Garden season is upon us! When shopping for or researching plants, there are many choices to consider. Have you ever been confused about the categories or terms used to describe plants? Keep reading to discover what’s right for your garden!
Native Plants
There is no one definition of a native plant. Botanists, ecologists, and others working with native plants define what is ‘native’ differently. However, a common definition is plants that evolved in one location or migrated to that location before European colonization.
Plants often have large native ranges, and plants move! So, those native ranges change over time. Often, what is considered native is defined by geo-political lines, like native to the United States or native to Maine. This allows governments and municipalities to protect rare or regulate invasive plants within their jurisdiction.
But, plants don’t recognize state lines! They stretch and migrate to habitats where they can best grow. That is why botanists and ecologists often define nativity by habitat or eco-region. An eco-region is a region that has a shared set of traits, including geology, weather, and plant and animal species commonly found there.
The Gardens defines native plants as those found in Maine and its three broader eco-regions: the Acadian Hills and Plains, the Northeastern Coastal Zone, and the Northeastern Highlands. We focus our conservation and research work on these three eco-regions and have many plants native to them growing in our gardens.
Non-native Plant
A non-native plant is the opposite of a native plant. It is a plant that is introduced to the area where it is growing, usually through human intervention. Many non-native plants are critical in agriculture and horticulture, and ornamental non-native plants are widely used, including in our gardens!
Variety
A variety is a naturally occurring difference within a plant species that is distinctly different from the species, but not significant enough to be considered a unique species or subspecies. Varieties are often limited to one area of a plant’s range or even to a few populations.
Cultivar
A cultivar is a cultivated variety, meaning a variety that has been bred, selected, or modified by humans. This may be for ornamental purposes, like a larger flower size or a different flower color, or for practical purposes, such as increased drought tolerance. Though cultivars are often selected or bred from naturally occurring mutations, they do not exist in the wild.
Nativar
A nativar is a cultivar bred or selected from a native plant. The nativar may have different colored flowers, size, or bloom time. One example is butterfly weed Asclepias tuberosa ‘Hello Yellow’, which is a cultivar of the native Asclepias tuberosa butterfly weed.
Invasive plant
An invasive plant is a plant that is not native to an area and presents environmental or economic risk. Invasive plants reproduce prolifically and outcompete native plants, causing ecological harm. Invasive plants may also infest agricultural production and cause economic damage. Most non-native plants are not invasive; only a small percentage of non-native plants are considered invasive. A native plant can be prolific and weedy, but cannot be invasive within its native range.
Rare plant
A rare plant is a plant that is especially vulnerable to population loss. Within the field of rare plants, there are set categories based on the level of rarity within a state or country, or globally. In Maine, the Maine Natural Areas Program evaluates plants for rarity and maintains the Rare Plant List.
Currently, Coastal Maine Botanical Garden botanists are working with the Maine Natural Areas program to analyze the rarity of Maine’s native plants. Other non-government organizations, such as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and NatureServe, also evaluate plants for rarity and share that information with scientists and the public.
Endangered Plant
An endangered plant is a plant that falls into the specific endangered category of rarity, meaning that it is at risk of extinction within the near future. Some endangered plants may only be endangered in some areas of it’s range, while not endangered in others. Endangered is only one category of rarity, and not all rare plants are endangered.
At Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, we have a wide variety of native, non-native plants, and cultivars growing in our gardens, and we’re always adding more. Make sure to check out the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses and the Bibby and Harold Alfond Children’s Garden for many beautiful ornamental cultivars. The Haney Hillside Garden has many native plants, with a few nativars as well. Check out our Garden Explorer portal to learn more about the plants in our gardens!
