Not your grandpa's cultivars: The new conservation releases

Three new types of conservation plant releases are now available from USDA Plant Materials Centers as less thoroughly tested but still useful alternatives to traditional cultivars. These “pre-varietal" releases include “tested,” “selected,” and “source-identified” plant material and have distinct labeling. They help meet strong customer demand for native plant material that is available more quickly than it takes to develop and test a cultivar for a particular conservation use.