American Standard for Nursery Stock

Common terminology

This guidebook was first developed in 1921 as a standardized system of sizing and describing plants to facilitate the trade in nursery stock. For instance, the standards establish common techniques for:

• measuring plants
• specifying and stating the size of plants
• determining the proper relationship between height and caliper, or height and width
• determining whether a root ball or container is large enough for a particular size plant

In other words, this book is a communication tool, and does not provide buyers with any assurance of the health or quality of the nursery stock being specified or sold.

In order to locate the specifications for a particular plant, you should know:

• what type of plant it is, such as whether it is a shade or flowering tree, a coniferous or broadleaf evergreen, a young plant (seedlings, ground covers, or lining out stock), a perennial or bulb, etc.
• the growth habit of the particular species, (e.g., upright, conical, spreading, multi-stemmed, etc.)
• the method of production of the plant and the manner in which the plant will be sold (e.g., balled and burlapped, bare root, containerized, etc.)

Categories

• Shade and flowering trees
• Deciduous Shrubs
• Coniferous Evergreens
• Broadleaf Evergreens
• Rose
• Young plants
• Fruit Trees
• Small Fruit
• Understock
• Seedling trees and shrubs
• Bulbs, corms and tubers
• Herbaceous perennials, ornamental grasses, groundcovers, and vines
• Christmas trees

External Article

American Standard for Nursery Stock (NurseryTrees.com)