Cultivar
Category: Cultivation · Level: Intermediate
A cultivar is a plant variety that has been selectively bred and maintained to exhibit consistent, reproducible characteristics.
In cannabis, a cultivar (short for 'cultivated variety') refers to a plant variety developed through selective breeding to produce specific, heritable traits such as cannabinoid profile, terpene expression, yield, flowering time, and plant morphology. The term is the technically accurate alternative to 'strain' — the preferred term in botanical and regulatory contexts. Cultivar registration and protection are growing areas in cannabis intellectual property law. Leading cannabis cultivar development programs operate similarly to pharmaceutical R&D pipelines, using phenotype hunting, backcrossing, and stabilization techniques.
Also known as
Strain, Variety, Cannabis strain
Usage
- Medical
- Industrial
- Recreational
Related terms
- Sativa — Cannabis sativa is a subspecies of cannabis traditionally associated with taller plants and effects described as energizing or cerebral.
- Phenotype — Phenotype refers to the observable physical and chemical characteristics of a cannabis plant that result from the interaction of its genetics (genotype) with the environment.
- Hybrid — A hybrid cannabis strain is a cultivar bred from crossbreeding indica and sativa genetics to combine specific traits from each.
- Indica — Indica is a strain of cannabis commonly associated with relaxing effects and sedation.
- Genotype — Genotype refers to the complete genetic makeup of a cannabis plant, which determines its potential traits and characteristics.