To continue our discussion about plant tags, did you know that var means variety and cv means cultivar? And an x between the first and second Latin name means the plant is a hybrid.
A variety is a subdivision of a species or a plant group within a species that has its own special characteristics. Many new varieties of plants with variegated foliage, new colors or double flowers are cultivars. That’s a really good thing for those of us addicted to plants. It means there will always be a new little gem to try in our gardens.
A cultivar isn’t grown by Mother Nature—it’s developed and produced by humans. Cultivars keep their characteristics (bloom color, size, light preferences, etc) only when reproduced by plant breeders. If left to their own devices, cultivated plants revert back to their original characteristics.
The cultivar name is capitalized (but not italicized) and written in single quotes, as in Saliva ‘Victoria Blue’. A cultivar may also be designated by the letters cv. before the name with no quotes. According to the rule of the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants, cultivars named after 1959 cannot be given Latin names. They must have modern language names (to the relief of those who hate learning Latin names).
A hybrid is a cross between two different species of the same genus. Hybrids can occur in the wild or in cultivation. The hybrid plant will have combined characteristics of both parent species. For example Magnolia x loebner, is a cross between Magnolia kobus and Magnolia stellata
Now you can read those plant tags and make sense of them, right?
Do you have a gardening question? Call our Master Gardeners hortline at 610-690-2671 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 AM-12 NOON.
UPCOMING DELAWARE COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS EVENTS
August 11, 2007: Vegetable & Fruit Sculpting
Learn how to create sculpted veggies & fruit. This is a hands-on workshop.
September 8, 2007: Gourds & Birdhouses
Learn how to make birdhouses and other useful items from gourds you can grow in your garden. This is a hands-on workshop.
Registration required. Please call 610-690-2655 for more information or visit our website at http://delaware.extension.psu.edu/MG/MGcalendar.html.
MASTER GARDENERS NEWS FLASH: Eleanor Tickner, one of our Delaware County Master Gardeners, is mentioned on page A4 of the August/September issue of Horticulture magazine. She’s our peony specialist. Check it out!
