[hga]

Search engines are your friends, the first link I chose from corn plant patent ... reminded? me that plants have been patentable since 1930: Plant Patent Act of 1930, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_Patent_Act_of_1930, in the law as 35 U.S.C. § 161, http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/35/161

"Whoever invents or discovers and asexually reproduces any distinct and new variety of plant, including cultivated sports, mutants, hybrids, and newly found seedlings, other than a tuber propagated plant or a plant found in an uncultivated state, may obtain a patent therefor..."

See lots more e.g. here: http://cookingupastory.com/patent-law-how-patents-grew-over-...

[wam]

Very interesting background in the last link, thank you. Informative comments in a discussion, in response to a question, are also often my friends.