Editing Cultivar (section)

== Etymology ==

{{Main|Cultivated plant taxonomy}}

[[File:Liberty Hyde Bailey 1858-1954.jpg|thumb|{{center|[[Liberty Hyde Bailey]] (1858–1954) coined the words ''cultigen'' in 1918 and ''cultivar'' in 1923.}}]]

The word ''cultivar'' originated from the need to distinguish between wild plants and those with characteristics that arose in cultivation, presently denominated ''cultigens''. This distinction dates to the Greek philosopher [[Theophrastus]] (370–285&nbsp;BC), the "Father of Botany", who was keenly aware of this difference. Botanical historian Alan Morton noted that Theophrastus in his ''[[Historia Plantarum (Theophrastus)|Historia Plantarum]]'' (''Enquiry into Plants'') "had an inkling of the limits of culturally induced ([[phenotype|phenotypic]]) changes and of the importance of genetic constitution" (''Historia Plantarum'', Book 3, 2, 2 and ''Causa Plantarum'', Book 1, 9, 3).<ref>{{Harvnb|Morton|1981|pp=38–39}}</ref>

The [[International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants]] uses as its starting point for modern [[botanical nomenclature]] the [[Latin]] names in [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]]' (1707–1778) ''[[Species Plantarum]]'' (tenth edition) and ''[[Genera Plantarum]]'' (fifth edition). In ''Species Plantarum'', Linnaeus enumerated all plants known to him, either directly or from his extensive reading. He recognised the rank of [[Variety (botany)|varietas]] (botanical "variety", a rank below that of [[species]] and [[subspecies]]) and he indicated these varieties with letters of the [[Greek alphabet]], such as α, β, and δ, before the varietal name, rather than using the abbreviation "var." as is the present convention. Most of the varieties that Linnaeus enumerated were of "garden" origin rather than being wild plants.<ref>{{Harvnb|Lawrence|1955|p=177}}</ref>

In time the need to distinguish between wild plants and those with variations that had been cultivated increased. In the nineteenth century many "garden-derived" plants were given horticultural names, sometimes in Latin and sometimes in a vernacular language. From ''circa'' the 1900s, cultivated plants in [[Europe]] were recognised in the Scandinavian, Germanic, and Slavic literature as ''stamm'' or ''sorte'',<ref name=autogenerated2>{{Harvnb|Lawrence|1955|p=180}}</ref> but these words could not be used internationally because, by international agreement, any new denominations had to be in Latin.<ref>{{Harvnb|Lawrence|1955|p=181}}</ref> In the twentieth century an improved international [[nomenclature]] was proposed for cultivated plants.<ref>{{Harvnb|Lawrence|1955|pp=179–180}}</ref>

[[Liberty Hyde Bailey]] of [[Cornell University]] in [[New York (state)|New York]], [[United States]] created the word ''cultivar'' in 1923 when he wrote that:<ref name="Bailey 1923 113"/>

{{blockquote|The cultigen is a species, or its equivalent, that has appeared under domestication – the plant is cultigenous. I now propose another name, cultivar, for a botanical variety, or for a race subordinate to species, that has originated under cultivation; it is not necessarily, however, referable to a recognised botanical species. It is essentially the equivalent of the botanical variety except in respect to its origin.<ref name="Bailey 1923 113"/>}}

In that essay, Bailey used only the rank of species for the cultigen, but it was obvious to him that many domesticated plants were more like botanical varieties than species, and that realisation appears to have motivated the suggestion of the new category of ''cultivar''.<ref name="Bailey 1923 113"/>

Bailey created the word ''cultivar''. It is generally assumed to be a blend of '''''culti'''vated'' and '''''var'''iety'' but Bailey never explicitly stated his choice of [[etymology]], and it has been suggested that the word is actually a blend of '''''culti'''gen'' and '''''var'''iety''.<ref>{{Harvnb|Trehane|2004|p=17}}</ref> The [[neologism]] ''cultivar'' was promoted as "euphonious" and "free from ambiguity".<ref name=autogenerated2 /><ref group="nb">This ignored its prior use as a transitive verb in [[Spanish language|Spanish]] denoting "to farm, to cultivate, to grow, or to practice" ([http://www.spanishdict.com/translate/cultivar Online Spanish dictionary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111061248/http://www.spanishdict.com/translate/cultivar |date=2010-01-11 }}), and in [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] denoting ''to cultivate, to husband, to farm, to plant, to polish, to reclaim, to improve'' ([http://online.ectaco.co.uk/main.jsp%3bjsessionid=bc304a778686293e1e2f?do=e-services-dictionaries-word_translate1&direction=2&status=translate&lang1=23&lang2=pt Ectaco online Portuguese dictionary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407014149/http://online.ectaco.co.uk/main.jsp;jsessionid=bc304a778686293e1e2f?do=e-services-dictionaries-word_translate1&direction=2&status=translate&lang1=23&lang2=pt |date=2023-04-07 }}).</ref> The first ''Cultivated Plant Code'' of 1953 subsequently commended its use, and by 1960 it had achieved common international acceptance.<ref>{{Harvnb|Lawrence|1960|p=1}}</ref>

=== Cultigens ===

{{Main|Cultigen}}

[[File:Triticum aestivum, Gewone tarwe.jpg|thumb|upright|Bread wheat, ''[[Triticum aestivum]]'', is considered a cultigen, and is a distinct species from other [[Triticum|wheats]] according to the [[biological species concept]]. Many different cultivars have been created within this cultigen. Many other cultigens are not considered to be distinct species, and can be denominated otherwise.]]

The words ''[[cultigen]]'' and ''cultivar'' may be confused with each other. A ''cultigen'' is any plant that is deliberately selected for or altered in cultivation, as opposed to an ''[[indigen]]''; the ''Cultivated Plant Code'' states that cultigens are "maintained as recognisable entities solely by continued propagation".<ref>Cultivated Plant Code Art. 2.3 {{Harvnb|Brickell|2009|p=1}}</ref> Cultigens can have names at any of many taxonomic ranks, including those of [[Grex (horticulture)|grex]], [[species]], [[cultivar group]], [[variety (botany)|variety]], [[forma (botany)|form]], and cultivar; and they may be plants that have been altered in cultivation, including by [[Genetically modified organism|genetic modification]], but have not been formally denominated.<ref>{{Harvnb|Spencer|Cross|Lumley|2007|p=47}}</ref> A cultigen or a component of a cultigen can be accepted as a cultivar if it is recognisable and has stable characters. Therefore, all cultivars are cultigens, because they are cultivated, but not all cultigens are cultivars, because some cultigens have not been formally distinguished and named as cultivars.