ESTABLISHING METHODS FOR INTER-GENERIC HYBRIDIZATION OF AUSTRALIAN NATIVE CALANDRINIA AND EXOTIC PORTULACA SPECIES FOR ORNAMENTAL HORTICULTURE

Calandrinia sp. nov. and Calandrinia balonensis (Portulacaeae) are two Australian species with potential as ornamental flowering pot plants.
Neither is currently available in the ornamental plant industry.
To aid domestication, we are investigating the possibility of creating inter-generic hybrids with related exotic ornamental plant species, Portulaca grandiflora and Portulaca umbraticola. Portulaca grandiflora has been selected for temperate climates and flowers do not close under low light intensity.
Our preliminary experiments have shown these species do not produce inter-generic hybrid seeds, and capsules die within 12 days after pollination as pollen tube growth is inhibited within the stigma.
We are characterising capsule, seed, and embryo development of these species to establish a development window for when in vitro ovule pollination and embryo rescue might be achieved.
Further, we have demonstrated that in ovulo embryo culture can be achieved using swollen, dark green capsules having brown to black colour swollen seeds at six to nine days after pollination in intra-specific control crosses of P. umbraticola.

VI International Symposium on In Vitro Culture and Horticultural Breeding

P. Wickramasinghe, D.K. Harrison, M.E. Johnston

breeding, capsule, in ovulo embryo culture, pollen tube growth

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2009.829.34