Re: Discussion on Origin of Sports
I don't know
> what the original sieboldiana Elegans looked like when it sported to
> Great Expectations.
>
> How here is another question. I have never heard anyone complain
> about having trouble growing sieboldiana or what ever is being sold as
> sieboldiana Elegans, but yet a lot of people complain about Great
> Expectations. I don't have any problem with it, so I'm not quite
> aware of what the actual problem is. Now, what I should do when I get
> a few more plants of the all green/blue form is send them to people
> who have problems growing Great Expectations to see if they they the
> same problem with the reversion.
>
> Joe Halinar
I can tell you that the original plant that 'Great Expectations' sported
from was at Savill Garden in England. Whether it is still there I don't
know, but it probably is. I don't know if any of this plant has ever been
passed around. If you are interested in obtaining a sample, perhaps one of
our English friends can look into this. Some 'Great Expactations' plants
have grown very well while others have failed to. The ratio may be 50/50.
Interestingly they seem to run in batches. This may point to a problem in
tissue culture, although not necessarily with the process itself. One
possibility is that GE has some variability in its growth rate that is
probably genetic and that if the wrong meristem is used all propagated from
it will grow poorly. Another possibilty is that it is overly susceptible to
genetic damage or mutation caused by some part of the TC process. I once saw
two flats at a nursery in Maryland that had come in two months previously.
The proprietor pointed out that something seemed to be wrong with them as
they hadn't grown at all since they had arrived. That was in June. By
September, they had put on another leaf or two but that was all. The
following spring they were no bigger than they were then. The leaves at that
point were only an inch or so. The next time I went back, the proprietor had
thrown them out.
..........Bill Meyer
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