'Rattlesnake' · ← Goeppertia Updated 2026-08-14

GOEPPERTIA

Goeppertia insignis 'Rattlesnake'

An unregistered cultivar epithet on a species whose accepted name was established by Braga et al. in Phytotaxa 312(1) in 2017.

Overview

The cultivar epithet 'Rattlesnake' is applied to plants of Goeppertia insignis (W.Bull ex W.E.Marshall) J.M.A.Braga, L.J.T.Cardoso & R.Couto, a member of Marantaceae in the order Zingiberales. Plants of the World Online (Kew Science) records Goeppertia insignis as an accepted species, a perennial classified within the wet tropical biome and native to Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil [2]. The GBIF Backbone Taxonomy independently accepts the same combination and records an equivalent synonymy [5]. The cultivar label 'Rattlesnake' circulates in the horticultural trade but has not been formally described in any peer-reviewed or regulatory source identified during this research pass.

Names

Registered epithet. The International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (ICNCP) requires a cultivar epithet to be enclosed in single quotation marks [1]. No formal registration record for 'Rattlesnake' has been located in any authoritative checklist or register, because no International Cultivar Registration Authority has been appointed for Marantaceae [1].

Trade designation. No trade designation separate from the cultivar epithet has been identified for this cultivar in any primary record.

Patent denomination. No plant patent has been identified for the 'Rattlesnake' epithet or for Goeppertia insignis generally. No patent denomination therefore exists for this cultivar.

The basionym of the parent species is Maranta insignis W.Bull ex W.E.Marshall. It was subsequently treated as Calathea insignis (W.Bull ex W.E.Marshall) W.Bull, and Calathea lancifolia Boom also circulated in trade for the same plant. Braga, Silva, Cardoso, Joffily and Couto published the accepted combination Goeppertia insignis in Phytotaxa 312(1): 143-146 in 2017, establishing precedence for the insignis epithet over lancifolia [3]. Plants of the World Online records four synonyms for the species, including Goeppertia lancifolia (Boom) Borchs. & S.Suárez [2], and the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy confirms the same synonymy [5].

Origin

No originator is documented. This cultivar predates any registration authority for Marantaceae.

The registry carries no originator name, and no patent number, registration reference, derivation, or year of establishment has been located in any primary record searched. No seed parent, pollen parent, or derivation pathway is on record. The International Plant Names Index records the common name 'rattlesnake plant' alongside the accepted combination for the species [4], reflecting the characteristic leaf patterning. The relationship between that common name and the origin of the cultivar epithet cannot be determined from available primary records.

Registration Context

No International Cultivar Registration Authority has been appointed for Marantaceae. ICRAs are appointed by the Commission on Cultivar Registration of the International Society for Horticultural Science and operate within the provisions of the ICNCP [1]. The ISHS list of appointed authorities does not include Marantaceae, Goeppertia, or Calathea as a denomination class currently served by any authority [1]. The International Aroid Society holds an ICRA appointment that covers Araceae [6], but Marantaceae is a distinct family in the order Zingiberales and falls outside that remit [6]. There is no body to which registration of 'Rattlesnake' could currently be submitted and no register against which priority or distinctness could be formally assessed.

Distinguishing Traits

No authoritative register or patent document defines the distinguishing traits of 'Rattlesnake' in formal terms. The registry field for distinguishing traits carries no value. Limited authoritative sources available; further research needed on whether a formal description of this cultivar exists in any botanical or horticultural publication predating current trade use.

The New York Botanical Garden Research Guide for Goeppertia (Calathea) describes Goeppertia insignis as bearing spear-shaped leaves that grow to over a foot long, with wavy margins and strong dark markings [7]. Plants of the World Online classifies the species as a perennial of the wet tropical biome in southeastern Brazil [2]. These descriptions address the species as a whole rather than defining traits distinguishing the 'Rattlesnake' cultivar from other selections within the species.

Registry record

The entries below are the registry rows this article is written from. Each carries its own source, its role, and both dates. A row recorded as nomenclatural evidence is dated documentation of a name in use and is never cited in the prose above.

Registry card

The cultivar epithet 'Rattlesnake' is applied in the horticultural trade to plants of Goeppertia insignis (W.Bull ex W.E.Marshall) J.M.A.Braga, L.J.T.Cardoso & R.Couto (Marantaceae). No originator is documented, no patent has been identified, and no International Cultivar Registration Authority has been appointed for Marantaceae.

Genus
Goeppertia
Species
insignis
Classification
not recorded
Originator
not documented
Established
not documented
Patent
none on record

Name classes

Three name classes with three different legal statuses attach to a cultivated plant: the registered cultivar epithet (governed by the ICNCP, printed in single quotes), any trade designation (a marketing name or trademark, never printed in single quotes), and the patent denomination (the name as published in a plant patent). Conflating them is the most common error in horticultural writing, and it is the one this registry exists to prevent.

NameClassSource
Rattlesnake Accepted evidence only Digital Towns registry — name in trade use, source verification pending (2026-08-11)
Placeholder record. No authoritative source for this cultivar has been located; Marantaceae has no ICRA and no register. Not citable in prose and does not count toward the indexing threshold. To be replaced by a sourced record from the USPTO -> journals -> dated-catalog research pass.

Origin and parentage

This registry has not located significant documentation to substantiate the origin of this name. No originator, introduction date, or registration record has been found in any source examined — no cultivar registration authority exists for Marantaceae that could have recorded one.

No independent dated documentation has been located to date. What this registry holds is its own record of the name in commercial use, 2026-08-11 — not third-party documentation.

This record is maintained openly and updates as documentation is located. Documented evidence of this cultivar's origin — dated catalogues, listings, or publications — can be submitted for verification.

Patent and propagation status

No plant patent is recorded for this cultivar in this registry. That is not the same as a positive finding that none exists: absence here means we have not located one.

See an error, or have documentation we lack? Submissions open shortly. Corrections are reviewed against documentation before the record changes.

Sources

  1. International Society for Horticultural Science: Commission on Cultivar Registration — Cultivar Registration Archives (n.d.). International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). https://ishs.org/scientific-structure/cmnr-cultivar-registration/ Accessed 2026-08-14.
  2. Goeppertia insignis (W.Bull ex W.E.Marshall) J.M.A.Braga, L.J.T.Cardoso & R.Couto — Plants of the World Online (n.d.). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Plants of the World Online). https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77174285-1 Accessed 2026-08-14.
  3. Braga, J.M.A., Silva, F.A., Cardoso, L.J.T., Joffily, A. & Couto, R.S. (2017) New combinations and typifications in Goeppertia (Marantaceae). Phytotaxa 312(1): 143-146. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.312.1.15 (2017-07-04). Phytotaxa (Magnolia Press). https://phytotaxa.mapress.com/pt/article/view/phytotaxa.312.1.15 Accessed 2026-08-14.
  4. Goeppertia insignis (W.Bull ex W.E.Marshall) J.M.A.Braga, L.J.T.Cardoso & R.Couto — International Plant Names Index (n.d.). International Plant Names Index (IPNI). https://www.ipni.org/n/77174285-1 Accessed 2026-08-14.
  5. Goeppertia insignis — GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (n.d.). Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). https://www.gbif.org/taxon/8WVW5 Accessed 2026-08-14.
  6. About — Aroid Cultivar Registry (International Aroid Society, ICRA for Araceae) (n.d.). International Aroid Society. https://www.aroidcultivars.org/about Accessed 2026-08-14.
  7. Goeppertia (Calathea) — Research Guides, New York Botanical Garden (n.d.). New York Botanical Garden. https://libguides.nybg.org/goeppertia Accessed 2026-08-14.

DIGITAL TOWNS REGISTRY · PLANTS · REVIEWED 2026-08-14