What is the Difference Between Cultivar and Variety?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The terms "cultivar" and "variety" are often used in the context of plant classification, but they have distinct differences:
- Development: Varieties develop naturally, while cultivars are developed through human intervention.
- True-to-seed: Cultivars do not necessarily produce true-to-seed, whereas varieties usually do.
- Naming: Varieties are written in lowercase and italicized, while cultivars are not.
- Origin: Cultivars are produced and maintained by horticulturists, while varieties occur in nature.
- Characteristics: Cultivars often have distinguishing characteristics, such as unique flower color or growth habit, due to human selection.
In summary, a cultivar is a plant that is produced and maintained by horticulturists but does not necessarily produce true-to-seed, while a variety is a group of plants within a species that has one or more distinguishing characteristics and usually produces true-to-seed.
Comparative Table: Cultivar vs Variety
The main difference between a cultivar and a variety is that a variety occurs naturally through natural selection, while a cultivar is a cultivated variety, selected by humans for specific characteristics and propagated through vegetative cloning. Here is a table summarizing the differences between cultivars and varieties:
| Characteristic | Cultivar | Variety |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Cultivars are developed through human intervention, selecting specimens with desirable characteristics. | Varieties occur naturally and are a result of natural selection. |
| Propagation | Cultivars are propagated through vegetative cloning, such as cuttings, grafting, or tissue culture. | Varieties are true to type, meaning their seeds produce offspring with the same unique characteristics as the parent plant. |
| Naming Convention | Cultivars are often written with single quotes and do not have an abbreviation. | Varieties are written in lowercase and italicized, often with the abbreviation "var." preceding them. |
For example, a cultivar name might be Malus domestica 'Granny Smith', while a variety name would be Plumeria var. alba.
- Clone vs Strain
- Species vs Strain
- Crop vs Plant
- Culture vs Diversity
- HYV Seeds vs Traditional Seeds
- Genetic Variation vs Genetic Diversity
- Cultivator vs Tiller
- Culture vs Tradition
- Fruit vs Vegetable
- Type vs Kind
- Ethnicity vs Culture
- GMO vs Hybrid
- Heredity vs Variation
- Genus vs Species
- Cybrids vs Hybrids
- Culture vs Civilization
- Cell Line Cell Strain vs Cell Type
- Wild Type vs Mutant Type
- Culture vs Subculture