My gesneriad pollination finger is finally itching, after reading through the 2002 phylogenetic relationships paper again*. There are still so many possibilities...

But, my pollen palette is very limited. The whole collection fits in a 55 gallon aquarium, even sharing it with other kinds of plants. I'm putting this request out there in case anyone would like to share some of their extra pollen. I'll send SASE to volunteers who might like to help.

Here's what I'm trying to find. I won't be too picky, beggers can't be choosers and all, just looking for some that might set seed on what I'm already growing:

- Pearcea (abunda, reticulata, the USBRG collections, etc.: formerly Parakohleria)

- Kohleria (any species or hybrid except K. amabilis, which I do have)

- Diastema comiferum (I can also try other Diastema, Phinaea, and Niphaea in some crosses). I won't need D. racemiferum, D. sp. cf. racemiferum, P. albolineata, or P. ecuadorana.

- Seemannia (species or hybrid).

You can see I'll be working with the rhizomatous types, probably trying some unlikely combinations. The plants I have to work with include a few Diastema, Gloxinia, Gloxinella, Kohleria, and Phinaea.

Of course if anything remotely interesting comes out of it, the donor gets first chance to help test out the new plants ;)

Thank you,

Vincent

* American Journal of Botany 89(2): 296Â311. 2002.

PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS IN THE GESNERIOIDEAE (GESNERIACEAE) BASED ON NRDNA ITS AND CPDNA TRNL-F AND TRNE-T SPACER REGION SEQUENCES

ELIZABETH A. ZIMMER, ERIC H. ROALSON, LAURENCE E. SKOG, JOHN K. BOGGAN, AND ALEXANDER IDNURM