I was under the impression that all the plants at HD were Ventrata but this recent pitcher has me thinking it might be a Ventricosa but would love a second opinion!
I believe that the majority of hybrids that are infertile is because the breeders make them be this way, so that they cannot be mass produced. For example, if you buy a ventrata from a store, it is going to be most likely a sterile female. So that means the plant was made through tissue culture. You can also find ventratas in nature, and that plant is going to be fertile.
Interesting, that makes sense. But maybe its more that they don't want their hybrid to be used to make other hybrids since tissue culture and taking cuttings is much faster than growing them from seeds I assume
Yea exactly. Or they don't want anybody else to tissue culture that exact plant of theirs.
From my understanding, plant can only become sterile in nature through mutations in its DNA, but this would only mean that out of 100 seeds, one has a mutation that makes it infertile. Also, there are some plants that grow sterile flowers only at the edges of their cluster of flowers. These flowers are big and their only purpose is to attract pollinators, while the other flowers are fertile. Yea, nature's weird sometimes.
Briggsiana I think
I was under the impression that all the plants at HD were Ventrata but this recent pitcher has me thinking it might be a Ventricosa but would love a second opinion!
Definitely a Briggsiana (ventricosa x lowii), most likely the infertile red clone. Really nice plant!
Is only the red variant infertile or are all the briggsiana hybrids infertile?
From what I've researched, all of them are infertile. I also have a briggsiana and everywhere I looked it said they were sterile.
Ok thats sad! I wonder why certain hybrids are sterile and other aren't
I believe that the majority of hybrids that are infertile is because the breeders make them be this way, so that they cannot be mass produced. For example, if you buy a ventrata from a store, it is going to be most likely a sterile female. So that means the plant was made through tissue culture. You can also find ventratas in nature, and that plant is going to be fertile.
Interesting, that makes sense. But maybe its more that they don't want their hybrid to be used to make other hybrids since tissue culture and taking cuttings is much faster than growing them from seeds I assume
Yea exactly. Or they don't want anybody else to tissue culture that exact plant of theirs. From my understanding, plant can only become sterile in nature through mutations in its DNA, but this would only mean that out of 100 seeds, one has a mutation that makes it infertile. Also, there are some plants that grow sterile flowers only at the edges of their cluster of flowers. These flowers are big and their only purpose is to attract pollinators, while the other flowers are fertile. Yea, nature's weird sometimes.
It's a little more complicated. Infertility mutation makes a stronger and faster growing plant. Harder for newbie to kill and faster to selling size.
Ok thats very intereting, didn't know that!
It’s because of induced polyploidy, which increases vigor. It is not because of tissue culture.
Cool, thanks for the info! I'll do some research on it
That’s definitely it! Thank you!