Search

The South African Ornithogalum L. species are divided into three subgenera; Aspasia, Urophyllon and Osmyne. The species of horticultural importance, such as O. thyrsoides, are found in the subgenus Aspasia, and all have pure coloured flowers ranging from white to yellow to deep orange. Accessions numbering 299 were collected and grown under comparative conditions. Characteristics of use in discriminating superior parents for hybridization were measured, such as: leaf position and colour; stem length; shape, size and density of the inflorescence; size, shape and colour of the flower; the presence of visual virus symptoms and the reaction of leaf cuttings to tissue culture propagation. The aim was to quantify the variation according to the characteristics deemed of importance for selecting genotypes for cut or pot flower breeding. Variation for each of the traits measured was observed in each of the species. The evaluation of the Ornithogalum improved the process of selecting accessions as parents in hybridization by providing an indication of the variation present in the natural populations. Thus specific accessions could be selected to combine either at interspecific or intraspecific level to breed for distinct types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]