Ben's pod counting
- To: hosta-open@mallorn.com
- Subject: Ben's pod counting
- From: h*@open.org
- Date: Sun, 30 May 1999 08:42:42 -0700 (PDT)
Ben:
Your pod counting article has some shortcomings, but the relative pod
setting ability of various hostas might be of value to novice
hybridizers. However, I want to comment on your use of sterile when
you mean infertile. A hosta that does not set pods is not sterile -
it is infertile. Sterile means without life. Usually most people
know what is really meant, but if you are writing a scientific type
article you should use the correct terminology. If you want to say a
hosta is male sterile, meaning it's pollen is without life, or a hosta
is pod sterile, meaning that it's megagametophyte is without life,
then that would be acceptable. However, you shouldn't say that Gold
Standard is sterile, because the plant is alive. Instead you should
say Gold Standard is infertile, but even that is ambiguous because a
hosta can be pod infertile but still pollen fertile. Gold Standard
may be pod infertile, but is it also pollen infertile? You shouldn't
say a certain hosta is infertile unless you know it it both pod and
pollen infertile. Your article in the Hosta Journal might mislead
some people when they see that a certain hosta is listed as "sterile"
and then not use it for hybridizing when in fact it may be highly
pollen fertile.
If you can ever get any seeds from the "highly" fertile Abiqua recluse
to germinate would you please let me know. I planted seeds from maybe
500 pods and didn't get a single seed to germinate.
Joe Halinar
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