Sunburst Honey Locust

The term cultivar was created by the botanist Liberty Hyde Bailey (1858-1954) as a combination of the words cultivated and variety. Although the term variety is sometimes used interchangeably with cultivar, a variety is different because a seed from the plant will maintain the characteristics of the original plant. However, a seed from the original plant of a cultivar may be very different and maintain no similar characteristics.

Most cultivars are food crops or ornamental plants. Many ornamental plants, such as roses and petunias, are cultivated to enhance a particular flower shape, size, or color. In edible plants, desirable characteristics include abundant yield, pleasant taste, and resistance to disease.

Cultivar plants are propagated by root or stem cuttings so that each plant is a clone of the original. Although a cultivar could possibly occur naturally, these plants are protected as intellectual property with plant patents.

A good example is  the Sunburst Honeylocust tree in this picture. Its scientific name is Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis ‘Sunburst’. The term “inermis” is the variety and means without thorns and ‘Sunburst’ is the cultivar which refers to the bright golden spring leaf color.

Plant breeding programs introduce a multitude of new cultivars each year – partly because doing so is profitable. Buying seeds of the original, species of a plant may be less expensive, but using a cultivar means you know exactly what plant you are getting.

Garden Self-evaluation: June
Buzzword: Natives
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