TB vs mixed ancestry for reblooming trait--small comment

I have registered and had introduced only one rebloomer.  The cross was
Chivalry X blue seedling with red beard, presumably from Carabella x
Floradora.  Three seedlings bloomed in the fall of their germination year.
The one named AUGUST ASTER and introduced by Tell Muhlstein in 1971 was a
consistent, reliable August rebloomer in SW Idaho (zone 6) for several years.
The ancestry was pure TB as far as I know--the parentage of the pollen parent
is presumed, not known for certain.  No crosses, however, in the group that
may have been the parents had any dwarf ancestry, nor would any of them other
than the Carabella X Floradora cross have been expected to produce tangerine
beards.  The height of August Aster was 38 inches.

Neither of the siblings that fall-bloomed in their germination year ever
rebloomed and were soon discarded.  I did not keep any other siblings.

Seedlings that I grew from August Aster were bred for t-bearded blues, not
rebloomers, and the line was abandoned because of poor stalks that tended to
grow too fast and ended up snaking, often on the ground, a trait inherited
from the pollen parent.  No seedlings from this cv have ever been registered
as far as I know, and I assume it no longer to be extant.  Its fertility as a
pod parent was ample but no pollen was produced.  I find this somewhat curious
as both parents produced pollen, although the pollen parent never set any pods
for me.

I probably would have pursued the reblooming issue had I gotten into contact
with Dr. Zurbrigg.  As it was, I had nothing else to breed from that showed
the slightest indication of inclination to rebloom in that climate and zone.

The only reason I mention August Aster is that it (as far as I know) neither
bloomed short nor had dwarf ancestry, being at least one example that does not
conform to the speculation that conflict or incompatibility between dwarf and
TB genomes accounts for rebloom in general.

Neil Mogensen  z 7 near Asheville and Hendersonville in the mountains of
western NC

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE IRIS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index