What to Know About the Difference Between Cultivars and Varieties

Cultivars and varieties are terms used to describe groups of plants that are related to each other but have distinct characteristics. Understanding the differences between cultivars and varieties can help gardeners and farmers select the best plants for their needs.

An Introduction to Cultivars

A cultivar is a cultivated variety of a plant that has been selectively bred by humans to have certain desirable traits. Cultivars are produced through selective breeding programs and must retain their distinguishing characteristics when propagated. This means that cultivars bred from seed will have the same properties as their parent plants.

Some key things to know about cultivars:

Cultivars are selected for traits like improved yield, pest and disease resistance, plant size, color, flavor, shelf life, and more. Breeders cross parent plants with favorable traits to create new and improved cultivars.
Cultivars are recognizably distinct from other plants of the same species. Differences can include plant size, leaf shape, flower color, fruit characteristics, etc.
Cultivars are propagated to remain true-to-type. This means that all plants within a cultivar will be uniform and stable in their properties. They maintain their distinguishing traits when reproduced.
Cultivars are labeled with cultivated variety names that are capitalized and often enclosed in single quotes. For example, a cultivar of tomato may be labeled as ‘Early Girl’ or ‘Beefsteak’. This allows cultivars to be easily identified and distinguished from other plants.
New cultivars require registration and patent protection before commercial release. Breeders patent and trademark cultivars to gain exclusive sales and propagation rights for a number of years.

Overall, a cultivar is a cultivated plant variety with distinct, uniform traits that are maintained through propagation. Cultivars are bred by people to improve characteristics of agricultural, ornamental and environmental interest.

What are Varieties?

A variety is a naturally occurring subgroup of a plant species that has distinct characteristics from the rest of the species. Varieties develop in nature over time, unlike cultivars which are selectively bred by humans.

Some key things to know about varieties:

Varieties are produced through natural adaptation and selection, not artificial breeding. The differences arise and persist from natural processes like genetic mutation and environmental stresses.
Varieties exhibit variations in traits like growth habit, flower/fruit color, disease resistance, hardiness, etc. But the differences are more subtle than what distinguishes cultivars.
Varieties breed true and retain their distinguishing characters only when self-pollinated or vegetatively propagated. Crosses within or between varieties can change or lose distinguishing traits.
Varieties are labeled with botanical variety names, often abbreviated ‘var.’ Names are not capitalized or enclosed in quotes. For example, a variety of cabbage may be labeled as Brassica oleracea var. capitata.
Discovery and identification of new varieties expand the formal botanical classification of a plant species. Documenting varieties helps identify genetic diversity within a plant group.
Varieties occur naturally, so they cannot be patented or restricted from propagation and sales. Anyone can reproduce and sell seeds or plants of a variety.

In summary, a variety is a subgroup of plants within a species that has naturally arisen and retained distinguishing characteristics. Varieties reflect the genetic diversity of a plant group that has adapted to different environments over time.

Key Differences Between Cultivars and Varieties

While cultivars and varieties both describe plants with distinct traits, there are some key differences between these terms:

Origins – Cultivars arise from selective breeding and propagation by humans. Varieties arise naturally through adaptation and selection pressures in the wild.
Human Influence – Cultivars are intentionally bred by people to enhance desirable qualities. Varieties develop independently of human influence over time.
Trait Distinctness – Cultivars exhibit more prominent, uniform, and stable differences in traits like flower color, fruit size, flavor, plant shape, etc. Varieties have more subtle variations in a limited set of traits.
Propagation – Cultivars remain true-to-type when propagated through seed or vegetative means. Varieties may lose distinguishing traits if not self-pollinated or vegetatively propagated.
Naming – Cultivars have cultivated variety names that are capitalized and often quoted. Varieties have uncapitalized Latin botanical variety names.
Exclusivity – Cultivars can be patented and protected for exclusive sales and propagation rights. Varieties occur freely in nature so cannot be restricted from propagation.
Documentation – New cultivars must be registered and documented when released commercially. Documenting new varieties expands formal botanical classification and understanding of natural diversity within a species.

So in summary, the main difference lies in cultivars being man-made and varieties being naturally occurring. Cultivars exhibit more dramatic and stable trait differences, while varieties reflect more subtle natural diversity within a species.

Examples Comparing Cultivars and Varieties

Let’s look at some examples that help illustrate the key differences between cultivars and varieties:

Tomatoes

The tomato species Solanum lycopersicum has many naturally occurring varieties with slight variations in fruit color, size, acidity, etc. Examples are var. cerasiforme (cherry tomato) and var. pyriforme (pear tomato).

Within this species, there are also thousands of cultivars like ‘Early Girl’, ‘Beefsteak’, ‘Cherokee Purple’, etc. that were bred to have much more pronounced and consistent differences in fruit traits.

Apples

The apple species Malus domestica has varieties like var. anisimova, a Russian apple variety with slight ripening differences.

It also has many more distinct cultivars like ‘Honeycrisp’, ‘Fuji’, and ‘Gala’ that were bred specifically for increased sweetness, crisp texture, color, and other apple traits.

Roses

The species Rosa gallica has a variety, var. versicolor, known for pale pink and white striped flower coloring.

But there are countless rose cultivars bred for more dramatic differences in size, shape, color, and scent, such as ‘Black Baccara’ and ‘Double Delight’.

Peppers

Within the species Capsicum annuum are varieties like var. glabriusculum with minor flowering habit differences.

There are also very different pepper cultivars like ‘Banana’ and ‘ Jalapeno’ that were intensively bred for fruit size, shape, color, and flavor.

So while the varieties exhibit minor variations that occur in nature, the cultivars show much more pronounced and consistent trait differences bred intentionally by humans.

Cultivar Naming Conventions

Cultivars are given names with specific conventions that distinguish them from other plants. Some key naming rules for cultivars include:

Cultivar names are capitalized and often enclosed in single quotes, like ‘Red Delicious’ apple.
Names cannot be in Latin form and cannot have “variety” or “form” included.
The name should be descriptive of a trait, person’s name, place, or some distinguishing quality.
Names cannot be too similar to existing names within the genus and species.
Water plants use aquatica before the name, like Nymphaea ‘Aquatica’.
Ornamental plants use words like beauty, joy, or jewel in names, like Hibiscus ‘Summer Joy’.
Food crop cultivars include aspects like flavor, color, season, or purpose, like Cucumis sativus ‘Sweet Slice’ cucumber.
Cultivars bred for certain regions may use a geographic place name, like Vitis ‘Napa Valley’ grape.
Breeder’s business or personal names are sometimes used, like Rudbeckia hirta ‘Autumn Colors’.
Trademarked names are allowable but should also have a cultivar name, like the apple Malus ‘Cripps Pink’ (trade name Pink Lady).

Following these naming practices helps distinguish official cultivars from other plants and highlights the manmade, cultivated origins of the plants.

The Role of Cultivars in Agriculture and Horticulture

Cultivars play a very important role in agriculture, horticulture, and food production:

Enhanced traits – Cultivars provide growers with plants bred specifically for yield, growth habit, color, flavor, disease resistance, regional adaptation, and other desirable qualities.
Uniformity – Uniformity of cultivars allows for reliable production planning. Farmers can predict performance and harvest timing more easily with uniform cultivars.
Year-round production – Breeding cultivars for different maturities allows production and harvests to be staggered throughout the growing season.
Disease/pest resistance – Cultivars bred for resistance to diseases, insects, and environmental stresses are very important for managing crop health.
Regional suitability – Specialized breeding creates cultivars adapted to regional growing conditions like drought, heat, short seasons, etc.
Improved shipping/storage – Breeding for firmer fruit, slower ripening, and longer vase life provides cultivars that ship and store well.
Consumer enjoyment – Cultivars bring reliable, improved flavors, colors, textures, shapes, and other traits that add value for consumers.
Organic/sustainable production – Disease resistant, locally adapted cultivars reduce reliance on pesticides and synthetic inputs.

In summary, cultivars are a backbone of commercial agriculture and horticulture, providing growers and consumers with improved, specially bred plant options optimized for desirable, marketable qualities.

Protecting New Cultivars with Patents and Trademarks

Developing new cultivars requires significant time, resources, and cost. Therefore, breeders often patent or trademark new cultivars to gain exclusive sales and propagation rights for a period of time, allowing them to recoup their investment. Here is an overview of intellectual property protection options for cultivars:

Utility patents – A utility patent protects the unique genetic traits and breeding methods of a cultivar for 20 years from filing. All plants propagated from the cultivar are also protected during this time. Utility patents are strongest but more complex to obtain.
Plant patents – A plant patent protects a new, unique, sexually reproduced cultivar for 20 years from application. Essentially protects cloned propagation of the exact cultivar. Easier to obtain but provides less protection than utility.
Plant variety protection (PVP) certificates – Issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, PVP protects sexually reproduced cultivars from being sold or propagated without permission for 20-25 years after issuance. Applies to seed-propagated crops.
Trademarks – Trademarks protect the brand name given to a cultivar. They don’t protect the plant itself but do prevent others from selling it under the protected name. Trademarks can be renewed indefinitely as long as cultivar is sold.
Trade secrets – Some breeders keep cultivars’ genetics and breeding methods secret rather than patenting. But this provides little protection from propagation if plant materials are obtained.

By leveraging these protections, breeders and companies creating new cultivars can maintain sales and propagation exclusivity for many years to be rewarded for their breeding investments.

The Process of Breeding New Cultivars

Creating new cultivars that are improved over existing varieties requires extensive breeding work and evaluation. Here is an overview of the cultivar breeding process:

Establishing breeding goals – Breeders determine what traits they want to improve or develop based on grower needs, consumer preferences, and industry trends. Goals may include higher yield, better color, disease resistance, regional adaptation, etc.
Selecting parent material – Breeders identify parent plants that already exhibit desired traits to some degree that can be combined in offspring. Both new and existing cultivars may be used as parent breeding lines.
Making the crosses – Selected parent plants are crossed through controlled pollination by hand. Plants may be crossed within the same cultivar or between two different cultivars.
Growing seedlings – The seeds produced from crosses are germinated and seedlings are grown under controlled conditions. Hundreds or thousands may be grown to screen.
Evaluating offspring – Seedlings are assessed for presence of target traits through visual inspection, lab analysis, and field trials. Most offspring don’t exhibit the full trait combo desired.
Selecting improved lines – The small percentage of seedlings expressing the desired new trait profiles are selected for further propagation and testing.
Replicated testing – Promising lines are propagated and evaluated further in replicated multi-location trials to confirm stable trait expression. Few selections make it this far.
Pre-commercialization multiplication – Final elite selections are mass propagated to build up sufficient stock for large scale cultivation prior to commercial release.
Naming and release – The final cultivars must be assigned a proper name before commercialization. Exclusive rights may be secured through patents and trademarks.
** Commercial propagation and sales** – Finally, the new cultivar can be propagated at scale and sold commercially to growers. It must remain true-to-type over generations.

This lengthy breeding process may take 8-12 years or longer from initial crosses to a stable new cultivar being ready for market. But it is essential for creating improved cultivars with new trait combinations superior to what already exists in nature.

How Cultivars Relate to Other Crop Classifications

Besides relating to varieties, cultivars fall under some other broad crop classification systems:

Cultivar groups – All cultivars of a crop species with similar traits may be designated an informal cultivar group, like mustard ‘Southern Giant Curled’ in Brassica Juncea cultivar group Mustard Greens.
Hybrids – Hybrid cultivars are made by crossing two genetically distinct parent lines. Offspring exhibit hybrid vigor but don’t breed true. Examples are hybrid tomatoes, corn, and roses.
Open-pollinated (OP) cultivars – OP cultivars produce seed that remains true-to-type when pollinated naturally by wind, insects, etc. Heirlooms are open-pollinated.
Clones – Some cultivars are propagated as clones, meaning all plants are identical copies of a single parent plant reproduced asexually.
Landraces – Primitive cultivars adapted to local conditions are called landraces. They lack formal breeding but are adapted to regional environments.

So cultivars may belong to larger crop groupings, be bred as hybrids, propagated as clones, or be considered landraces adapted to certain locations. But all describe intentionally bred, cultivated plant varieties.

Cultivar Categories by Plant Type

Cultivars exist for just about all commercially grown plant types. Here are some of the key categories of cultivars based on plant type and use:

Agricultural Crops

Cereal grains (wheat, rice, barley, oat cultivars)
Fruit and vegetables (tomato, pepper, onion, etc. cultivars)
Fiber crops (cotton, flax cultivars)
Oilseed crops (rapeseed, sunflower cultivars)
Forage crops (alfalfa, clover cultivars)
Herbs and spices (basil, thyme cultivars)
Medicinal crops (Echinacea, chamomile cultivars)

Ornamental Plants

Annual flowers (marigold, zinnia, petunia cultivars)
Perennial flowers (hosta, iris, daylily cultivars)
Woody shrubs (hydrangea, rose, spirea cultivars)
Ornamental trees (maple, dogwood, crape myrtle cultivars)
Ornamental grasses (fountain grass, maiden grass cultivars)
Aquatic plants (water lily, lotus cultivars)

Fruit Crops

Tree fruits (apple, peach, citrus cultivars)
Small fruits (grape, strawberry, blueberry cultivars)
Tropical fruits (banana, mango, pineapple cultivars)
Nut crops (almond, walnut, pecan cultivars)

Turfgrasses

Warm season grasses (zoysia, bermuda grass, centipede grass cultivars)
Cool season grasses (fescue, bluegrass, ryegrass cultivars)
Special use turfs (sod, sports field turf cultivars)

These represent the vast range of plants improved through cultivar breeding and selection around the world. New cultivars are constantly in development to provide growers and consumers with improved plant choices.

The Future of Plant Cultivar Breeding and Development

The breeding and introduction of new cultivars will continue expanding in the future to meet food production needs and consumer preferences:

Flavor, nutrition, and convenience – More focus on eating quality, nutrition density, easy-to-use veggies and fruits for consumers.
Disease and stress resistance – Ongoing breeding for resistance to emerging diseases, pests, and climate stresses.
Regional adaptation – Breeding cultivars tailored to regional soils, daylengths, rainfalls, and temperatures for optimal performance.
Organic suitability – Non-GMO, disease resistant cultivars suitable for organic and low input production systems.
Diversity and uniqueness – Continued breeding of new ornamental cultivar shapes, colors, and novelty characteristics.
Sustainability – Improved cultivars that use less water, fertilizer, and pesticides for sustainable crop production.
Genomic-assisted breeding – DNA analysis used to more rapidly identify parent plants with desired gene combinations to breed new cultivars.

In summary, cultivar innovation will continue improving plants on qualities beyond basic yield to enhance nutrition, flavor, convenience