Reading the catalogue reference numbers before you enquire

A retail seed shortlist only stays useful if every line can be traced back to a specific catalogue entry. The reference numbers shown on species and variety pages are what make that possible: they anchor a shop's own shortlist to the enquiry basket and to the quotation that follows. This overview explains what those numbers do, why the cultivar name alone is not enough, and how to rebuild a shortlist when a reference number has not been carried across.

Why a variety name is not a sufficient identifier

Catalogue pages treat species, cultivar and reference as three separate identifiers. Tomato listings, for example, distinguish the botanical name Solanum lycopersicum from the cultivar name (such as Roma, Moneymaker or Brandywine) and from the individual reference. Two shops writing 'Moneymaker' on a shortlist may mean the same thing, but the written word alone does not prove it. Recording the reference next to the cultivar name removes that ambiguity before any enquiry is drafted.

Keeping qualifiers exactly as listed

Product pages ask buyers to keep qualifiers such as colour names and the F1 designation exactly as shown in the listing. A shortened or paraphrased name is no longer the same reference. When a shop's internal shortlist is built for staff who will later type it into an enquiry, the safest habit is to copy the cultivar wording verbatim rather than retyping it from memory or from a supplier email.

Separating the species page from the variety record

Species pages group several varieties under one botanical heading, and the variety record carries the actual reference. Working at species level is fine for planning a range, but a shortlist that stops at the species name cannot be converted into an enquiry without a further step. Note at which level each line sits: a species-level intention is a planning note, while a reference-level line is ready for the basket.

Carrying the reference into the enquiry basket

The catalogue's own guidance for a wholesale enquiry is to give the SKU, the quantity and the unit for each selection. That means the reference number travels with the line from the shortlist into the basket and onward into the quotation. A basket line that has a quantity but no reference leaves the supplier reconstructing which variety was meant, which is exactly the situation the reference is there to prevent.

Recording the unit alongside the reference

Prices may be based on weight or on a stated seed count, and those are different bases of comparison. A shortlist entry should therefore capture the unit that belongs to the reference, not just a number. Two lines with the same figure can mean different quantities if one is priced per kilogram and the other per thousand seeds. Capturing the unit at shortlist stage avoids a misleading internal comparison later.

What the reference does not tell you

A reference identifies a catalogue entry; it does not certify anything about the seed lot. Category text on a page does not establish a variety's resistance traits or a seed lot's test results. Similarly, for microgreens, the category assignment does not establish that a particular lot is suitable for direct consumption or food sprouting. Where such questions matter for a buying decision, they have to be raised separately for the exact reference and destination.

Rebuilding a shortlist when the number is missing

Sometimes a shortlist reaches the buyer without reference numbers, for instance when it has been compiled from shelf notes or from a colleague's list. The workable route back is to match each name to the species page first, then to the individual variety record, and to copy the reference from there. Where a selection's identity remains unclear after that check, the catalogue advises requesting clarification rather than guessing at the closest-sounding entry.

Using the A to Z index to check a reconstructed line

The Species A–Z index lists species headings across the catalogue, which makes it a practical verification step. After rebuilding a shortlist, a buyer can confirm that each species heading actually exists in the index and that the variety sits beneath it. This catches lines that were recorded under a common name which hides a different botanical identity, a known issue in herb listings where common mint names can conceal separate species records.

Where a missing reference has to be flagged

If a variety is not listed at all, the catalogue's guidance is to send the botanical name or variety name, quantity and destination so the item can be discussed. In that case there is no reference number to carry, and the shortlist line should say so explicitly rather than borrowing a reference from a neighbouring variety. Marking such lines as unlisted keeps them visible when the rest of the shortlist moves forward.

A simple discipline for the shortlist file

The habits that keep a shortlist traceable are unglamorous: one line per reference, the cultivar wording copied as listed, the SKU recorded next to it, the unit captured with the quantity, and unlisted intentions marked as such. A shortlist kept this way can be checked line by line against the catalogue before the enquiry is assembled, and it can be reconciled against the quotation afterwards without relying on anyone's memory of what was meant.

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