Re: OS & TC

hosta-open@mallorn.com (Clyde)wrote:
> 
> I have tried to follow the discussion of TC v. OS plants.
> If you TC a plant, say 'Janet', and get 1000 plants, then all of the plants
> that look like Janet are OS, right? If you get a mutant then that is a sport
> of Janet, no?
> 
> Hostas are highly unstable and variable. I have seen specimens of OS this and
> OS that that do not look anything like my OS this and OS that.
> 
> Please explain in layman's terms what the controversy is.
> Thks!!
> Clyde Crockett z5 ccredux@aol.com Indianapolis IN
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.............................................................................

Dear Clyde and others,

I, too, have been trying to follow the discussion on OS and TC but am
having difficulty in meaning of words. Let's take your message and I
will discuss it to show you what I mean.

You call it a discussion of TC vs OS. I would not make such a
distinction using the "vs" connotation because in some cases TC could be
the same as OS...in  H.'June', for example.

The second point I would make make regarding your post is that the 1000
plants Tc'ed from 'Janet' which  look like 'Janet' are technically
identical and are clones of 'Janet' but I would not call them OS. The
common usage of this word is by growers and sellers of plants who wish
to use this term to perhaps guarantee that no mistakes have been made in
the labeling and continuity of correctness about the plant in question.
A side issue is that Alex tells me about four incidences in which he
received plants identified as OS from four "originators" and all four
were incorrect. So go figure!

If you get a mutant of Janet, yes, you get a sport. A sport is also
obtained if all other causes of permanent changes occur such as, tissue
transfers, chromosome breaking and rejoining ( called a crossover or
recombinant), mutations of DNA in plastids, mutations of mitochondria,
mutations of genes in chromosomes and who knows what else we will learn
about this in the future?

You say that hostas are highly unstable and variable. I would modifiy
this statement to say that chimeras (variegaterd hostas) are unstable
and variable. The green and yellow forms are relatively stable. The
chimeras include the mediovariegated, sectorial chimeras (those with
half and half leaves), streaked forms, snow flurry forms and the
marginally variegated forms.

You asked what is the controversy about. The example I have just given
represents my attempt to make corrections in the proper use of terms so
that the statements are more correct. There is nothing personal in
making these correction suggestions. It is an attempt to try to be
helpful in providing my understanding of the proper meaning and usage of
the terms. My analysis is that the controversy is about differences of
opinions and what we think is true, differences in basic motivations,
differences in understanding of terms, differences in personal
philosophies, and  differences in communicating correctly. I doubt these
differences can be resolved and agreed upon.  

Jim Hawes Oakland MD
hawesj@gcnet.net
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