Intergeneric hybrids always seem to be interesting; just the idea of two plants so genetically distinct that they are classified into separate genera being able, somehow, to unite and form offspring, is fascinating. These hybrids certainly aren't your run-of-the-mill traditional crosses.
Everyone knows and loves hydrangeas; in fact, it's impossible to conceive of any high school biology class being able function without some mention of how soil pH affects hydrangea flower color! I took these plants for granted, and until recently they were mentally filed in that "boring common plants" category. But there's another, less common plant, closely related to hydrangea:
Dichroa febrifuga. And when I saw hybrids between this species and mainstream hydrangea hybrids, my perspective changed ever so slightly.
The Otis L. Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, TN has been
working on
Hydrangea x
Dichroa for some time, and while it might be a while before we have a good selection of "didrangeas" at local nurseries, this an exciting development to follow. The horticultural characteristics
Dichroa is expected to impart include "flowers that remain blue in the absence of aluminum," "persistent metallic blue fruit," and, as can be seen in the photo of
D. febrifuga itself, perhaps some green sepals in combination with other colors.
Although this appears to be on the very frontier of ornamental breeding at the moment, "didrangeas" have appeared before, apparently originating from a natural liaison. Once called "
Dichroa versicolor," the hybrid
x Didrangea versicolor was introduced to the West by famous botanical explorer Robert Fortune in 1844 (
Jearrard's Herbal).
There's no doubt in my mind that one day, we'll be drowning in a veritable rainbow of didrangeas, and gardens everywhere will feature majestic gobs of "metallic blue fruit." Admittedly, I also need to look elsewhere into the rather large world of ornamental hydrangeas, and stop associating them with flimsy florist plants...
No comments:
Post a Comment