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Callistemon ( I think) question


Observed this plant in containers at The Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center
on Oahu 2 weeks ago.  A small bush (2 1/2 to 3 feet) with dark green
leathery leaves, red powder puff-like flowers (bright red, firm stamens,
pronounced, bronze/green anthers).  The bvest information I could get
 
While in Hawaii last month, I saw an interesting plant in
planters on the top floor of a shopping center (so, full sun, all
day long).  They were small (2 1/2 - 3 ft) evergreen plants with
dark green leathery leaves, with red powderpuffŽlike flowers
(bright red, firm stamens, pronounced bronze/green anthers). The
best information I could get from the facilities manager was a  common
name,
dwarf bottlebrush, but I didn't think it was a Callistemon, because the
flower spikes were spherical, rather than cylindrical, but it did seem
likely to be a Myrtaceae.  One thing that occurred was Metrosideros
polymorpha (Ohi`a lehua a Hawaiian
native), however botanists (including at the Bishop Museum) said
that was very unlikely.
 
Then someone suggested it was perhaps a Callistemon called `Little
John', an Australian native and cultivar. The Australian National
Botanic Garden, Callistemon page
(http://www.anbg.gov.au.callistemon/callistemon.html), lists 
Callistemon citrinus as `Crimson Bottlebrush', then further down lists
Callistemon `little john' as a DWARF cultivar, with Callistemon citrinus
as one parent.  That may be it, but the only
thing that bothers me, is that the leaves are describe as being
blue-green.  As best I can recall the plant I saw had dark green leaves.
 
I collected what I was hoping were seed
 pods from one of these plants.  After drying I opened the pods
and removed VERY tiny light tan structures that I presumed to be
seeds (maybe), and planted them.  LoŽandŽbehold (and much to my
surprise, tell the truth), they germinated.  Here were all these
tiny, 2Žleafed thingys looking up at me.  I pricked out 3 dozen
of them and replanted them in individual flats and they seemed to
recover and start growing ok.

Now my question.
What have I got and what should I expect?  If these are hybrids
will I get different phenotypes representing the different
parents, or what?
 
TIA for any light you can shed on this.
 
Regards,
Ken Osborn


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