How to Use Cultivars of Native Plants in the Landscape

By Tia Silvasy, Residential Horticulture Agent, UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County

A nativar is a cultivated variety of a native plant. Nativars have the same drought-tolerance and local adaptations as straight natives but may also have improved form or other traits desirable for urban landscapes.

Dwarf yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria 'Schillings') has a slow growing compact form ideal for urban landscapes but produces no berries for wildlife.
Photo credit: Tia Silvasy, UF/IFAS

For example, dwarf firebush (Hamelia patens 'Compacta') provides a tighter compact form as compared to the native firebush. A drawback of using natives is that they may not provide as much food for wildlife. Still, nativars may be a better option than non-native Florida-Friendly plants in the landscape because of their low-maintenance requirements and ecological benefits. Nativars are good to supplement native and Florida-Friendly plants in the landscape because they are adapted to the local soil and climatic conditions with added benefit of longer flowering time, disease resistance, and aesthetically pleasing form.

Let's review some definitions of how we determine a plant?s status. A native plant is a plant that has been documented to be in a region without human intervention. The term cultivar refers to plants that are naturally mutated and selected by humans or intentionally bred for specific traits. A nativar is a cultivar of a native plant, so a native plant that has been selected from nature for certain plant traits or bred to have improved traits. To determine plant status, check several resources! In Florida, we use the UF/IFAS Florida-Friendly Landscaping Plant Guide, the Florida Native Plant Society website, the Florida Wildflower Foundation website, and Atlas of Florida Plants.

There are mostly positive impacts of selecting nativars, but also a few concerns. Nativars often have traits that

Photo 2: Firebush Dwarf
Photo caption: Dwarf firebush (Hamelia patens 'Compacta')provides a tighter compact form as compared to the native firebush.
Photo credit: Tia Silvasy, UF/IFAS

are desirable in urban landscapes, such as a compact form, heat-tolerance, seed or flower modifications. Like straight native plants, they are adapted to local environments and often can thrive with minimal inputs of water, fertilizer, and pesticides. While some natives are bred to be more floriferous or heavy fruiting, critics of nativars argue that they do not provide the same benefits to wildlife and pollinators. For example, compact cultivars may have shorter flower tubes and less nectar for pollinators. Flowers that are bred with extra petals such as double flowers can make it difficult for pollinators to reach the pollen and nectar. Some Plants are bred to be a male cultivar or sterile female and produce no fruit. For example, the dwarf yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria 'Schillings') has a slow growing compact form ideal for urban landscapes but produces no berries for wildlife. More research is needed to examine the benefits and drawbacks of using nativars in the landscape.

Photo 3: Holly weeping
Photo caption: Weeping holly (Ilex vomitoria 'Pendula') has a unique weeping habit.
Photo credit: Tia Silvasy, UF/IFAS

Examples of nativars commonly planted in Florida include a dwarf variety of the native firebush (Hamelia patens 'Compacta'), several varieties of yaupon holly such as the weeping yaupon (Ilex vomitoria 'Pendula') and dwarf yaupon (Ilex vomitoria 'Schillings'). There are many cultivars of our native southern magnolia for example (Magnolia grandiflora 'Little Gem') that has a narrow compact form ideal for planting in city homes with small lots.

If you have any horticultural questions, please contact UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County at 813-744-5519 or email hillsmg@mail.ufl.edu.