{"id":29102,"date":"2019-10-18T15:41:50","date_gmt":"2019-10-18T19:41:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/?p=29102"},"modified":"2019-10-28T09:06:44","modified_gmt":"2019-10-28T13:06:44","slug":"the-cultivar-question","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2019\/10\/18\/the-cultivar-question\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cultivar Question"},"content":{"rendered":"

While searching for the best plants to include with a garden, you have likely come across cultivars for sale. The use of native cultivars (aka nativars) has been growing as the popularity of native plants surges.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>

In Mt. Cuba trials, Monarda fistulosa \u2018Claire Grace\u2019 was favored by butterflies. Photo by cultivar413 CC by 2.0<\/p><\/div>\n

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What\u2019s in a Name?<\/b><\/p>\n

To understand more about nativars, you should be aware of the following terms:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Native- <\/b>a species that was naturally found in a given area. In the United States, we limit that to those species found before European settlement.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cultivar- <\/b>a variety of a native species that has been deliberately selected, crossbred or hybridized for desirable characteristics that can be maintained by propagation. Often, these species are represented by the name of the plant with the cultivar variety in apostrophes. Example: garden phlox \u2018Jeana\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Straight Species- <\/b>a native species in its natural form\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nativar- <\/b>a cultivar of a native species<\/span><\/p>\n

The use of nativars is varied. Some nativars are bred for showier characteristics while others are designed to resist diseases and pests or to tolerate wider environmental variables, like soil moisture. It is important to note that most nativars are bred for human-valued aesthetics such as number and size of flowers, flowering period and foliage size or color. However, the question looms: are these nativars providing the same wildlife values and ecological functions as straight species? The answer is complex.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Examining the Research\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Research examining nativars versus straight species is still a relatively new. In some studies, the species are compared by the number of animal visits while other studies examine nectar and pollen content. Below are summaries from several research studies conducted on nativars:<\/span><\/p>\n