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A cultivar is a cultivated variety of a plant species. Modern cultivars are often, but not necessarily, hybrids between species; they may equally well represent particularly desirable selections from populations of a single species. Cultivars generally are identified by uniquely distinguishing names, which may be registered and trademarked. Names of cultivars are registered with an International Cultivar Registration Authority and conform to the rules of the ISHS Commission Nomenclature and Cultivar Registration. There are authorities for different plant-groups.
In Botany a cultivar can be indicated by using the cv. abbreviation and quoting the cultivar name e.g. Berberis thunbergii cv. "Crimson Pygmy". Natural hybrids are indicated like Berberis × frikartii.
Development
Cultivars that are still being developed and not yet ready for release to seed companies often are coded with letters (signifying the university or other organization working on the variety) and numbers.True cultural varieties
Some varieties are so well 'fixed' or established that they 'come true from seed,' meaning that the plants from a sowing will show very little variation. Such plants are better described by the more old-fashioned terms 'variety' 'selection' or 'strain,' and leaving the term 'cultivar' to plants that are vegetatively propagated, such as roses, Hemerocallis or iris.Cultivars in natural settings
Many cultivars are planted in what is called nature. With true natural processes, the cultivars will over time as such disappear. The genetic material however may become part of the gene pool of a population. This is why many trees are culled when a "back to nature" regime is in place. Cultivars are often a mix of different species and as such they are as exotic as a plant from a different continent. They are in itself a threat to the true type of a species.Legal point
With plants produced by genetic engineering becoming more and more introduced, it is important to note that the companies of these plants claim patent on their product. Therfore the notion that a plant that occurs from seed is natural is not appropriate any more.