Which term describes the plant within the full name Cornus florida 'Cherokee Chief'?

• A. cultivar
• B. interspecific hybrid
• C. variety
• D. nursery

Answer: (A)

In plant naming, the part in single quotes after the species name is the cultivar name. A cultivar is a cultivated variety that has been selected for specific, stable traits and is propagated vegetatively to keep those traits uniform from plant to plant. In Cornus florida 'Cherokee Chief', the species is Cornus florida and 'Cherokee Chief' is the cultivar name, chosen by breeders or a nursery and kept true-to-type when propagated by cuttings or grafts rather than by seed, which could introduce variation.

This differs from a variety, which would be indicated differently (often with var.) and may occur naturally with less strict uniformity. It also differs from an interspecific hybrid, which would denote a cross between species and is typically indicated in naming in another way rather than a single quoted cultivar after the species. A nursery simply indicates the source and isn’t part of the plant’s formal name. Therefore, the term that fits is cultivar.