Plant Varieties

In this guide, we’ll walk through the plant varieties resource and show you how to use it for your specific use-cases. These are the specific cultivars you’d find in nurseries, garden centers, or seed catalogs.

What Are Plant Varieties?

A plant variety refers to a cultivated or naturally adapted plant that has been selected for specific characteristics—such as color, flavor, size, growth habit, climate tolerance, or pest resistance.

There are two broad types of plant varieties tracked in Verdantly:

• Native cultivars — varieties that evolved naturally in specific regions, often used in ecological restoration or native landscaping.
• Human-bred cultivars — varieties selectively bred by people for home gardens, agriculture, or commercial purposes.

Plant Species vs. Plant Varieties

It's important to distinguish between plant species and plant varieties, especially when building features with the Verdantly API.

• Plant Species represent the biological classification of a plant, like tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) or bell pepper (Capsicum annuum).
• Plant Varieties refer to specific types within a species. These include:
  • Native cultivars — naturally occurring varieties adapted to specific regions like Cherokee Purple tomato and Poblano pepper.
  • Human-bred cultivars — selected or engineered by people for traits like flavor, color, yield, size, or climate tolerance like Sungold tomato and California Wonder bell pepper.

You can think of species as the blueprint, and varieties as specific models built from that blueprint — optimized for different uses, climates, or aesthetics.

For a full breakdown of how species are classified, check out the Plant Species guide.

Plant Variety Hierarchy

The plant variety object is designed with flexibility in mind so it can accommodate a wide range of plant types — from leafy greens to fruit trees. These are the kinds of plants you would actively choose to grow — whether it’s a San Marzano tomato, a California Wonder bell pepper, or a Genovese basil.

The hierarchy looks like this:

• Plant variety
• Category (e.g., Fruit, Herb, Flower)
• Type (e.g., Tomato, Pepper, Basil)
• Subtype (e.g., Cherry Tomato, Bell Pepper, Genovese Basil)

This structure allows for filtering and grouping by use-case or growth habit while still preserving scientific accuracy.

Plant Variety Object Structure

Each plant variety object returned from the Verdantly API includes detailed information about how to grow and use that cultivar, such as:

• Growth conditions (sun, water, spacing, soil)
• Lifecycle milestones (germination, harvest time)
• Hardiness zones
• Companion planting suggestions
• Pest and disease resistance
• Common uses (culinary, ornamental, medicinal)
• A short history or background of the variety

Let’s take a look at some examples of the plant variety object you’ll receive from the Verdantly API:

{
    "id": "107b8dbb-9fc1-4417-adff-2f647f274969",
    "mappingId": "85ccf041-12ca-4748-ac51-dda0cd14251f",
    "category": "vegetable",
    "name": "Sungold Tomato",
    "type": "tomato",
    "subtype": "cherry tomato",
    "description": "A cherry tomato variety known for its exceptionally sweet and tangy flavor, bright orange color, and early harvest. Perfect for snacking, salads, and fresh eating.",
    "growingRequirements": {
        "minGrowingZone": 3,
        "maxGrowingZone": 10,
        "growingZoneRange": "3-10",
        "careInstructions": "Stake or cage for support. Water regularly to prevent cracking. Fertilize with balanced or low-nitrogen fertilizer during fruit set.",
        "soilPreference": "Well-drained, fertile soil with high organic matter",
        "sunlightRequirement": "Full sun",
        "waterRequirement": "Medium to high",
        "preferredTemperature": "70-85°F",
        "spacingRequirement": "18-24 inches between plants"
    },
    "growthDetails": {
        "growthPeriod": "Annual",
        "growthType": "unknown",
        "matureHeight": 60,
        "matureWidth": 24
    },
    "lifecycleMilestones": {
        "avgFirstBloomDate": "50-60 days after sowing",
        "firstHarvestDate": "65 days after transplanting",
        "lastHarvestDate": "Indeterminate - until frost"
    },
    "careInstructions": {
        "plantingInstructions": {
            "startIndoors": "6-8 weeks before the last frost date.",
            "transplantOutdoors": "After last frost, once soil warms to 60°F.",
            "directSow": "Not recommended."
        },
        "pruningInstructions": "Remove suckers to encourage airflow and reduce disease risks. Prune to 1-2 main stems for optimal production.",
        "harvestingInstructions": "Harvest when the tomatoes turn deep golden orange. They will continue producing until frost."
    },
    "commonUses": "Fresh eating, salads, garnishes, and snacking.",
    "pestAndDiseaseRisks": "Susceptible to tomato blight, aphids, and whiteflies. Monitor regularly and use integrated pest management techniques.",
    "highlights": "Highly sweet and tangy cherry tomato. Early maturing with prolific fruit production.",
    "history": "Bred in Japan for its exceptional flavor and consistent production. Known for revolutionizing cherry tomatoes in taste and sweetness."
}

The plant variety object allows you to create a wide range of experiences for your users. You can display general information about the plant variety, such as its name, type, and description. You can also provide detailed information about the plant variety, such as its growing requirements, lifecycle milestones, and care instructions.

Plant variety categories

Plant varieties are broken down into four main categories:

• vegetable
• fruit
• herb
• flower

These categories can be used to filter the plant varieties when making a request to the filter endpoint. Here's an example fetching all plant varieties in the vegetable category.

curl -G https://verdantly-gardening-api.p.rapidapi.com/v1/plants/varieties/filter?category=vegetable \
-H "X-RapidAPI-Host: verdantly-gardening-api.p.rapidapi.com" \
-H "X-RapidAPI-Key: {apiKey}" \

Category types

Each category is broken down into types that can be used to filter the plant varieties when making a request to the filter endpoint. For example, the vegetable category has types such as tomato, cucumber, and carrot. Here's an example fetching plant varieties in the vegetable category with the type tomato.

curl -G https://verdantly-gardening-api.p.rapidapi.com/v1/plants/varieties/filter?category=vegetable&type=tomato \
-H "X-RapidAPI-Host: verdantly-gardening-api.p.rapidapi.com" \
-H "X-RapidAPI-Key: {apiKey}" \

Subtypes

Each type is broken down into subtypes that can be used to filter the plant varieties when making a request to the filter endpoint. For example, the tomato type has subtypes such as cherry tomato, beefsteak tomato, and heirloom tomato.

curl -G https://verdantly-gardening-api.p.rapidapi.com/v1/plants/varieties/filter?category=vegetable&type=tomato&subtype=cherry%20tomato \
-H "X-RapidAPI-Host: verdantly-gardening-api.p.rapidapi.com" \
-H "X-RapidAPI-Key: {apiKey}" \

Examples

Let's take a look at some examples of how to use the plant variety object in your application.

Example 1: Displaying heat tolerant lettuce varieties

curl -G https://verdantly-gardening-api.p.rapidapi.com/v1/plants/varieties/filter?category=vegetable&page=1&type=lettuce&subtype=romaine&highlights=heat-tolerant \
-H "X-RapidAPI-Host: verdantly-gardening-api.p.rapidapi.com" \
-H "X-RapidAPI-Key: {apiKey}" \

Example 2: Displaying vegetable varieties in humid climates prone to powdery mildew

curl -G https://verdantly-gardening-api.p.rapidapi.com/v1/plants/varieties/filter?category=vegetable&page=1&growingZone=9&pestAndDiseaseRisks=powdery%20mildew \
-H "X-RapidAPI-Host: verdantly-gardening-api.p.rapidapi.com" \
-H "X-RapidAPI-Key: {apiKey}" \

Example 3: Displaying fruit trees with low water requirements

curl -G https://verdantly-gardening-api.p.rapidapi.com/v1/plants/varieties/filter?category=fruit&waterRequirement=low \
-H "X-RapidAPI-Host: verdantly-gardening-api.p.rapidapi.com" \
-H "X-RapidAPI-Key: {apiKey}" \