Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
9 ratings

Tuesday - May 26, 2009

From: Minneapolis, MN
Region: Midwest
Topic: Invasive Plants, Non-Natives, Herbs/Forbs
Title: What is wrong with cultivars of native plants?
Answered by: Joe Marcus

QUESTION:

What is wrong with cultivars of native plants? My state native plant society won't allow cultivars at their annual sale, and the native plant nursery from which I order only offers the species. But aren't cultivars of our native species the same thing, only more awesome?

ANSWER:

The word cultivar - short for cultivated variety - is used to describe plants that are found in nature and selected for cultivation, usually because of some characteristic that makes it more attractive to the gardener's eye or one that makes it more successful in the garden setting.  Cultivars also include man-made hybrids and plant selections with genetic characteristics that do not occur in nature. Technically, a cultivar is the same species as the species from which it was originally selected. If one adheres to a strict definition of native plant as one that exists in a given area without direct or indirect human intervention, then cultivars by virtue of the human selection of particular traits would not be considered a native plant. That is probably the reason your native plant society and local native plant nursery do not recognize cultivars.

So, what is wrong with a more robust, floriferous and rampantly-growing cultivar of a native species?  The concern of native plant ecologists and native plant enthusiasts is that by propagating and spreading wildflowers with unusual characteristics, one might change the population genetic structure of the original species.  Moreover, a previously-innocuous species might become a problem weed and an ecological problem within its own native range.

 

 

More Invasive Plants Questions

Understory planting in Virginia
July 03, 2009 - We have some 10 mature tulip and sycamore trees in our No. VA property. The previous home owners were fond of English Ivy and Japanese pachysandra. We are working hard at replacing these invasives to ...
view the full question and answer

Groundcovers to choke out invasive species in Virginia
June 08, 2015 - My yard has open woods and dappled light with clay soil. Thirty years ago we removed huge briars and since English Ivy was getting in by itself, we thought we would let it come; unfortunately, it not ...
view the full question and answer

Why is Common Horehound missing from NPIN?
March 27, 2014 - Hi there, I am not able to find Marrubium vulgare, i.e. Common or White Horehound, in the Native Plant Database. It grows abundantly on our ranch in Central Texas, and I am attempting to grow i...
view the full question and answer

Damage to ruellia in Monroe LA
October 26, 2009 - I have hundreds of Ruellia Brittoniana. Dwarf Katie White, Katie Blue and Katie Pink. I am finding holes in some of the leaves, Some just have notches chewed out of them. Some of the leaves have...
view the full question and answer

East Texas grasses for holding soils
September 17, 2008 - Hi Mr. Smarty Plants, I have a question about the East Texas area: Specifically, which natvie grasses can be planted to hold the soil/new roads through the winter? Here is the situation: (Against...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.