M. x 'Lingholm' x M. integrifolia

[IanScott]

At the Meconopsis Group AGM, I raised the question of whether M. x 'Lingholm' could hybridise with any of the 'yellows' to produce a 'cream'.  So, on this particular board I will explain what I intend to do, record all the details, update the progress and hopefully come to a satisfactory conclusion. 

If others wish to carry out similar experiments in hybridising it would be useful if they could use a separate topic board and not clutter this one.

As I have said previously, many fine hybrids have appeared in the garden by chance, and the identity of their parents may be incorrect. Similarly, a number of the old species have been split into sub-species or new species, so it is essential to start by fully recording the characteristics of the two parents which are going to be used. I am going to take the pollen from the 'yellow' and apply it to the 'blue', simply because if any seed is produced on the 'blue', the resulting seedlings should be 'creams' instead of 'blues' - an obvious difference.

The pollen will come from Meconopsis integrifolia ssp souliei. The plants have been grown from seed legally collected in China at a location within the known distribution area. 

The receptor plant is a veteran Meconopsis x 'Lingholm', which was verified by Evelyn Stevens several years ago.

My initial posts will act as the 'vouchers' for the two parents.

The later posts will describe the conditions under which the cross will be conducted.

[IanScott]

General appearance of plants which are about 10" (25cm) high.

[IanScott]

The leaves of the rosette in autumn.

[IanScott]

Overwinters as a resting bud below the surface, but the emerging leaves are hairier than in the autumn.

[IanScott]

Typical outer leaves from a mature plant, underside showing veining (top) and surface (bottom). Inner leaves are shorter and wider.

[IanScott]

Close-up of underside of inner leaf

[IanScott]

Surface of flower bud is extremely hairy.

[IanScott]

Open flower bud - the colour is as shown in the image. All flowers are single blooms on basal stems.

[IanScott]

Same flower with the petal pulled back to show stigma, style, stamen etc. (the colour of the petals was more yellow - see previous image). This flower had been open for two days.

[IanScott]

Another flower from a different plant showing natural variation in the number of petals, giving a near-double effect. The flower had been open for less than 24 hours.

[poppy girl]

Excellent reporting Ian!

[IanScott]

Receptor plant - Meconopsis x 'Lingholm'

General appearance of plant - all of the plants in the colony are divisions of the same stock. Vigorous, clump forming and about 85cm in height at flowering time. Leaves brittle and tending to break in strong wind.  All parts of stems and leaves covered with gingery hairs

[IanScott]

Typical outer leaf.  The sides of the leaf blade have a slight tendency to reflex inwardly

[IanScott]

Typical younger leaf. Younger leaves tend to be slightly hairier (i.e. the hairs spread out as the leaf grows and expands)

[IanScott]

Close-up of ginger hairs on foliage

[IanScott]

Flower buds develop vertically but hang down when ready to open. Terminal flower buds normally 3 to 4, surrounded by whorl of stem-less leaves. Surface of flower bud extremely hairy.

[IanScott]

Secondary flower buds (normally 1 or 2) on flowering scape with single leaf whorl. Buds develop as per main buds, but usually are smaller in size.  Edges of whorl leaves more irregular than proper leaves and lacking leaf stem.

[IanScott]

The flower has four overlapping petals of an intense blue (very close to the image colour) with a slight purple colouration at the base of each petal. This flower opened on a very hot and sunny day.

[IanScott]

Same flower with two petals pulled back to show stigma, style, stamen etc. This flower opened the previous day and already the flower was beginning to become more open-faced.

[IanScott]

The process that I am going to use, to ensure that pollination is controlled, is Stuart Pawley's teabag method.

1. Use a pair of sharp scissors to cut off one side of the square teabag (or the end of a circular teabag, as shown here) and remove the tea leaves.  This will provide an excellent 'hat' which will allow air through it, when placed over the pollinated stigma, and will keep other pollinators out.  It also shows you which flower head has been pollinated.

[Steve Garvie]

Hi Ian, there is a ready-made alternative to tea bags. Small synthetic organza (netted nylon/polyester) fibre bags with a drawstring are used as gift bags and wedding favour bags. They are quite cheap to buy, allow good ventilation and can come in a range of sizes (7x9cm up to 25x35cm) and colours. They are also re-useable. These bags will prevent unwanted insect cross-pollination and are also useful for collecting seed from “explosive seed pods”.

Links to ebay items are ephemeral but here is a curently active link: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100-25-LUXURY-Organza-Gift-Bags-Jewellery-Pouch-XMAS-Wedding-Party-Candy-Favour-/291923416963?_trksid=p2349526.m4383.l4275.c1&var=590915604115

An ebay search of “organza gift bags” will yield many similar results.

[IanScott]

2. Select a flower which just about to open and will not have been already pollinated by insects.

[IanScott]

3. Carefully remove the petals and the stamen.  The pollen will not be mature and will not be released.

[IanScott]

4. Cover the stigma with the tea-bag, folding it around the flower stem and gently, but firmly, hold it in place with a wire tie.  This should keep the recipient flower free from pollinators until you are ready to start.

[IanScott]

5. The recipient flower will not be mature immediately, so leave the tea-bag over it for 3 or 4 days before starting to pollinate.  You can gauge when the flower will be ready by looking at other flowers which opened at about the same time.

[IanScott]

6. Remove mature pollen from the donor plant by either using a fine paint brush (or cotton-bud) or by removing some of the stamen. It is easy to see when the anthers are ready to release mature pollen, they become a darker colour and pollen is easily released by just touching them.

Remove the tea-bag from the recipient plant, wipe the pollen onto the top of the stigma (the style) and replace the tea-bag.

I do this for 3 consecutive days just to make sure and then just let nature do the rest.

I will do this with half a dozen different recipient flowers (post-script - it was lucky that I did this as the last gale which hit us broke two of the flower stems which had been used)

[IanScott]

The six 'bagged' seed capsules were removed today, as the stems were dry and any seed should have been ready. There was no large plump seed in any of the capsules, just small abortive seed.

So it would appear that this cross has not worked. I will repeat the cross next year using Meconopsis sulphurea instead of Meconopsis integrifolia.

However, this has been an extraordinary year for summer temperatures and the plants are not happy with the conditions, despite being given copious quantities of water.  In a normal year this colony of plants would produce a large amount of seed. This year there are only five swollen seed capsules containing ripe seed. So I am only 90% certain that this cross will not produce viable seed.

In parallel to this experiment I repeated the Meconopsis x sarsonsii cross which appears to have produced fertile seed, which will be sown in the spring. If I can raise plants from the seed, it will be interesting to see the natural variation.

[Blue Stu]

Quite alot of my seed capsules when squeezed seem empty, especially the CCX1519 which flowered later and so in the peak temperatures, in fact one has given up the ghost without finishing flowering and is just a shrivelled mess.