Open, Massive and Globular Clusters - Part of the same family?

Populations of young star clusters show significant differences even among "normal" disk galaxies. In this contribution I discuss how properties of young cluster systems are related to those of their host galaxies, based on a recent study of clusters in a sample of 22 nearby spiral galaxies. Luminous young clusters similar to the "super" star clusters observed in starbursts and mergers exist in several of these galaxies, and it is found that the luminosity of the brightest star cluster as well as the specific luminosity of the cluster systems both correlate well with the host galaxy star formation rate. When considering star clusters in different environments the traditional distinction between "open", "massive" and "globular" clusters breaks down, underscoring the need for a universal physical description of cluster formation.