A forum for discussion of potential collaborations with regards to ornamentals – i.e. floriculture, nursery crops, breeding, turf, ornamentals industry, botanic gardens, landscape industry, orchids, etc.
Redbud (Cercis spp.) trees provide colorful spring bloom in much of North America. Although most genotypes are green-leaved, some cultivars have been developed with yellow, red, or purple leaves. Depending on genotype, flowers can be white, pink, purple, or red. Previously we found that leaf petioles from red or purple flowered redbuds contain peonidin-3-glucoside, purple-flowered redbuds also contain malvidin-3-glucoside, red-flowered redbuds lack appreciable malvidin-3-glucoside, and white flower types lack either pigment. In the current study, we followed the anthocyanins present in the calyx, petal, and pedicel of flowers in purple, red, yellow and green leaved genotypes to determine pigment profile continuity and possible leaf color influence on pigments. A total of 30 cultivar/genotypes of redbud flowers were used, including C. chinensis, C. glabra, C. canadensis, and C. canadensis ssp. texensis, mexicana. Calyx, petal, and pedicel of 20 cultivars were also subjected to extraction of pigments with acidified methanol and identification of anthocyanins using HPLC and PDA. Overall, visual categorization of flowers as red or purple and flower components correlated with the presence (purple) or absence (red) of malvidin 3-glucoside. Purple flowers from red or purple-leaved redbuds had a more diverse anthocyanin profile and were 1.5 to 3 fold higher in total anthocyanin than those from green-leaved redbuds. Red flowers were dominant in peonidin-3,5-diglucoside. These studies demonstrate that multiple flower tissues will yield similar anthocyanin profiles in redbud flowers, and that the genetics affecting leaf color can also influence the amount of pigment in redbud flowers. Additionally, the redbud species and genotypes used in this study appear to exhibit a pattern of flower pigmentation controlled by synthesis of malvidin-3-glucoside and peonidin-3-glucoside.
Arachis glabrata is a drought resistant, low maintenance, pest resistant, nitrogen fixer, ornamental ground cover used in tropical and subtropical climates. Although popular in landscapes in the State of Florida for its attractive leaf color, low maintenance needs, orange flowers, and low mowing requirements, there is only one A. glabrata ornamental cultivar available in the market: ‘EcoTurf’. ‘EcoTurf’ is dual purpose cultivar (ornamental/hay) due to its low height (15-20 cm), compared to the many hay cultivars available. The University of Florida/IFAS Ornamental Perennial Peanut Breeding Program has been developing, trialing, and selecting lines with unique or improved ornamental characteristic, all developed by single rhizome descent at the UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center. ‘Sunshine’ is a profuse bloomer with flowers almost double the size than ‘EcoTurf’, bright orange flowers, and waxy leaves. ‘Lemondrop’ is the only A. glabrata cultivar with yellow flowers, compact and dense foliage, and waxy leaves. ‘Chico’ has glaucous, dark-green leaves, and a dense and compact foliage. And ‘Sundrop’ with yellow-orange flowers, a long flowering period, and dark-green, glaucous, dense and compact foliage. All these new cultivars have a lower grower habit (10-15 cm) than the current industry standard ‘EcoTurf’. These new cultivars of Ornamental Rhizoma Perennial Peanut bring a new pallet of leaf types, flower size, flower color, and growth habit to the ornamental market, with great potential to be used in landscapes across the southeastern US.
Loropetalum chinense, is a popular ornamental shrub known for its distinctive flowers and foliage color. Due to its aesthetic appeal and adaptability, Loropetalum is widely used in landscaping and has become an important crop for U.S. nurseries. However, limited understanding of genetic diversity among cultivars presents challenges for breeding efforts, as genome size and ploidy levels play a crucial role in hybridization success and in determining phenotypic traits such as flower size, color, and plant vigor. This study aimed to measure the ploidy levels and relative genome sizes of a wide range of Loropetalum cultivars in the U.S. to inform future breeding strategies. Flow cytometry was used to determine genome size and estimated ploidy, and chromosome countings were performed to validate the ploidy data. A total of 33 accessions were inspected, with 32 found to be diploids and one triploid. The 1Cx genome size ranged from 2.42 to 3.06 pg across cultivars. These results provide a foundational knowledge on ploidy and genome size variation in the Loropetalum germplasm that would benefit future Loropetalum breeding decisions.
The University of Hawaii's anthurium breeding program established a partnership with floral design professionals, transitioning from informal collaboration in 2016 to a formalized Professional Advisory Team (PAT) in 2021. This collaboration integrates established phenotypic selection practices with artistic design expertise to enhance new variety development. The PAT, comprising influential floral designers and growers, provides essential feedback on spathe and spadix color, conformation, and size at the early flowering stage, directly influencing breeding decisions, such as advancement to cloning and field evaluation, thereby ensuring market relevance. By incorporating designer insights from the seedling stage through advanced testing, the program prioritizes selection based on perceived market demands. Grower feedback during field testing focuses on plant vigor, pest and disease resistance, ease of shipping and customer acceptance. The breeding program released three new cultivars developed with the model, at national floral design events, including the AIFD symposium and Fresh Floral Expo; social media and trade publications covered the varietal release events. Integrating grower feedback, a long-standing practice, with the new design-focused evaluations strengthens the breeding program’s ability to produce new varieties which meet the needs of growers, designers, and consumers.
Gladiolus(-i), Gladiolus ×hybridus (Iridaceae), is a tetraploid, asexually-propagated, herbaceous perennial floricultural crop. Gladiolus is in the top five cut flower crops in the world for use in floral design. Despite their ability to widely intercross with dwarf stature wild type species, gladiolus have not been developed for the potted plant market. The objective of this analysis is to identify potential genetic marker(s) related to dwarfism to direct future breeding efforts towards the gladiolus potted plant market. In this study we examine 2,662 unique gladiolus cultivars and numbered selections using DNA marker-based analysis. Samples were collected from the public (University of Minnesota) and private (Meyer, Otto) sector gladiolus breeding programs in Minnesota and elsewhere in Europe. A total of 194 dwarfs (90cm) genotypes were identified in our analysis. Dwarfs were defined as being less than 90cm in height of the entire plant including inflorescence at first bloom. Population genetic diversity was analyzed using 17,556 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) low-density markers using DArTseq technology. After filtering call rates at the 95% level a total of 2,026 SNPs remained, separating genotypes into 177 dwarfs and 2,235 standard individuals. No private alleles were found when comparing dwarfs to standards. When we narrowed the definition of dwarf to those
Marie Abbey is a researcher at the University of Minnesota Horticultural Science department. She has studied perceptions of biotechnology, invasive plant species, and aquaponics. Her current research is in flower breeding and molecular genetics.
Wednesday July 30, 2025 4:30pm - 4:45pm CDT Strand 12A
Roses are among the most important ornamental crops globally. Major fungal diseases affecting this crop in East-Central Texas are Cercospora leaf spot (Rosisphaerella rosicola Pass.) and black spot (Diplocarpon rosae F.A. Wolf). This study aims to uncover the genetic basis of resistance to these diseases using three biparental F1 autotetraploid rose populations derived from the following crosses: ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ × ‘Morden Blush’ (MoHxMB, N=196), ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ × ‘Morden Fireglow’ (MoHxMF, N=180), and ‘Morden Blush’ × ‘Brite Eyes’ (MBxBE, N=182). The populations, planted in a randomized complete block design with two replications, were scored for disease severity monthly from May to November over two years (2023 and 2024) at the Texas A
Amur maple (Acer ginnala) is a medium sized street tree grown for its durability in challenging environments. Unfortunately, it has escaped cultivation from prolific seed production and is banned in multiple regions. To breed for reduced fertility, a ploidy series was developed including 3x, 4x, and 5x genotypes. As part of the evaluation for fertility, phenology of field plants including the range from diploid to pentaploid were evaluated between 2020 and 2023. Reproductive traits included first flower, 50% flowering, full flower, seed set, seed abortion, and seed ripening. Vegetative traits included first leaf, full leaf, first fall color, full fall color, and leaf drop. There were no differences in phenology of any reproductive or vegetative traits relative to ploidy, and across all genotypes there was a high degree of consistency in timing of all observed traits. Confirming simultaneous flowering of all genotypes will provide confidence in future data collected on relative fertility of accessions to facilitate cultivar release. Additionally, this study confirmed that ploidy does not alter early or late season events that may expose plants to more damage from frost events during these periods.
