Guess not.

You don't say who you are quoting here. If they are claiming a trademark and they have applied to the USPTO maybe there is more background at the USPTO web site. I do know that when a plant patent is applied for and granted then a full description is put on the site, including a Background of the Invention statement that talks about where the plant came from etc. - if hardiness is part why a plant was selected there might be a relating of what the original variant went through to be noticed as more hardy than others.

This post was edited by bboy on Wed, Apr 9, 14 at 12:56

I was quoting from a nursery site. However, this plant seems to be introduced by Garden Debut. Link below.

There's not really much information on there. I do not know where to look up plant patent information.

Usually though if a plant is bred specifically for hardiness, I would expect some information about that. Indian Hawthorns are not reliably hardy in zone 7A, and to see one listed as zone 6 is amazing.

SO.....I would rather hear from someone who has actually grown the plant in their zone 7 garden (especially after THIS winter!) than trust a grower or plant introducer who may have been rushed in getting the plant to market before rigorously trialing it.

For example, look at the many gardenias hitting the market that are listed as zone 6. I don't know of ANY gardenias that will not be damaged in zone 6 without major protection. But they put that on the tag.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Debut - Redbird ('sPg-3-003')

PPAF = Plant Patent Applied For. So when they get one there will be a patent description on the USPTO web site, with the back story, which if exceptional hardiness really is one of the reasons for naming the thing will have something like "original seedling was planted out in Peoria in March 2001 and survived -10 degrees F. without damage the following winter".

Because the Background of the Invention portions of the descriptions of patented plants do in fact usually have that level of detail.