diff --git a/src/main/java/no/nibio/vips/logic/entity/Organism.java b/src/main/java/no/nibio/vips/logic/entity/Organism.java
index c2372e0c2c5e46c898c8622ddc6389e3e90d8f34..b952929119f156f0560dc5be2303ec6fb329d3c6 100644
--- a/src/main/java/no/nibio/vips/logic/entity/Organism.java
+++ b/src/main/java/no/nibio/vips/logic/entity/Organism.java
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ public class Organism implements Serializable {
     }
 
     public String getLatinName() {
-        return latinName;
+        return latinName != null ? latinName : "";
     }
 
     public void setLatinName(String latinName) {
diff --git a/src/main/webapp/templates/organismForm.ftl b/src/main/webapp/templates/organismForm.ftl
index 855c9638488ba40b5a1f366705c19785a381ce00..899652986495bbcb933e08aba5d62964184c1315 100644
--- a/src/main/webapp/templates/organismForm.ftl
+++ b/src/main/webapp/templates/organismForm.ftl
@@ -53,13 +53,15 @@
 	    <select class="form-control" name="parentOrganismId" onblur="validateField(this);">
 	    	<option value="-1">${i18nBundle.pleaseSelect} ${i18nBundle.parentOrganismId?lower_case}</option>
 		<#list allOrganisms?sort_by("latinName") as parentOrganism>
-			<option value="${parentOrganism.organismId}"
-				<#if (organism.parentOrganismId?has_content && organism.parentOrganismId == parentOrganism.organismId)
-					|| (parentOrganismId?has_content && parentOrganismId == parentOrganism.organismId)
-				>
-					selected="selected"
-				</#if>
-			>${parentOrganism.latinName!""}/${parentOrganism.tradeName!""}/${parentOrganism.getLocalName(currentLocale.language)!""} (${hierarchyCategories.getName(parentOrganism.hierarchyCategoryId)})</option>
+			<#if parentOrganism.organismId gt 0>
+				<option value="${parentOrganism.organismId}"
+					<#if (organism.parentOrganismId?has_content && organism.parentOrganismId == parentOrganism.organismId)
+						|| (parentOrganismId?has_content && parentOrganismId == parentOrganism.organismId)
+					>
+						selected="selected"
+					</#if>
+				>${parentOrganism.latinName!""}/${parentOrganism.tradeName!""}/${parentOrganism.getLocalName(currentLocale.language)!""} (${hierarchyCategories.getName(parentOrganism.hierarchyCategoryId)})</option>
+			</#if>
 		</#list>
 	     </select>
 	</div>