# What is the difference between a strain and a cultivar?

> A cultivar is a formal botanical term: a cultivated plant group that is distinct, uniform and stable when propagated, by seed or cuttings. A strain is the popular cannabis word, used loosely for anything from one clone to a brand name. A chemovar is a cultivar defined by its chemistry. Genetic studies show many strain names don't reliably mean one genotype.

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- Topic: Basics · Type: Definition
- Evidence: Established · Status: Draft: awaiting expert review
- Full article: [Why strain names are unreliable: what genetic studies show](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/genetics-history/why-strain-names-are-unreliable.md)
- Also asked as: Strain vs cultivar | What is a cultivar? | Chemovar vs strain | Why do people say cultivar instead of strain?
- Updated: 2026-10-31 · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay Knowledge Base (genetixbay.com/knowledge)"

## Short answer

A cultivar is the botanical term for a cultivated plant group that is distinct, uniform and stable when propagated. "Strain" is the popular cannabis word, used for anything from a single clone to a marketing name. A [chemovar](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/chemovar.md) is a cultivar defined by its chemistry. *Established* terminology.

## Why

"Cultivar" has rules. The International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants sets how cultivars are defined and named [1]. A clonal cultivar is one [genotype](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/genotype.md); a seed cultivar must come true from seed.

"Strain" has none. It's borrowed from microbiology and applied loosely. [Genetic testing](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/genotyping.md) of retail cannabis found genetic outliers within most same-named strains [3], so a strain name is a claim, not an identity.

"Chemovar" describes what's in the jar. Researchers argued that [medicinal cannabis](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/medical-vs-adult-use.md) should be classified by its chemical profile, because names don't predict chemistry [2]. Large lab datasets confirm that commercial labels align poorly with [chemotype](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/chemotype.md), though some names are consistent [4].

## The numbers

| Term | Defined by | Example of correct use |
|---|---|---|
| Cultivar | Distinct, uniform, stable traits (ICNCP) [1] | A [clone-only cut](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/clone-only.md); a true-breeding seed line |
| Strain | Popular usage, no rules | Any named cannabis on a menu |
| Chemovar | [Cannabinoid](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cannabinoid.md) and [terpene profile](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/terpene-profile.md) [2] | "THC-dominant, [caryophyllene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/beta-caryophyllene.md)–[limonene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/limonene.md)" |
| [Phenotype](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/phenotype.md) | One plant's observed traits | The keeper from a [pheno](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/pheno.md) hunt |

## What to do

1. Treat a strain name as a claim; ask for the source and grow-out records.
2. For a clone, ask for chain of custody.
3. Choose by chemistry: read the cannabinoid and [terpene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/terpene.md) sections of the [certificate of analysis](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/coa.md).
4. Call a one-off hybrid cross a cross, not a cultivar, until it [breeds true](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/true-breeding.md).

## Common mistakes

- Assuming two plants with the same name are the same genotype.
- Calling every seed pack a stable cultivar.
- Treating "indica" or "sativa" on a label as a chemovar.

## Related

- Full article: [Why strain names are unreliable](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/genetics-history/why-strain-names-are-unreliable.md)
- Answers: [what terpenes are](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/answers/what-are-terpenes.md) · [hemp vs marijuana](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/answers/hemp-vs-marijuana.md)
- Article: [Same cut, a thousand names](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/genetics-history/same-cut-a-thousand-names.md)
- Terms: [cultivar](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cultivar.md) · [strain](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/strain.md) · [chemovar](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/chemovar.md)

## Follow-up questions

**What is a chemovar?** A chemovar is a chemical variety: a cannabis cultivar or group defined by its chemical profile, mainly its cannabinoids and dominant terpenes, rather than by name or shape. Researchers proposed classifying medicinal cannabis this way because names and 'indica' or 'sativa' labels don't predict chemistry. On a certificate of analysis, the chemovar is what the numbers show.

**Is a clone-only a cultivar?** Yes, a clone-only is a clonal cultivar: one genotype kept alive by cuttings, so every plant of it is genetically identical apart from rare mutations and pathogens. Its name only means that genotype if the chain of custody is sound. Cuts get renamed and mixed up, so the same name from two sources can be two different plants.

**Is a seed strain a cultivar?** A seed strain is a cultivar only if it breeds true for its key traits: distinct, uniform and stable from seed. Many seed releases are one-off crosses of two hybrids, whose seedlings vary widely, so strictly they are not yet cultivars. An inbred line (IBL) or a well-stabilised seed line can qualify.

## Sources

1. Brickell CD, et al. (eds). 2016. International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants, 9th edition. Scripta Horticulturae 18. ISHS. https://www.ishs.org/scripta-horticulturae/international-code-nomenclature-cultivated-plants-ninth-edition
2. Hazekamp A, Fischedick JT. 2012. Cannabis: from cultivar to chemovar. Drug Testing and Analysis 4(7-8):660-667. https://doi.org/10.1002/dta.407
3. Schwabe AL, McGlaughlin ME. 2019. Genetic tools weed out misconceptions of strain reliability in Cannabis sativa: implications for a budding industry. Journal of Cannabis Research 1:3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-019-0001-1
4. Smith CJ, Vergara D, Keegan B, Jikomes N. 2022. The phytochemical diversity of commercial Cannabis in the United States. PLoS ONE 17(5):e0267498. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267498