Plant cultivars and varieties
Plant cultivars
In horticulture, we often grow plants with unique characteristics. A plant might have a unique flower color, leaf shape, growth form or other characteristic. When one of these plants is propagated in cultivation, it is known as a "cultivated variety". Rather than say "cultivated variety", it is easier to say "cultivar" - a combination of the two words.
'Red Delicious' is an apple cultivar with a unique fruit color and taste. If you like Red Delicious apples, you want to buy a plant at the nursery that is labeled as 'Red Delicious' otherwise, you might end up with a 'Golden Delicious', 'Fuji', or any other number of apple cultivars and not get the kind of fruit you expect.
Notice that the cultivar name is capitalized, and that it is in single quotes. It is not italicized nor underlined in print because it is not part of the legitimate botanical name. Some examples:
Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca', the blue Atlas cedar, has blue gray (glaucous) foliage. Notice that the cultivar name tells you about the unique foliage color of this cultivar - it is an Atlas cedar with blue gray foliage. Any cultivar with the name 'Glauca' or 'Glaucous' will have glaucous colored leaves.
Cotinus coggygria ‘Purpureus’ is a smoke tree with burgundy colored foliage, and Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea' is a European beech with purple colored leaves. 'Purpureus' indicates a plant with purple or burgundy colored foliage.
Plant varieties
Outside of cultivation, naturally occurring variations of plant species with unique characteristics are often found. These naturally reproducing variations of a species are called varieties. The varietal name is underlined or italicized in print because it is part of the legitimate botanical name.
For example, Picea pungens var. glauca is a naturally occurring variety of the Colorado blue spruce (Picea pungens) with glaucous colored foliage. The abbreviation "var." indicates variety. Foliage color of the species Picea pungens varies from dull green to glaucous blue, but the variety glauca always has attractive blue foliage.
STUDENT RESEARCH QUESTION:
20.What do the following cultivars have in common? What does 'Nana' mean?
Prunus laurocerasus 'Nana '
Punica granatum 'Nana'
Abies balsamea ' Nana '
21.What do the following cultivars have in common? What does
'Pendula' mean?
Prunus subhirtella ‘Pendula'
Fagus sylvatica 'Pendula'
Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca Pendula'
22. What do the following cultivars have in common? What does
'Variegata' mean?
Acer negundo 'Variegatum'
Rhamnus alaternus 'Variegata'
Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Variegata'