued some 3,300 of the office's 9,800 plant patents in the
last quarter decade.  But, as Valentine's Day approaches, it is
important to highlight that they are both young, romantics at
heart.   Inherited from a predecessor, Bob Bagwill, both Locker
and Feyrer have Plant Patent Number 1, the New Dawn Rose, planted
in their backyards--to the delight of their wives and neighbors,"
said PTO Press Secretary Lisa-Joy Zgorski.

In their words, "Because rose breeders traditionally seek novelty
and beauty, and as most pursue rose breeding as a labor of love,
the trends in rose breeding are as diverse as the genetic
variability in roses will allow by traditional breeding methods.
The advent of genetic engineering opens the door to potentially
greater advances."


February 12, 1997
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