Re: Chocolate Cosmos

---

• To: s*@eskimo.com
• Subject: Re: Chocolate Cosmos
• From: "* W* <m*@kapiti.co.nz>
• Date: Sat, 28 Jun 1997 17:01:57 +0000
• Comments: Authenticated sender is <mw@mail.kp.planet.gen.nz>
• Priority: normal
• Resent-Date: Fri, 27 Jun 1997 22:04:53 -0700
• Resent-From: seeds-list@eskimo.com
• Resent-Message-ID: <"2hoSn.0.xy7.qj9jp"@mx1>
• Resent-Sender: seeds-list-request@eskimo.com

> > I bought some small chocolate cosmos plants last year and lost them all.
> > I'd like to try growing them from seed now, anyone tried this?  Any
> > suggestions?  Anyone know where I can get some seeds or have seeds to
> > trade?
> > 
> > TIA
> > 
> > Nan
> > 
> > +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
> > Nan Sterman, "gardening addict"
> > Olivenhain, California
> > Sunset Zone 24, USDA Zone 10b or 11
> > +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
> > 
> The Chocolate Cosmos ( C. atrosanguinea) is thought to be extinct in 
> its Mexican natural habitat, and all the plants of this species 
> available in horticuture were propagated by tissue culture from a 
> single remaining plant.
>  Fertile seed of this species is only obtained by cross pollination of 2 
> geneticly separate plants. Since this is not now possible any seed 
> from  C. atrosanguinea is unlikely to be "true".
>  It looks like you will have to find more plants of this species. It 
> is very easy to propagate from cuttings but make sure to cut 
> just below the node, as with Dahlias, to ensure that the resulting 
> plants do not produce "blind" tubers.

Folowing on here....
Blind tubers are ones which have no "Eyes", or dormant buds, and so
are unable to grow and form a new plant.

Plant stems have clear sections and joints. From these joints, which
are called nodes, come leaves and stem branches. Where the leaves and
branches join the node are found tiny dormant buds, not found in the
clear sections of the stem. When propagating tuber forming plants from
stem cuttings, you shold always cut just below a node  so that the new
roots from the cutting emerge around the node area . Later in the
season, when the cutting forms a new tuber, the dormant buds from the
node are included to form eyes.

If you take a cutting from just above a node, with a long section of
clear stem to the next node of the cutting, this will root and grow
normaly, but no dormant buds are present to be included in the new
formed tuber, and when the stem dies back below the last node, you
have no "eyes". You have a blind tuber.

            ----------------------
Regarding Chocolate Cosmos from seed:
I have tried crossing it with the annual C. bipinnnatus and closely
related Dahlia but no seed has resulted no matter which way I tried.

  -Mike
_____________________________________________________

Michael Wilton * Waikanae * New Zealand 
 mw@kapiti.co.nz
"Mike in the Begonia House" Wellington Botanic Garden
_____________________________________________________

• Prev by Date: Re: New Zealand Seeds list are here
• Next by Date: Alpine Garden Society UK
• Prev by thread: Re: Chocolate Cosmos
• Next by thread: germinating Calycanthus and other shrubs