Guidance

Plant species: variety list for Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Published 31 December 2020

These tables contain the varieties of plant species that Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) and Northern Ireland require to be registered on their variety lists.

Agricultural crop varieties

Cultivated plant varieties of the following species should be for agricultural production and not for ornamental use.

Cereals

Name	Common name
Avena nuda L.	Small naked oat, Hulless oat
Avena sativa L. (includes A. byzantia K. Koch)	Oats and red oat
Hordeum vulgare L.	Barley
Secale cereale L.	Rye
xTriticosecale Wittm. Ex A. Camus Hybrids resulting from the crossing of a species of the genus Triticum and a species of the genus Secale	Triticale
Triticum aestivum L.	Wheat
Triticum durum Desf.	Durum wheat
Triticum spelta L.	Spelt wheat
Zea Mays L. (partim)	Maize (except popcorn and sweetcorn)

Potatoes

Name	Common name
Solanum tuberosum L., including any other tuber-forming species or hybrids of Solanum	Potato

Beet

Name	Common name
Beta vulgaris L.	Sugar beet, fodder beet (including mangel)

Fodder plants: grasses

Name	Common name
Agrostis canina L.	Velvet bent
Agrostis capillaris L.	Brown top
Agrostis gigantea Roth.	Red top
Agrostis stolonifera L.	Creeping bent grass
Arrhenatherm elatius (L.) P. Beauv. ex J. Presl & C. Presl	Tall oatgrass
Bromus catharticus Vahl.	Rescue grass
Bromus sitchensis Trin.	Alaska brome-grass
Dactylis glomerata L.	Cocksfoot
Festuca arundinacea Schreber	Tall fescue
Festuca filiformis Pourr.	Fine leaved sheep’s fescue
Festuca ovina L.	Sheep’s fescue
Festuca pratensis Huds.	Meadow fescue
Festuca rubra L.	Red fescue, Chewings fescue
Festuca trachyphylla (Hack.) Krajina	Hard fescue
Lolium multiflorum Lam.	Italian ryegrass including Westerwold ryegrass
Lolium perenne L.	Perennial ryegrass
Lolium x boucheanum Kunth	Hybrid ryegrass
Phleum nodosum L.	Small timothy
Phleum pratense L.	Timothy
Poa annua L.	Annual meadowgrass
Poa nemoralis L.	Wood meadowgrass
Poa pratensis L.	Smooth-stalked meadowgrass
Poa trivialis L.	Rough-stalked meadowgrass
xFestulolium Asch. & Graebn. Hybrids resulting from the crossing of a species of the genus Festuca with a species of the genus Lolium	Festulolium

Fodder plants: legumes

Name	Common name
Lotus corniculatis L.	Birdsfoot trefoil
Lupinus albus L.	White lupin
Lupinus angustifolius L.	Narrow leaved lupin (previously known as Blue lupin)
Lupinus luteus L.	Yellow lupin
Medicago lupulina L.	Black medick, Trefoil
Medicago sativa L.	Lucerne
Medicago x varia T. Martyn	Sand lucerne
Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.	Sainfoin
Pisum sativum L. (partim)	Field pea
Trifolium hybridum L.	Alsike clover
Trifolium pratense L.	Red clover
Trifolium repens L.	White clover
Vicia faba L. (partim)	Field bean
Vicia pannonica Crantz	Hungarian vetch
Vicia sativa L.	Common vetch
Vicia villosa Roth	Hairy vetch

Other fodder plants

Name	Common name
Brassica napus L. var. napobrassica (L.) Rchb.	Swede
Brassica oleracea L. convar. acephala (DC.) Alef. Var. medullosa Thell. + var. viridis L.	Fodder kale
Raphanus sativus L. var. oleiformis Pers.	Fodder radish

Oleaginous and fibrous plants

Name	Common name
Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.	Brown mustard
Brassica napus L. (partim)	Swede rape (including plants commonly known as fodder rape and oilseed rape)
Brassica nigra (L.) W.D.J. Koch	Black mustard
Brassica rapa L. var silvestris (Lam.) Briggs	Turnip rape
Cannabis sativa L.	Hemp
Glycine max (L.) Merr.	Soya bean
Helianthus annuus L.	Sunflower
Linum usitatissimum L.	Flax, Linseed
Sinapis alba L.	White mustard

Vegetable varieties

Cultivated plant varieties of the following species should be for agricultural production and not for ornamental use.

Name	Common name
Allium cepa L. - Cepa Group.	Onion, Echalion
Allium cepa L. - Aggregatum Group	Shallot
Allium fistulosum L. - all varieties	Japanese bunching onion or Welsh onion
Allium porrum L. - all varieties	Leek
Allium sativum L. - all varieties	Garlic
Allium schoenoprasum L. - all varieties	Chives
Apium graveolens L. - Celery Group and Celeriac Group	No common name
Asparagus officinalis L. - all varieties	Asparagus
Beta vulgaris L. - Garden Beet Group	Beetroot including Cheltenham beet
Beta vulgaris L. - Leaf Beet Group	Spinach beet or Chard
Brassica oleracea L. - Kale Group	No common name
Brassica oleracea L. - Cauliflower Group	No common name
Brassica oleracea L. - Capitata Group	Red cabbage and White cabbage
Brassica oleracea L. - Brussel Sprouts Group	No common name
Brassica oleracea L. - Kohlrabi Group	No common name
Brassica oleracea L. - Savoy Cabbage Group	No common name
Brassica oleracea L. - Broccoli Group	Calabrese type and Sprouting type
Brassica oleracea L. - Palm Kale Group	No common name
Brassica oleracea L. - Tronchuda Group	Portuguese cabbage
Brassica rapa L. - Chinese Cabbage Group	No common name
Brassica rapa L - Vegetable Turnip Group	No common name
Cichorium endivia L.—all varieties	Endive
Cucumis melo L.- all varieties	Melon
Cucumis sativus L.- Cucumber Group	No common name
Cucumis sativus L - Gherkin Group	No common name
Cucurbita maxima Duchesne - all varieties	Gourd
Cucurbita pepo L.- all varieties	Marrow, including mature pumpkin and scallop squash, or Courgette, including immature scallop squash
Daucus carota L.- all varieties	Carrot and Fodder carrot
Lactuca sativa L. - all varieties	Lettuce
Solanum lycopersicum L - all varieties	Tomato
Petroselinum crispum (Mill.) Nyman ex A. W. Hill - Leaf Parsley Group	No common name
Petroselinum crispum (Mill.) Nyman ex A. W. Hill - Root Parsley Group	No common name
Phaseolus coccineus L.- all varieties	Runner bean
Phaseolus vulgaris L .- Dwarf French Bean Group	No common name
Phaseolus vulgaris L. - Climbing French Bean Group	No common name
Pisum sativum L. - Round Pea Group	No common name
Pisum sativum L. - Wrinkled Pea Group	No common name
Pisum sativum L. - Sugar Pea Group	No common name
Raphanus sativus L. - Radish Group	No common name
Raphanus sativus L. - Black Radish Group	No common name
Rheum rhabarbarum L.- all varieties	Rhubarb
Spinacia oleracea L. - all varieties	Spinach
Vicia faba L. Broad bean - all varieties	Broad bean
Zea mays L. - Sweet Corn Group	No common name
Zea mays L. - Popcorn Group	No common name