The words in single quotation marks in Cornus florida 'Cherokee Chief' refer to which?

The words in single quotation marks in Cornus florida 'Cherokee Chief' refer to which?

• A. Cultivar
• B. Interspecific hybrid
• C. Variety
• D. Genus and species

Answer: (A)

In horticultural naming, the words put in single quotation marks after the species name designate a cultivar—the cultivated, clone-propagated variety chosen for specific traits. Here, Cornus florida is the species, and 'Cherokee Chief' is the particular cultivated selection of that species. Cultivar names are created to capture stable, desirable characteristics such as plant form, color, or hardiness, and they are propagated by methods that preserve those traits, like cuttings, grafting, or tissue culture, so every plant stays true to its name. This differs from a variety, which would be indicated with a rank like var. and not enclosed in quotes; variety names aren’t capitalized in the same way and aren’t presented as a distinct cultivated clone. It also isn’t the genus and species, which is the formal scientific name written without quotation marks (and usually in italics). An interspecific hybrid would involve crossing species and is named differently (often with a hybrid symbol or designation), not simply the quoted cultivar name.

In horticultural naming, the words put in single quotation marks after the species name designate a cultivar—the cultivated, clone-propagated variety chosen for specific traits. Here, Cornus florida is the species, and 'Cherokee Chief' is the particular cultivated selection of that species. Cultivar names are created to capture stable, desirable characteristics such as plant form, color, or hardiness, and they are propagated by methods that preserve those traits, like cuttings, grafting, or tissue culture, so every plant stays true to its name.

This differs from a variety, which would be indicated with a rank like var. and not enclosed in quotes; variety names aren’t capitalized in the same way and aren’t presented as a distinct cultivated clone. It also isn’t the genus and species, which is the formal scientific name written without quotation marks (and usually in italics). An interspecific hybrid would involve crossing species and is named differently (often with a hybrid symbol or designation), not simply the quoted cultivar name.