Editing Cultivar

{{short description|Plant or grouping of plants selected for desirable characteristics}}
{{For|the taxonomic rank just below subspecies|Variety (botany)}}
[[File:African daisy (Osteospermum sp. 'Pink Whirls').jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.25|{{center|''[[Osteospermum]]'' 'Pink Whirls' <br /> A cultivar selected for its brightly coloured flowers with unusual fluted petal structure}}]]

A '''cultivar''' is a kind of [[Horticulture|cultivated]] plant that people have selected for desired [[phenotypic trait|traits]] and which retains those traits when [[Plant propagation|propagated]]. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, [[grafting]], [[micropropagation|tissue culture]], or carefully controlled seed production. Most cultivars arise from deliberate human [[genetic engineering|manipulation]], but some originate from wild plants that have distinctive characteristics. Cultivar names are chosen according to rules of the [[International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants]] (ICNCP), and not all cultivated plants qualify as cultivars. Horticulturists generally believe the word ''cultivar''<ref group="nb">''Cultivar'' ({{IPAc-en|lang|ˈ|k|ʌ|l|t|ᵻ|ˌ|v|ɑːr|,_|-|ˌ|v|ɛər}}) has two meanings, as explained in ''[[#Formal definition|Formal definition]]'': it is a classification category and a taxonomic unit within the category. When referring to a [[taxon]], the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all plants that share the unique characteristics that define the cultivar.</ref> was coined as a term meaning "'''cultivated variety'''".

Popular [[ornamental plant]]s like [[rose]]s, [[camellia]]s, [[Narcissus (plant)|daffodils]], [[rhododendron]]s, and [[azalea]]s are commonly cultivars produced by [[Selective breeding|breeding and selection]] or as [[Sport (botany)|sports]], for floral colour or size, plant form, or other desirable characteristics.<ref name="Kays2011">{{cite book|author=Stanley J. Kays|title=Cultivated vegetables of the world: a multilingual onomasticon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1pBMcf6wyj0C&pg=PA15|date=3 October 2011|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-90-8686-720-2|pages=15–}}</ref> Similarly, the world's agricultural [[food crop]]s are almost exclusively cultivars that have been selected for characters such as improved yield, flavour, and resistance to disease. Since the advent of [[genetic engineering]] in the 1970's<ref name="Widespread use of cultivars">{{cite web |title=Science and History of GMOs and Other Food Modification Processes |url=https://www.fda.gov/food/agricultural-biotechnology/science-and-history-gmos-and-other-food-modification-processes |website=FDA.gov |publisher=United States Food and Drug Administration |access-date=1 February 2025 |date=5 March 2024}}</ref> and the rise of its application in crop breeding in the 1980's, very few wild plants are used as commercial food sources.<ref name="Evolution of crop development">{{cite web |author1=Wieczorek, Ania |author2=Wright, Mark |title=History of Agricultural Biotechnology: How Crop Development has Evolved |url=https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/history-of-agricultural-biotechnology-how-crop-development-25885295 |website=Nature.com |publisher=The Nature Education Knowledge Project |access-date=1 February 2025 |date=2012}}</ref> Trees used in [[forestry]] are also special selections grown for their enhanced quality and yield of [[timber]], for example American timber company [[Weyerhaeuser]] is the leading grower of genetically modified [[Douglas-fir]] trees, one of the most commonly harvested trees.<ref name="Selective breeding in timber industry">{{cite news |title=Genetic Firs Help Weyerhauser Grow For Future Specially Grown Trees Produce Stronger, Improved Wood |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1995/mar/28/genetic-firs-help-weyerhauser-grow-for-future/ |access-date=1 February 2025 |agency=Associated Press |publisher=The Spokesman-Review |date=28 March 1995}}</ref>

Cultivars form a major part of [[Liberty Hyde Bailey]]'s broader group, the [[cultigen]],<ref name="Bailey 1923 113">{{Harvnb|Bailey|1923|p=113}}</ref> which is defined as a plant whose origin or selection is primarily due to intentional human activity.<ref>{{Harvnb|Spencer|Cross|2007|p=938}}</ref> A cultivar is not the same as a [[Variety (botany)|botanical variety]],<ref>{{Harvnb|Lawrence|1953|pp=19–20}}</ref> which is a taxonomic rank below [[subspecies]], and there are differences in the rules for creating and using the names of botanical varieties and cultivars. Since the creation of the [[Plant Patent Act of 1930]]<ref name="Plant name patent">{{cite news |author1=Philip G Pardey |author2=Bonwoo Koo |author3=Jennifer Drew |author4=Jeff Horwich |author5=Carol Nottenburg |title=The evolving landscape of plant varietal rights in the United States, 1930–2008 |work=PubMed Central |agency=Nature Biotechnology |issue=31 |publisher=National Library of Medicine |date=9 January 2013 |volume=31 |pages=25–29 |doi=10.1038/nbt.2467|pmc=4297641 }}</ref> the naming of cultivars has been complicated by the use of statutory [[patents]]<ref name="Complexity and difficulties of plant naming">{{cite web |author1=Dr. Matthew A. Jenks |title=Plant Nomenclature |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113122949/http://www.hort.purdue.edu/hort/courses/HORT217/Nomenclature/description.htm |website=Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture |access-date=1 February 2025 |archive-url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/hort/courses/HORT217/Nomenclature/description.htm |archive-date=13 January 2012 |location=Purdue University Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Horticulture Building, Room 314 |date=18 August 2006}}</ref> for plants and recognition of [[plant breeders' rights]].<ref name="Purdue-Hort">{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113122949/http://www.hort.purdue.edu/hort/courses/HORT217/Nomenclature/description.htm |archive-date=2012-01-13 |title=HORT217 - Woody Landscape Plants |website=[[Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture]] - Purdue University |url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/hort/courses/HORT217/Nomenclature/description.htm |access-date=2007-07-28 }} Also {{webarchive |url=https://archive.today/20120802200032/http://www.hort.purdue.edu/hort/courses/HORT217/Nomenclature/description.htm |date=2 August 2012}}</ref>

The [[International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants]] (UPOV – {{Langx|fr|Union internationale pour la protection des obtentions végétales}}) offers legal protection of plant cultivars to persons or organisations that introduce new cultivars to commerce. UPOV requires that a cultivar be "distinct", "uniform", and "stable". To be "distinct", it must have characters that easily distinguish it from any other named cultivar. To be "uniform" and "stable", the cultivar must retain these characters in repeated propagation.

The naming of cultivars is an important aspect of [[cultivated plant taxonomy]], and the correct naming of a cultivar is prescribed by the Rules and Recommendations of the ''[[International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants]]'' (ICNCP, often called the ''Cultivated Plant Code''). A cultivar is given a cultivar name, which consists of the scientific [[Latin]] botanical name followed by a cultivar [[Binomial nomenclature|epithet]]. The cultivar epithet is usually in a [[vernacular]] language, and must be so for cultivars named after 1 January 1959.

== 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.

== Formal definition ==

{{Main|International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants}}

The ''Cultivated Plant Code'' notes that the word cultivar is used in two different senses: first, as a "classification category" the cultivar is defined in Article 2 of the ''International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants'' (2009, 8th edition) as follows: ''The basic category of cultivated plants whose nomenclature is governed by this Code is the cultivar.''<ref>Cultivated Plant Code. Art. 2.1 {{Harvnb|Brickell|2009|p=6}}</ref> There are two other classification categories for cultigens, the [[Grex (horticulture)|grex]]<ref>Cultivated Plant Code. Art. 4 {{Harvnb|Brickell|2009|p=12}}</ref> and the [[Cultivar group|group]].<ref>Cultivated Plant Code. Art. 3 {{Harvnb|Brickell|2009|pp=10–12}}</ref> The ''Code'' then defines a ''cultivar'' as a "taxonomic unit within the classification category of cultivar". This is the sense of ''cultivar'' that is most generally understood and which is used as a general definition.

{{blockquote|''A cultivar is an assemblage of plants that (a)&nbsp;has been selected for a particular character or combination of characters, (b)&nbsp;is distinct, uniform and stable in those characters, and (c)&nbsp;when propagated by appropriate means, retains those characters.''<ref>Cultivated Plant Code. Art. 2.2 {{Harvnb|Brickell|2009|p=6}}</ref>}}

A cultivar may be given a [[vernacular]] name or a number.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Stoskopf |first1=Neal C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hMfADwAAQBAJ&pg=PA497 |title=Plant Breeding: Theory And Practice |last2=Tomes |first2=Dwight T. |last3=Christie |first3=B. R. |last4=Christie |first4=Bertram R. |date=2019-09-05 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-000-23259-2 |language=en}}</ref>

== Different kinds ==

[[Image:Airport orchid.JPG|thumb|left|220px|{{center|A cultivar of the orchid genus ''[[Oncidium]]''}}]]

Which plants are chosen to be named as cultivars is simply a matter of convenience as the category was created to serve the practical needs of [[horticulture]], [[agricultural science|agriculture]], and [[forestry]].<ref>Cultivated Plant Code. Preamble & Principles {{Harvnb|Brickell|2009|p=19}}</ref>

Members of a particular cultivar are not necessarily genetically identical. The ''Cultivated Plant Code'' emphasizes that different cultivated plants may be accepted as different cultivars, even if they have the same genome, while cultivated plants with different genomes may be regarded as the same cultivar. The production of cultivars generally entails considerable human involvement although in a few cases it may be as little as simply selecting variation from plants growing in the wild (whether by collecting growing tissue to propagate from or by gathering seed).<ref>Cultivated Plant Code, Article 2.20 {{Harvnb|Brickell|2009|p=9}}</ref>

Cultivars generally occur as [[Ornamental plant|ornamentals]] and food crops: ''[[Malus]]'' '[[Granny Smith]]' and ''Malus'' '[[Red Delicious]]' are cultivars of apples propagated by cuttings or [[grafting]], ''[[Lactuca]]'' 'Red Sails' and ''Lactuca'' 'Great Lakes' are lettuce cultivars propagated by seeds. Named cultivars of ''[[Hosta]]'' and ''[[Hemerocallis]]'' plants are cultivars produced by [[micropropagation]] or division.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Armitage |first=Allan M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kA6VgfxsstIC&pg=PA542 |title=Herbaceous Perennial Plants: A Treatise on their Identification, Culture, and Garden Attributes |date=2008-05-01 |publisher=Quarto Publishing Group USA |isbn=978-1-61058-380-0 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Halevy |first=Abraham H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9zSoDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA132 |title=Handbook of Flowering: Volume III |date=2019-07-23 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-351-08100-9 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Clones ===

{{Main|Clone (botany)}}

[[File:Leucospermum cultivar Edit.jpg|right|thumb|220px|{{center|''[[Leucospermum]]'' 'Scarlet Ribbon'<br />A cross performed in Tasmania between ''[[Leucospermum glabrum|L.&nbsp;glabrum]]'' and ''[[Leucospermum tottum|L.&nbsp;tottum]]''}}]]

Cultivars that are produced asexually are genetically identical and known as [[Cloning|clones]]; this includes plants propagated by [[division (horticulture)|division]], [[layering]], [[cutting (plant)|cuttings]], [[grafting|grafts]], and [[budding]]. The propagating material may be taken from a particular part of the plant, such as a lateral branch, or from a particular phase of the life cycle, such as a juvenile leaf, or from aberrant growth as occurs with [[witch's broom]]. Plants whose distinctive characters are derived from the presence of an intracellular organism may also form a cultivar provided the characters are reproduced reliably from generation to generation. Plants of the same [[chimera (plant)|chimera]] (which have mutant tissues close to normal tissue) or graft-chimeras (which have vegetative tissue from different kinds of plants and which originate by grafting) may also constitute a cultivar.<ref>Cultivated Plant Code, Articles 2.5–2.11 {{Harvnb|Brickell|2009|pp=6–7}}</ref>

=== Seed-produced ===

Some cultivars "come true from seed", retaining their distinguishing characteristics when grown from seed. Such plants are termed a "variety", "selection", or "strain" but these are ambiguous and confusing words that are best avoided. In general, asexually propagated cultivars grown from seeds produce highly variable seedling plants, and should not be labelled with, or sold under, the parent cultivar's name.<ref>[http://www.rhs.org.uk/learning/publications/plantsman/0605/opinion.asp Courses / RHS Gardening<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051226124519/http://www.rhs.org.uk/learning/publications/plantsman/0605/opinion.asp |date=2005-12-26 }}</ref>

Seed-raised cultivars may be produced by uncontrolled pollination when characteristics that are distinct, uniform and stable are passed from parents to progeny. Some are produced as "lines" that are produced by repeated self-fertilisation or inbreeding or "multilines" that are made up of several closely related lines. Sometimes they are [[F1&nbsp;hybrid]]s which are the result of a deliberate repeatable single cross between two pure lines. A few F2 hybrid seed cultivars also exist, such as ''Achillea'' 'Summer Berries'.

Some cultivars are [[Agamospermy|agamospermous]] plants, which retain their genetic composition and characteristics under reproduction.<ref>Cultivated Plant Code, Articles 2.17–2.18 {{Harvnb|Brickell|2009|pp=7–8}}</ref> Occasionally cultivars are raised from seed of a specially selected provenance – for example the seed may be taken from plants that are resistant to a particular disease.<ref>Cultivated Plant Code, Articles 2.12–2.16  {{Harvnb|Brickell|2009|pp=7–8}}</ref>

=== Genetically modified ===

{{Main|Genetic engineering}}

Genetically modified plants with characteristics resulting from the deliberate implantation of genetic material from a different [[germplasm]] may form a cultivar. However, the [[International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants]] notes, "In practice such an assemblage is often marketed from one or more lines or multilines that have been genetically modified. These lines or multilines often remain in a constant state of development which makes the naming of such an assemblage as a cultivar a futile exercise."<ref>Cultivated Plant Code, Articles 2.19 {{Harvnb|Brickell|2009|pp=8–9}}</ref> However, retired transgenic varieties such as the [[fish tomato]], which are no longer being developed, do not run into this obstacle and can be given a cultivar name.

Cultivars may be selected because of a change in the [[ploidy]] level of a plant which may produce more desirable characteristics.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lebot |first=Vincent |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UInHDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA239 |title=Tropical Root and Tuber Crops, 2nd Edition |date=2019-12-02 |publisher=CABI |isbn=978-1-78924-336-9 |language=en}}</ref>

== Cultivar names ==

[[File:Viola x hybrida 'Clear Crystals Apricot', SC, Vic., 15.9.2007.jpg|right|210px|thumb|{{center|''Viola'' 'Clear Crystals Apricot'<br />The specific epithet may be omitted from a cultivar name.}}]]

Every cultivar has a unique name within its denomination class (which is almost always the genus). Names of cultivars are regulated by the ''International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants'', and may be registered with an [[International Cultivar Registration Authority]] (ICRA). There are sometimes separate registration authorities for different plant types such as roses and camellias. In addition, cultivars may be associated with commercial marketing names referred to in the ''Cultivated Plant Code'' as "trade designations" (see below).

=== Presenting in text ===

A ''cultivar name'' consists of a [[botanical name]] (of a genus, [[species]], infraspecific [[taxon]], interspecific [[Hybrid animal|hybrid]] or intergeneric hybrid) followed by a cultivar [[epithet]]. The cultivar epithet is enclosed by single quotes;<ref name="Brickell 2009 19"/> it should not be italicised if the botanical name is italicised;<ref>Cultivated Plant Code Recommendation 8A.1 {{Harvnb|Brickell|2009|p=15}}</ref> and each of the words within the epithet is [[capitalization|capitalised]] (with some permitted exceptions such as conjunctions).<ref>Cultivated Plant Code Article 21.3 {{Harvnb|Brickell|2009|p=25}}</ref> It is permissible to place a cultivar epithet after a common name provided the common name is botanically unambiguous. Cultivar epithets published before 1 January 1959 were often given a [[Latin]] form and can be readily confused with the [[specific name (botany)|specific epithets]] in botanical names; after that date, newly coined cultivar epithets must be in a modern vernacular language to distinguish them from botanical epithets.<ref>Cultivated Plant Code Art. 14 {{Harvnb|Brickell|2009|p=19}}</ref>

For example, the full cultivar name of the [[King Edward potato]] is ''Solanum tuberosum'' 'King Edward'. 'King Edward' is the cultivar epithet, which, according to the Rules of the ''Cultivated Plant Code'', is bounded by single quotation marks.<ref name="Brickell 2009 19">Cultivated Plant Code Article 14.1 {{Harvnb|Brickell|2009|p=19}}</ref> For patented or trademarked plant product lines developed from a given cultivar, the commercial product name is typically indicated by the symbols "TM" or "®", or is presented in capital letters with no quotation marks, following the cultivar name,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dirr |first1=Michael |last2=Warren |first2=Keith |date=2019 |title=The Tree Book: Superior Selections for Landscapes, Streetscapes, and Gardens |language= English |publisher= Timber Press, Inc. |isbn=978-1-60469-714-8}}</ref> as in the following example, where "Bloomerang" is the commercial name and 'Penda' is the cultivar epithet: ''[[Syringa]]'' 'Penda' BLOOMERANG.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=269258&isprofile=0&letter=s|title=''Syringa'' 'Penda' BLOOMERANG|publisher=Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder|access-date=2022-04-29|archive-date=2021-11-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130010908/https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=269258&isprofile=0&letter=S|url-status=live}}</ref>

: Examples of correct text presentation:
:: ''[[Cryptomeria japonica]]'' 'Elegans'
:: ''[[Chamaecyparis lawsoniana]]'' 'Aureomarginata' (pre-1959 name, [[Latin]] in form)
:: ''Chamaecyparis lawsoniana'' 'Golden Wonder' (post-1959 name, [[English language]])
:: ''[[Pinus densiflora]]'' 'Akebono' (post-1959 name, [[Japanese language]])
:: Apple 'Sundown'

: Some '''incorrect''' text presentation examples:
:: ''Cryptomeria japonica'' "Elegans" (double quotes are unacceptable)
:: ''Berberis thunbergii'' cv. 'Crimson Pygmy' (this once-common usage is now unacceptable, as it is no longer correct to use "cv." in this context; ''Berberis thunbergii'' 'Crimson Pygmy' is correct)
:: ''Rosa'' cv. 'Peace' (this is now incorrect for two reasons: firstly, the use of "cv."; secondly, "Peace" is a trade designation or "selling name" for the cultivar ''R.'' 'Madame A. Meilland' and should therefore be printed in a different typeface from the rest of the name, without quote marks, for example: ''Rosa'' <code>Peace</code>)

Although "cv." has not been permitted by the [[International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants]] since the 1995 edition,<ref name="AusNatBotGard-names-1995" /><ref name="FAO-names" /> it is still widely used<ref name="Chen-et-al-2018" /> and recommended by other authorities.<ref name="TAMU-names" /><ref name="NYBG-names" />

== Group names ==

{{Main|Cultivar group}}

Where several very similar cultivars exist they can be associated into a ''Group'' (formerly ''Cultivar-group''). As Group names are used with cultivar names it is necessary to understand their way of presentation. Group names are presented in normal type and the first letter of each word capitalised as for cultivars, but they are not placed in single quotes. When used in a name, the first letter of the word "Group" is itself capitalised.<ref>Cultivated Plant Code Art. 3 {{Harvnb|Brickell|2009|pp=10–12}}</ref>

=== Presenting in text ===

:: ''Brassica oleracea'' Capitata Group (the group of cultivars including all typical [[cabbage]]s)
:: ''Brassica oleracea'' Botrytis Group (the group of cultivars including all typical [[cauliflower]]s)
:: ''Hydrangea macrophylla'' Groupe Hortensia (in French)=''Hydrangea macrophylla'' Hortensia Group (in English)
: Where cited with a cultivar name the group should be enclosed in parentheses, as follows:
:: ''Hydrangea macrophylla'' (Hortensia Group) 'Ayesha' <ref>Cultivated Plant Code Art. 15 {{Harvnb|Brickell|2009|p=19}}</ref>

== Legal protection of cultivars and their names ==

{{further|Plant breeders' rights|Trademark}}

Since the 1990s there has been an increasing use of legal protection for newly produced cultivars. [[Plant breeding|Plant breeders]] expect legal protection for the cultivars they produce. According to proponents of such protections, if other growers can immediately propagate and sell these cultivars as soon as they come on the market, the breeder's benefit is largely lost.<ref>P. Gepts (2004) ''Who Owns Biodiversity, and How Should the Owners Be Compensated?'' Plant Physiology 134, pp. 1295–1307</ref>
Legal protection for cultivars is obtained through the use of Plant breeders' rights and plant Patents but the specific legislation and procedures needed to take advantage of this protection vary from country to country.<ref>[http://www.bspb.co.uk/BSPB%20Handbook.pdf BSPB ''Plant breeding – The business and science of crop improvement''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110911091226/http://www.bspb.co.uk/BSPB%20Handbook.pdf |date=2011-09-11 }} British Society of Plant Breeders booklet</ref>

=== Controversial use of legal protection for cultivars ===

The use of legal protection for cultivars can be controversial, particularly for food crops that are staples in developing countries,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ssrn.com/abstract=647863 |title=Adi, A.B.C., ''Intellectual Property Rights in Biotechnology and the Fate of Poor Farmers' Agriculture.'' Social Science Research Network |date=13 January 2005 |access-date=2020-07-23 |archive-date=2021-07-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715072543/https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=647863 |url-status=live }}</ref> or for plants selected from the wild and propagated for sale without any additional breeding work; some people consider this practice [[Ethics|unethical]].<ref>[http://www.callygardens.co.uk/pbr_article.html 'Who owns nature?'] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110911145947/http://www.callygardens.co.uk/pbr_article.html |date=2011-09-11 }} (article by nurseryman and plant hunter Michael Wickenden, published in ''[[The Plantsman (magazine)|The Plantsman]]'')</ref>

=== Trade designations and selling names ===

{{anchor|Trade designations|reason=Old section name, with many links to it.}}

The formal scientific name of a cultivar, like ''Solanum tuberosum'' 'King Edward', is a way of uniquely designating a particular kind of plant. This scientific name is in the public domain and cannot be legally protected. Plant retailers may wish to increase their share of the market, and one way of doing this is to replace the Latin scientific names on plant labels in retail outlets with appealing marketing names that are easy to use, pronounce, and remember. Marketing names lie outside the scope of the ''Cultivated Plant Code'' which refers to them as "trade designations". If a retailer or wholesaler has the sole legal rights to a marketing name then that may offer a sales advantage. Plants protected by [[plant breeders' rights]] (PBR) may have a "true" cultivar name – the accepted scientific name in the public domain – and a "commercial synonym" – an additional marketing name that is legally protected. An example would be ''Rosa'' {{tdes|Fascination}}='Poulmax', in which ''Rosa'' is the genus, {{tdes|Fascination}} is the trade designation, and 'Poulmax' is scientific cultivar name.{{cn|date=April 2024}}

Because a name that is attractive in one language may have less appeal in another country, a plant may be given different selling names from country to country. Quoting the original cultivar name allows the correct identification of cultivars around the world.<ref>{{Harvnb|Spencer|Cross|Lumley|2007|pages=76–81}}</ref>

The main body coordinating plant breeders' rights is the [[International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants]] ({{lang|fr|Union internationale pour la protection des obtentions végétales}}, UPOV) and this organisation maintains a database of new cultivars protected by PBR in all countries.<ref>{{Harvnb|Spencer|Cross|Lumley|2007|page=78}}</ref>

== International Cultivar Registration Authorities ==

{{Main|International Cultivar Registration Authority}}

[[Image:Dahlia - "Akita" cultivar.pjg.jpg|left|thumb|{{center|''[[Dahlia]]'' 'Akita' <br /> A cultivar selected for flower form and colour}}]]

An ''International Cultivar Registration Authority'' (ICRA) is a voluntary, non-statutory organisation appointed by the ''Commission for Nomenclature and Cultivar Registration'' of the International Society of Horticultural Science. ICRAs are generally formed by societies and institutions specializing in particular plant genera such as ''Dahlia'' or ''Rhododendron'' and are currently located in Europe, North America, China, India, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Puerto Rico.<ref>Cultivated Plant Code {{Harvnb|Brickell|2009|pp=62, 67–83}}</ref>

Each ICRA produces an annual report and its reappointment is considered every four years. The main task is to maintain a register of the names within the group of interest and where possible this is published and placed in the public domain. One major aim is to prevent the duplication of cultivar and Group epithets within a genus, as well as ensuring that names are in accord with the latest edition of the ''Cultivated Plant Code''. In this way, over the last 50 years or so, ICRAs have contributed to the stability of cultivated plant nomenclature. In recent times{{When|date=June 2024|reason="recent times"}} many ICRAs have also recorded trade designations and trademarks used in labelling plant material, to avoid confusion with established names.<ref name="autogenerated1">See [http://www.ishs.org/sci/icralist/icralist.htm International Cultivar Registration Authorities] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170715041633/http://www.ishs.org/sci/icralist/icralist.htm |date=2017-07-15 }}</ref>

New names and other relevant data are collected by and submitted to the ICRA and in most cases there is no cost. The ICRA then checks each new epithet to ensure that it has not been used before and that it conforms with the ''Cultivated Plant Code''. Each ICRA also ensures that new names are formally established (i.e. published in hard copy, with a description in a dated publication). They record details about the plant, such as parentage, the names of those concerned with its development and introduction, and a basic description highlighting its distinctive characters. ICRAs are not responsible for assessing the distinctiveness of the plant in question.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> Most ICRAs can be contacted electronically and many maintain web sites for an up-to-date listing.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ishs.org/sci/icra.htm  | title=ISHS :: Commission Nomenclature and Cultivar Registration - International Cultivar Registration Authorities (ICRAs)  | last=Staff  | work=ishs.org  | year=2010  | access-date=5 March 2011  | url-status=dead  | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141126034200/http://www.ishs.org/sci/icra.htm  | archive-date=26 November 2014  }}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[Lists of cultivars]]
* [[Plant variety (law)]]
* [[Landrace#Plants|Plant Landrace]]
* [[Hybrid fruit]]

== Notes ==

{{reflist|group="nb"}}

== References ==

{{reflist|20em|refs=
<ref name="AusNatBotGard-names-1995">{{cite web | title=Naming a Cultivar ? | website=[[Australian National Botanic Gardens]] - Botanical Web Portal | date=2000-07-28 | url=http://www.anbg.gov.au/acra/naming-a-cultivar.html | access-date=2020-12-26 | archive-date=2021-03-12 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210312140053/http://www.anbg.gov.au/acra/naming-a-cultivar.html | url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="FAO-names">{{cite web | title=How to name a new cultivar | website=[[Food and Agriculture Organization]] | date=2020-06-10 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201226190600/http://www.fao.org/forestry/45000-0e85e2d9c3cddc8e7fe55eec44b683664.pdf | url=http://www.fao.org/forestry/45000-0e85e2d9c3cddc8e7fe55eec44b683664.pdf | access-date=2020-12-26 | archive-date=2020-12-26}}</ref>
<ref name="TAMU-names">{{cite web | title=Horticulture 202 Laboratory 3 | website=[[Texas A&M University]] General Horticulture | url=http://generalhorticulture.tamu.edu/h202/labs/lab3/sciname.html | access-date=2020-12-26 | archive-date=2020-07-17 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200717192816/http://generalhorticulture.tamu.edu/h202/labs/lab3/sciname.html | url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="NYBG-names">{{cite web | first=Anita | last=Finkle | title=What is the proper way to write a botanical name (Latin name)? | website=[[New York Botanical Garden]] | date=2018-04-02 | url=http://libanswers.nybg.org/faq/223266 | access-date=2020-12-26 | archive-date=2020-11-26 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126223351/https://libanswers.nybg.org/faq/223266 | url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref name="Chen-et-al-2018">{{cite journal | last1=Chen | first1=Guang | last2=Liu | first2=Chaolei | last3=Gao | first3=Zhenyu | last4=Zhang | first4=Yu | last5=Zhang | first5=Anpeng | last6=Zhu | first6=Li | last7=Hu | first7=Jiang | last8=Ren | first8=Deyong | last9=Yu | first9=Ling | last10=Xu | first10=Guohua | last11=Qian | first11=Qian | title=Variation in the Abundance of OsHAK1 Transcript Underlies the Differential Salinity Tolerance of an ''indica'' and a ''japonica'' Rice Cultivar | journal=[[Frontiers in Plant Science]] | publisher=[[Frontiers Media]] SA | volume=8 | date=2018-01-05 | page=2216 | issn=1664-462X | doi=10.3389/fpls.2017.02216 | pmid=29354152 | pmc=5760540 | doi-access=free | bibcode=2018FrPS...08.2216C }}</ref>
}}

== Bibliography ==

{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{Cite journal
 |last =Bailey
 |first=Liberty Hyde
 |year =1923
 |author-link=Liberty Hyde Bailey
 |title=Various cultigens, and transfers in nomenclature
 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R21DAAAAIAAJ
 |journal=Gentes Herbarum
 |volume =1 (Part 3)
 |pages=113–136
}}
* {{Cite journal
 |last=Brickell
 |first =Chris D.
 |year=2009
 |title =International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (ICNCP or Cultivated Plant Code) incorporating the Rules and Recommendations for naming plants in cultivation. 8th ed., adopted by the International Union of Biological Sciences International Commission for the Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants
 |publisher =International Society of Horticultural Science
 |journal =Scripta Horticulturae
 |volume=10
 |pages =1–184
 |isbn=978-90-6605-662-6
 |url =http://www.actahort.org/chronica/pdf/sh_10.pdf
 |access-date =2011-02-07
 |archive-date=2011-08-13
 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110813170303/http://www.actahort.org/chronica/pdf/sh_10.pdf
 |url-status=dead
}}
* {{Cite journal
  | last =Lawrence
  | first=George H.M.
  | year =1953
  | title=Cultivar, Distinguished from Variety
  | journal=Baileya
  | volume =1
  | pages=19–20
  }}
* {{Cite journal
  | last =Lawrence
  | first=George H.M.
  | year =1955
  | title=The Term and Category of Cultivar
  | journal=Baileya
  | volume =3
  | pages=177–181
  }}
* {{Cite journal
  | last =Lawrence
  | first=George H.M.
  | year =1957
  | title=The Designation of Cultivar-names
  | journal=Baileya
  | volume =5
  | pages=162–165
  }}
* {{Cite journal
  | last =Lawrence
  | first=George H.M.
  | year =1960
  | title=Notes on Cultivar Names
  | journal=Baileya
  | volume =8
  | pages=1–4
  }}
* {{Cite book
 |last=Morton
 |first =Alan G.
 |year=1981
 |title =History of Botanical Science: An Account of the Development of Botany from Ancient Times to the Present Day
 |location=London
 |publisher =Academic Press
 |isbn=0-12-508382-3
 |url-access=registration
 |url =https://archive.org/details/historyofbotanic0000mort
}}
* {{Cite book
  | last1 =Spencer
  | first1=Roger
  | last2=Cross
  | first2 =Robert
  | last3=Lumley
  | first3 =Peter
  | year =2007
  | title=Plant names: a guide to botanical nomenclature. (3rd ed.)|location=Collingwood, Australia
  | publisher=CSIRO Publishing (also Earthscan, UK.)
  | isbn =978-0-643-09440-6
  }}
* {{Cite journal
  | last1 =Spencer
  | first1=Roger D.
  | last2=Cross
  | first2 =Robert G.
  | year =2007
  | title=The International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN), the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (ICNCP), and the cultigen
  | journal=[[Taxon (journal)|Taxon]]
  | volume=56 | issue=3 | pages= 938–940
  | doi =10.2307/25065875
  | jstor=25065875
 | bibcode=2007Taxon..56..938S
 }}
* {{Cite journal
  | last =Trehane
  | first=Piers
  | year =2004
  | title=50 years of the ''International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants''
  | journal=Acta Horticulturae
  | volume =634
  | pages=17–27
  | doi=10.17660/ActaHortic.2004.634.1
 }}
{{refend}}

== External links ==

{{Wiktionary|cultivar}}

* Sale point of the [https://web.archive.org/web/20051015035630/http://www.ishs.org/sci/icracpco.htm Latest Edition (October 2009)] of ''The International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants''
* [http://www.ishs.org/sci/icralist/icralist.htm International Cultivar Registration Authorities]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050306203301/http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/hcs/TMI/HORT234/Nomenclature.html The Language of Horticulture]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051226124519/http://www.rhs.org.uk/learning/publications/plantsman/0605/opinion.asp Opinion piece by Tony Lord] (from ''[[The Plantsman (journal)|The Plantsman]]'' magazine)
* [http://www.fao.org/hortivar Hortivar] – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Horticulture Cultivars Performance Database

{{Breed}}
{{botany}}

[[Category:Cultivars| ]]
[[Category:Plant taxonomy]]
[[Category:Plant breeding]]
[[Category:Forest management]]