Stromanthe 'Stripestar'

Stromanthe 'Stripestar' is a named cultivar of Stromanthe sanguinea (Reider) Sond., a species in the family Marantaceae. Plants of the World Online, maintained by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, records Stromanthe sanguinea as a synonym of the currently accepted name Stromanthe thalia (Vell.) J.M.A.Braga [2]. The Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder describes Stromanthe sanguinea as an upright rhizomatous perennial native to rainforests in Brazil, bearing lanceolate to elliptic-oblong dark olive-green leaves with red undersides [4].

The only primary-record appearance of the epithet 'Stripestar' is in U.S. Plant Patent PP15475, filed 28 January 2004 and granted 11 January 2005, where it is named as the parent cultivar from whose population the patented cultivar 'Valmic' arose as a naturally occurring whole-plant mutation [1].

Registered epithet: The cultivar epithet 'Stripestar' is established solely by its appearance in U.S. Plant Patent PP15475 as a parent name, not by any act of formal registration [1]. No International Cultivar Registration Authority has been appointed for Marantaceae, so no formal cultivar register for Stromanthe exists under the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants [8]. Under that Code, a cultivar epithet is enclosed in single quotation marks; this page follows that convention throughout.

Trade designation: U.S. Plant Patent PP15475 makes no reference to any trade designation separate from the cultivar epithet 'Stripestar' [1]. No trade designation distinct from the cultivar epithet has been located in any primary record.

Patent denomination: 'Stripestar' carries no patent denomination. PP15475 states explicitly that the cultivar is not patented [1]. The patent denomination recorded in PP15475 is 'Valmic', which names the derived sport, not the parent cultivar.

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

U.S. Plant Patent PP15475, filed 28 January 2004 and granted 11 January 2005, records a population of Stromanthe sanguinea cultivar Stripestar growing in a controlled environment in Honselersdijk, the Netherlands, in 1999 [1]. The patent names Oscar R. Valstar of Maasland, the Netherlands, as the inventor of the derived cultivar 'Valmic', with the assignee recorded as Handelskwekerij Gebr. Valstar C.V. [3]. The patent does not name any originator, date of first selection, or place of origin for 'Stripestar' itself [1]. No seed parent, pollen parent, or selection history for 'Stripestar' appears in any located primary record.

'Stripestar' carries no plant patent. U.S. Plant Patent PP15475, granted 11 January 2005, states explicitly that Stromanthe sanguinea cultivar Stripestar is not patented [1]. The University of Maryland Libraries plant patent index confirms the patent number PP15475 and its grant date; those records pertain to 'Valmic', the derived cultivar, not to 'Stripestar' [3]. No patent expiry date is applicable to 'Stripestar', and no plant variety right or trademark over the epithet has been located in any primary record reviewed. The registry claim_state for this cultivar is recorded as unclaimed.

The primary sources for 'Stripestar' are limited in number and scope. U.S. Plant Patent PP15475 is the sole primary record to name 'Stripestar' as a cultivar, doing so only in the context of establishing the parentage of 'Valmic' [1]. The University of Maryland Libraries plant patent index provides independent confirmation of the patent's key bibliographic data [3]. Plants of the World Online supplies the currently accepted species name and native range [2], and the Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder provides species-level habit and morphology data [4]. None of these sources documents 'Stripestar' as an independent subject of botanical or horticultural study.

No International Cultivar Registration Authority has been appointed for Marantaceae [8]. Digital Towns operates as a content aggregator; it is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by the International Society for Horticultural Science or any appointed registration authority. The name Stromanthe sanguinea, used in PP15475 at the time of filing in 2004, is now recorded by Plants of the World Online as a synonym of Stromanthe thalia (Vell.) J.M.A.Braga [2]; the parentage statement in the patent retains its documentary value under the name used at the time of grant. Limited authoritative sources available; further research needed.