Cultivar

Lore & Background

The word cultivar originated from the need to distinguish between wild plants and those with characteristics that arose in cultivation, presently denominated cultigens. Botanical historian Alan Morton noted that Theophrastus in his Historia Plantarum 'had an inkling of the limits of culturally induced (phenotypic) changes and of the importance of genetic constitution'. He wrote: 'The cultigen is a species, or its equivalent, that has appeared under domestication – the plant is cultigenous. I now propose another name, cultivar, for a botanical variety, or for a race subordinate to species, that has originated under cultivation; it is not necessarily, however, referable to a recognised botanical species.' Bailey created the word cultivar; it is generally assumed to be a blend of cultivated and variety, but Bailey never explicitly stated his choice of etymology, and it has been suggested that the word is actually a blend of cultigen and variety. Cultivars form a major part of Liberty Hyde Bailey's broader group, the cultigen, which is defined as a plant whose origin or selection is primarily due to intentional human activity. A cultivar is not the same as a botanical variety, which is a taxonomic rank below subspecies, and there are differences in the rules for creating and using the names of botanical varieties and cultivars. Since the creation of the Plant Patent Act of 1930 the naming of cultivars has been complicated by the use of statutory patents for plants and recognition of plant breeders' rights.

Reader's Guide

Cultivars are fundamental to modern horticulture, agriculture, and forestry, as they represent plants deliberately selected and propagated for desirable traits such as improved yield, flavour, disease resistance, floral colour, or timber quality. Popular ornamental plants like roses, camellias, daffodils, rhododendrons, and azaleas are commonly cultivars, and the world's agricultural food crops are almost exclusively cultivars. Since the advent of genetic engineering in the 1970s and its application in crop breeding in the 1980s, very few wild plants are used as commercial food sources. Trees used in forestry, such as genetically modified Douglas-fir grown by American timber company Weyerhaeuser, are also special selections. The naming of cultivars is governed by the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (ICNCP), which prescribes that a cultivar name consists of the scientific Latin botanical name followed by a cultivar epithet, usually in a vernacular language (mandatory for names after 1 January 1959). Legal protection is offered through the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), which requires a cultivar to be distinct, uniform, and stable. The concept of cultivar is distinct from botanical variety, and not all cultivated plants qualify as cultivars.

Did You Know?

• Cultivar names chosen after 1 January 1959 must be in a vernacular language, not Latin.
• The International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) requires a cultivar to be 'distinct', 'uniform', and 'stable'.
• All cultivars are cultigens, but not all cultigens are cultivars, because some cultigens have not been formally distinguished and named as cultivars.

Taxonomic Breadth and the Capsicum Complexes

The genus Capsicum encompasses an astonishing diversity of cultivated forms. While estimates suggest roughly fifty thousand distinct cultivars are grown around the world, the USDA-ARS GRIN seed repository holds 6,200 accessions on its own, with 4,000 of those belonging to C. annuum alone. Beyond the five principal cultivated species—C. annuum, C. chinense, C. baccatum, C. frutescens, and C. pubescens—the germplasm collection also preserves rarer species such as C. cardenasii, C. chacoense, C. flexuosum, C. eximium, C. rhomboideum, C. galapagoense, and C. tovarii. Within the five major species, several taxonomic varieties exist, and because many species can cross with one another, though success rates remain low, botanists recognize complexes of sexually compatible species. The most prominent is the C. annuum complex, grouping C. annuum, C. frutescens, and C. chinense together. This layered taxonomy—species, taxonomic varieties, complexes, and cultivars—creates a classification system that is both rich and sometimes confusing, particularly because the legal term plant variety is often used interchangeably with cultivar in everyday language.

Seed Production Lineages: Heirloom, Open-Pollinated, Self-Pollinated, and Hybrid

Pepper cultivars are not all bred or maintained in the same way, and the terminology surrounding seed production can be genuinely confusing. Heirloom varieties, such as the blocky California Wonder, are those selected and grown across generations with seeds saved each year, preserving a lineage that stretches back through history. Open-pollinated types, like the lamuyo-type Marconi Yellow, are maintained without strict barriers against outcrossing; seed is gathered and stored from each harvest, and while they are generally true-to-type, occasional cross-pollination with neighboring plants can introduce slight heterogeneity. Self-pollinated varieties follow a similar single-parent approach but add physical safeguards—mesh bags or cages over the flowers—to prevent pollinators from reaching the blooms, ensuring the plant pollinates itself. The Early Jalapeño is a common example, widely used for home-garden seed. Hybrid cultivars take a different path: two self-pollinated parents are deliberately crossed to exploit heterosis, or hybrid vigor, producing offspring with superior traits like higher yield. Examples include the blocky Double-Up and Orange Blaze. A critical caveat is that saved hybrid seed will not produce a uniform next generation, so the cross must be repeated each season. Much of commercial pepper production relies on these hybrids for their improved performance.

Capsicum annuum: The Global Workhorse

C. annuum is the most widely cultivated and most morphologically diverse of the five major pepper species. Native to a vast stretch from southern North America through Central America into South America, it has been shaped by Indigenous peoples over thousands of years and grown globally for more than four centuries. The plant is a tender perennial subshrub with a densely branched stem, typically reaching between half a meter and a meter and a half. Single white flowers develop into fruits that are green when unripe—though some varieties lack chlorophyll and appear white—and that ripen to red, yellow, orange, peach, brown, or purple depending on the cultivar. Fruit forms range enormously, from large and sweet to small and intensely pungent. Naming conventions add another layer of complexity: in American English, heatless varieties are called sweet peppers and blocky ones bell peppers, while in British English the split is between peppers and chillies. In Australian and Indian English, capsicum often refers exclusively to bell peppers, and chilli covers the hotter types. This linguistic patchwork means a single species can carry dozens of colloquial names even within one language.

Beyond the Bell: C. chinense, C. baccatum, and C. pubescens

While C. annuum dominates global production, the other cultivated species contribute distinctive flavors and characteristics. C. chinense is the home of the world's most famous hot peppers: all habaneros, Scotch bonnets, Trinidad Scorpions, the Bhut Jolokia, and the Carolina Reaper belong to this species. C. baccatum offers a markedly different profile—its fruits carry a distinctive fruity flavor and are commonly ground into vibrant, colorful powders used in cooking, particularly across South America, where varieties like ají amarillo, ají limón, and criolla sella are staples. C. pubescens stands apart visually and structurally: it produces violet flowers, black seeds, and hairy dark green leaves, and grows as a large multi-stemmed vine that can reach up to five meters in length. Its cultivars, including the rocoto and manzano peppers, are unlike any of the other species. Meanwhile, C. frutescens, the source of the Tabasco pepper and many peppers grown across India, is sometimes not even distinguished as a separate species from C. annuum, highlighting how fluid the boundaries between these groups can be. Together, these species illustrate that the pepper world extends far beyond the familiar bell or jalapeño.