Another Perfect Plant: Chaenomeles speciosa Double Take Trademark ‘Scarlet Storm’ (PP20,951)

Chaenomeles speciosa Double Take Trademark ‘Scarlet Storm’ (PP20,951) is a confusingly named plant, part of a lovely, thornless, fruitless, early blooming series of quince bred in North Carolina. Good in full sun or part shade and blooming before the leaves come out, the three quinces in the Storm Series (Scarlet, Orange, and Pink) are old fashioned flowering shrubs finding new life in gardens with their vibrant colors and double flowers.

The series is patented (PP), meaning that plants had to have been originally asexually reproduced through cuttings or similar methods and can only be reproduced asexually by growers that are licensed to produce the plants. Plant patents cannot be granted for plants produced through sexual recombination. The patent’s owner receives royalties for up to 20 years, though vacillating trends in horticulture and design might limit the profitability of the patent.

The trademarked name (Double Take) is used commercially to market the plants but has no bearing from a botanical nomenclatural standpoint.

References:
North Carolina State University
US Patent and Trademark Office
Plant Delights

Photo reference:
Quincunx