BREEDING ‘ELATIOR’-BEGONIAS (B. x HIEMALIS FOTSCH)

To obtain new types of Begonia hiemalis Fotsch, 48 cultivars of the tuberous Begonia were pollinated with B. socotrana Hook. f.
From 9 diploid cultivars, only one seedling was obtained.
Triploid ones set no seed.
Of the 36 tetraploid cultivars used, 14 set seed, but in one case the seedlings were not viable.
The best type of plant was found among the hybrids with the cultivars ‘Leuchtfeuer’ and ‘Sonnenschein’, both of the ‘Bertinii compacta’ type.

The F₁‘s were very heterogenous and average plant quality was too low for commercial use.
The very best plants, however, seemed well worth developing into clonal varieties.
Although seed set, F₁ plant quality and homogeneity could be markedly improved by selection among the parent plants, the production of F₁ hybrid seed for commercial purposes is not yet feasible.
Yellow and white flower colours are recessive but can arise in certain F₁‘s by spontaneous or induced mutations.

Symposium on Potplants

J. Doorenbos

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1973.31.17