Avsforme,

Optimara gets patents on its violets. So I presume legally you can restart your own old plant from a leaf and replace it and that's all you can do.

Registration - in AVSA - doesn't impose any restrictions on propagation.

Optimara is doing a mass production and protecting its violets from beingcommercially propagated by another mass producer. Even if the sale of their leaves on ebay is not legal, not really - I doubt they will be after these little guys.

The stores that sell Optimara plants are obliged to have an Optimara marker in every pot. I believe you can contact Optimara, pay a fee and they will send you some markers. This way with every Optimara baby you sell - you pay royalties - let's say 9 cents a piece - and this is a proper way to do things.

Cheers

irina

Hi irina, Thanks for the answer I was thinking of contacting Optimara and asking about purchasing the name tags to make everything as legal as possible. How about using one of their plants as a parent plant for a new hybrid?

The general opinion - go for it. The warning is usually concerns an asexual propagation. But I didn't see their papers.

Why do you need to get Optimara tags? Are you going to start a business propagating them? I do not think there is such a large demand for them.

I.

Hi irina, I was hoping to buy some leaves from selectivegardener.com (Optimera) and propagate them then possibly sell on ebay or around here (I have one lady interested already, she owns a flower/plant shop), it wouldn't be large scale at all, just a bedroom/basement venture. I just want to do it as legally as possible.

I believe that the royalties for the Space Babies would be much higher if they will give their permit at all. Selective Gardener sells them at quite a high price. BlueBird greenhouse also sells them and cheaper.

I have several of them - and when you propagate them - they sport a lot. Most often they reverse to EverPraise - the light blue one.

Good luck - and if you are going to make a buck to offset your hobby's expenses - try to grow chimeras - they are always in demand, streptocarpus etc. - it seems to me that the AV market is more than filled.

Good Luck to your enterprize.

I.

irina, I was hoping to mostly stick with the minis and micro minis, I have the room for standards and large and have leaves from all the sizes put down but did want to stay away from the standards and larges for hybridizing. I just find the minis so adorable. I was thinking of getting some of the Little Jewels and the Indian named minis from selective gardener (yes they are expensive, I got a touch of sticker shock when I first priced them!). I've looked at Streps in one of the plant shops out here, they were very nice (but unnamed, I've turned into a "plant snob"), I decided to stay away from them till I do some mad scientist experimenting on the AVs. But you're right the Streps and Chimeras do move fast on ebay! I also looked into Chiritas, very pretty and up and coming me thinks! Just a random thought...do you think you could cross a mini AV with a mini Sinningia (like White Sprite)? Or maybe a small Chirita with a mini sinningia....oh, the mad scientist is going wacko! Becky :o)

Lorraine from Optimara told another forum that you can propagate Optimaras for your own use and for trading. But it is illegal to propagate for selling plants or leaves.

Nancy

Becky -

about crossing:

It is rare when it is possible to successfully cross between the genera and these intergeneric crosses often come sterile.
Different amount of chromosomes is a main problem. The closer the genera on a family tree - the more chances. Like Smithiantha and Achimenes can be crossed and produce a beautiful X-Achimenantha.

AV is an African plant and Sinningia - South American. So in their evolution they are quite far apart in time and space from the common predecessor. The same is with Chirita.
So the chances of success of such crossing are not good.

And the size is not critical in crossing. If really necessary you can cross a mastiff and the pug, but not cat and dog. Or there is way more than enough of wolf-dog hybrids - but did you hear about dog-foxes? Even they all are canines. (May be dogs just do not like the way the foxes smell..)

Good luck in your crossings.

I.

Hi irina, That all makes sence. There are some Chiritas out there that I'd love to cross (with other Chiritas), beautiful plants and lots of potential! I just bought 9 of Rob's little beauties (AVs) and hope to use them as a beginning for my hybridizing experiments. I've been studying the dominant/recessive traits and cannot find an answer to one question...is green dominant or recessive? any idea? BTW, the Pug/Mastiff cross would be quite amusing, they could be called Pustiffs or Mastugs....LOL!