Pleione pollen request

[KBruyninckx]

Hello all,

As you may know from previous posts on the forum I've been trying to collect as many forms of Pleione formosana that I can get my hands on.
As a result my collection has slowly but steadily expanded and I now have a fair number of clones: some of them filling a pan of 23 cm, other, more recent additions, represented by a single bulb for now.

One of the aims of building up this collection of Pleione formosana clones is to see what the effect would be of using these clones when hybridizing them with Pleione forrestii and Pleione x confusa.

I know that for both Pleione Shantung and Pleione Zeus Weinstein clones have been selected over the years.

In the case of Pleione Shantung I know David Harberd initially used ‘Blush of Dawn’ and talks in one of his articles of ‘other formosana cultivars’ used as well, albeit without naming them but it would be interesting nonetheless to repeat this cross using the different clones I have gathered so far.

Same goes for Pleione Zeus Weinstein registered in 1988 by Pinkepank, all I can find is that in a remake (?) an alba form of Pleione formosana was used...


Over the years I have learned that Pleione forrestii and myself don’t see eye to eye when it comes to survival, ‘all’ other Pleiones do fine… but Pleione forrestii just dies on me and I only recently obtained a flowering size bulb of Pleione x confusa so this does not yet help me.


Would you, or someone you know, have a pan of the same clone of Pleione forrestii and/or Pleione x confusa that would be willing to harvest pollen so I could use them in my hybridizing trial?
It is important for this experiment that I use the pollen of the same clone of Pleione forrestii and Pleione x confusa so I can properly evaluate the effect of each Pleione formosana clone.



Kind regards,
Kenneth.

PS: to give you an idea, I have close to 20 different Pleione formosana clones that I could use this year and additional ones from next year onwards.

[ThomasB]

Sounds like an interesting project Kenneth.


Unfortunately I can't be of any help but just another thought came to my mind. Did you also think about Pln. forrestii alba? It's progeny will look quite different to that of a yellow Pln. forrestii, especially when hybridized with a Pln. formosana alba clone.
There might be already different clones of Pln. x confusa in cultivation or maybe the man-made hybrid Pln. Cuxius has even been done with yellow and white Pln. forrestii?

Doesn't make it easier but could offer some more opportunities what your Pln. Shantung and Zeus Weinstein to come could look like.

Kind regards
Thomas

[KBruyninckx]

Hello Thomas,

Initially I did not think of Pln. forrestii alba, but if anyone has enough pollen of the same clone then, well, why not...


kind regards,
Kenneth.

[Maren]

Hi Kenneth,

how about pollen of a single plant? I have a P. forrestii v. alba now in flower and I could try and get some pollen of it.

[KBruyninckx]

All,

Failing a steady supply of pollen from a single clone I would also accept pollen from individual clones ;-)


kind regards,
Kenneth.


PS: Maren thank you for the pollen!

[Kevin]

hi Kenneth,

here's a suggestion to help scarce pollen go a bit further (I thank Paul Cumbleton for the suggestion a while ago).

It is possible to use the pollen from one donor plant to pollinate four flowers as there are four pollinia which could be separated out. Indeed, it's possible to cut each pollinia in half and use it, although there is the possibility of less seed being produced.

Regards,
Kevin