Plants have evolved in several different ways depending on the conditions of their habitat. In fact, of the same species we can find different varieties, but What does variety mean when we talk about the vegetable kingdom?
Although the answer could be very simple, the reality is that sometimes we use this term in the wrong way. So that let's see what a variety is and what its characteristics are.
What is a variety in botany?
Acer palmatum var. dissection
When we talk about variety We refer to a set of plants that, despite having the basic characteristics of the species, have something that differentiates them from it. To understand it better, let's take as an example japanese maple, whose type species, that is, the species that is taken as reference, is the Acer palmatum. This is a deciduous tree that reaches a height between 6 and 10 meters, whose crown is composed of palmate leaves with up to 9 green lobes that turn reddish in autumn.
Based on this, several varieties have been identified, such as the Acer palmatum var. dissection which, unlike the type species, has much more divided lobes and reaches a height of up to 3 meters. Therefore, we could say that a variety is something like a natural "accident" that a species has suffered, in this case, Acer palmatum, for living in a slightly different area.
What is a cultivar?
Image - Gardeningexpress.co.uk
A cultivar is something else. It is a group of plants that have been artificially selected to enhance or improve some characteristic that may be of interest. Following with the Acer palmatum, today we find several cultivars, such as the Acer palmatum cv 'Little Princess', which is a shrub that reaches approximately 2 meters in height and has yellowish-green palmate leaves with orange-reddish margins.
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