There is a "Professional Gardener" forum on GW. The people there are quite knowledgable in this area. I also happpen to have this bookmarked a while ago, but I have never used them, so I don't know if they are good or bad. Here is a link that might be useful: Plant Haven: From Breeder to Market

The genus Acer is pretty diverse, comprising some 124 species indigenous to most parts of the northern hemisphere. Where the species originated has a lot to do with their growth habit and appearance. Outside of North America, Asia is arguably the center of the largest variety of species and with the greatest amount of diversification, with China and the Himalayan countries leading the way and Japan not far behind. Japanese maples, Acer palmatum, have been cultivated in their native country for hundred of years and do account for the largest number of cultivars (over 1000 registered). Assumably, all orginated from the straight species A. palmatum, however there is considerable diversification even with the species and there are various subspecies, varietals and forms. Why A. palmatum has such diversification of forms, colors and habits - more so than any other species - is unknown. Vertrees concludes "this species has a strong genetic tendency to proliferate into many variations, mutations and sports." This genetic tendency together with centuries of careful breeding and selection are why there is such a huge variety of Japanese maples. Most of the distinctions between the different cultivars we see today are the result of sports and bud mutations rather than seedings, although no doubt that also accounts for many of the selections. Chance seedings - or accidental crosses - are those that occur naturally, without any intervention from man. Deliberate crosses are made by breeders, taking the pollen from a parent plant and fertilizing the flowers of the second parent plant. Obviously with larger trees that produce multiple flowers, this is a process that is much harder to control and likely accounts for very few new cultivars. Check out Vertrees Japanese Maples at your library or book store for a more indepth study of this species. This is considered to be the authoritative text on JM's.

This was a cross that appeared after having 2 different petunia varieties in the same pot on my back deck. The parents were both form the "Suppertunia" breed. I am attempting to duplicate it again, and am planning to collect seeds. The color is beautiful and spectacular, an I think that it must be my favorite petunia I've ever seen. (Although I probably unfairly favoring it because it happened to appear in my flower pot and also it is the offspring of my two favorite patunias, and therefor in my exact favorite colors. LOL) What I'm thinking of doing is collecting seeds and seeing if I can grow it for several years, and then, if I'm up for it, trying to register it. Is this an appropriate course of action?

A cultivar is a plant that has a unique feature that stands out from other plants, and is given a special cultivar name. For carnivorous plants, the International Carnivorous Plant Society is the official registration authority, so you will have register new cultivars names with them. See their website to download registration forms and instructions: http://www.carnivorousplants.org/cultivars/cultivarsmain.html