A few questions first, strength of stalks? Tillering? Number of blossoms per stalk? Leaf shape?

The color of the blossom is very nice. Leaf color is good. I would certainly keep it for further study and observation.

I like it. However, I need to understand what some of the questions mean.

What is tillering?

I can see why the number of blooms per stalk would be important, but I wonder if it would be possible to breed for well spaced blooms. Or, is that a function of the care they are given?

I do not understand the importance of leaf shape.

John

Hello Fatbaldguy,
As a hybridizer myself, i have already taken those questions into consideration. This hybrid is very proliferous. It has already produced three offsets and the plant is only four months old. It is a sturdy compact plant, and the stalks are strong with medium sized heads of large blossoms. The flower head though is not very high above the foliage, but it is higher than that of pink sunburst. The flowers are full petalled, uniform and delicate in colour but durable (they are thick). The red colouration over the dark green leaves makes it very attractive but the leaves are somewhat cupped close to the tips. However this hybrid stands out amongst my latest batch of 100+ hybrids and i would definitely be keeping it.

Hey Billy,
Tillering is how readily side shoots are produced from the main rootstock. Yes it is possible to breed for well shaped blooms. leaf shape is important because some people prefer more slender leaves such as leaves of canna glauca or wider leaves like that of canna assaut.

Siam.

Most excellent. Further questions will include; Is it self cleaning? Is it fertile both ways, and true to type?
Of course the latter will have to answered in succeeding generations.

If the height is in the middle range, it could make an excellent addition to display beds. If it is tall, I suppose it could make a grand display en mass as a point of interest.

Self cleaning, fertile both ways and good rhizome production we will know soon enough.
Have any of your glauca seeds germinated yet? If not then maybe they are not good anymore. Canna glauca seeds usually have high germination sucess.

Siam

Glauca and Kress are the only two that haven't shown any growth/sprouting yet. I'm patient. I'll wait a few more weeks before I give up on them.

I thought that self cleaning meant that once the floret was old (or spent), the canna shed it. I assumed this meant the plant was at least pod sterile. Is this not the case?

What plants do you use as parents? Do you keep and use cetain parents, because they pass on special traits to the sdlgs?

Substance (to use an iris term) seems to be a much desired trait. Allowing the flowers to hold up after a rain, wind, etc. Is there a canna that passes on this trait?

John

I think JohnÂs question and statement concerning the term self-cleaning is worthy a response. In the canna world there seems to be a somewhat difference of opinion by some qualified parties that I personally do not understand. Like John, I consider "self-cleaning" to mean the abortion of the matured floret. The matured flower actually falls from the encasing sepals that are attached to the ovary. I find many canna cultivars that refuse to fully abort these florets; which ultimate turn brown and distract from the appearance of the plant. A botanical term sometimes used for this is abscission (which is the process in which plants lose leaves, flowers and fruit). In cannas this "is not" an indicator factor in pod sterility. In many plants, hormones apparently trigger this abscission. I do not know if this is the case with cannas. Many canna cultivars that exhibit floret drop are excellent seed (viable) producers.
Regards,
Kent

As a mostly newbie, this is the type of discussion that I find very helpful. Terms and their easy to use definition/applications are most appreciated!! I like the dark pink of Siam's hybrid.

Hello everyone,
Nice to meet you Daffodillady.

This is a new picture of the hybrid taken today.

{{gwi:456358}}

Hope everyone is great.
Siam