Thursday, June 11, 2009

More on R. clinophylla

On days when I am suffering from hay fever (fortunately these are few, and limited to late May/early June) I shouldn't be allowed to commit anything to writing. I last talked about some seedlings I am using in breeding that came from a cross involving the Indian species R. clinophylla. I also mentioned that although two of my R. clinophylla plants bloomed as juvenile seedlings, their offspring have not shown any inclination to remontancy. That was incorrect. In fact, 92-06-02, sibling to the seedling shown in the June 9th post, blooms on new wood and will repeat on and off a little bit through the growing season. In a warm climate, it is possible that it would bloom through the year.

Case in point; the shoot pictured here. (Click to see a full sized version) This shoot, which is now about 18" long, is new wood from the base of the plant, and yet it has terminated in a cluster of bloom. There are several other new basal shoots that are 24" or longer and starting to show flower buds at the tips as well. Now, this is still a young plant and so I can't really say for sure how remontant it is, but this looks promising. I hope this plant in particular is fertile so I can move forward with a diploid line from R. clinophylla. Who knows what kind of tricks this species has up its sleeve, since we know very little about its behavior as a breeder.

Note the fine pubescence on the receptacles of the buds.

4 comments:

  1. Hay fever seems to always get those that love nature, I feel your pain Paul. You say 92-06-02 is a young rose. I'm curious how old it is? How long did it take for it to send up 24" basal shoots? This baby has some power, wow. That trait alone would be a big plus as a parent for allot of new roses, yes? It is all quite fascinating. Have a good weekend Paul!

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  2. My wife suffers from every allergy known to man. I feel so sorry for her and anyone else who can't go out side with out fear.

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  3. I have some idea how she feels, although for me it is only a few days every year. I am also extremely allergic to most rose pollens ('Veilchenblau' got me into a fit of sneezing this morning) but I just consider it a hazard of the job! I don't let the hayfever stop me either. Extremely annoying, but not crippling. I know people who don't leave the house during grass pollination season, but I'm not one of them!

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  4. I would love to be able not to leave the house during grass pollen season, but I can't. Corn pollen is even worse. Lovely hybrid, Paul!

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