Heirloom

Heirloom, or overseas sometimes 'heritage' is a frequently misunderstood term that simply means this plant has been a stable variety with consistent genetics for at least 50 years, though some definitions set the time period for over 100 or since the end of WWII.  On our site, we typically use over 50 years.

Heirloom plants are always open-pollinated, meaning they are not hybridized between two different parents, or propagated via controlled selection of specific parent plants. Recently hybridized plants show a variety of characteristics and do not always give consistent results in following generations.  

Heirlooms, by contrast, breed true, genetically, so experienced home growers could theoretically get consistent descendants by collecting seeds (though insects and birds and sometimes wind can create spontaneous hybrids by carrying pollen between plants that are far apart).