It turns out that this seedling is quite fertile: it sets hips easily and the seeds germinate very well. In the referenced blog post above, I mentioned that unfortunately this seedling has a tendency for "dieback", which is sometimes seen in Hulthemias. I am wondering if the same cause for dieback is what affects it's hips causing them to develop their unusual appearance as they mature.
It almost looks as if the skin of the hip is unable to grow as the hip swells, causing the skin to crack as it stretches. It is only a guess, but perhaps this same effect results in girdling of the canes which causes the dieback. Fortunately, I see dieback in only a few of it's offspring.
Omg, if this wasn't you, Jim, I'd say this is Photoshopped. What an unusual occurrence!Hopefully, it's not related to dieback. Bloom is great, too. And, no I have never seen anything like that. It's a keeper if it's consistent. Very pretty hip.
ReplyDeleteAmazing ... beautiful photos and gorgeous rose, congratulations.
ReplyDeleteHi Jude and Falconelvento, thank you for the nice comments! Yes, these are real and not photoshopped. I am still using this seedling in breeding since most of it's seedlings do not have dieback, however, this seedling is not a viable release due to the dieback. I'll be watching some of it's seedlings to see whether the unusual hips are heritable, and if so, whether there is a connection with dieback.
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to collect seed from roses with large or otherwise interesting hips, as the start of a breeding program focused on fruit characteristics. I find this trait interesting. Can seeds be made available?
ReplyDeleteHi Darren, while this trait is interesting, it seems closely linked to die-back - so the plants never get that large. If you are interested in larger hips, one of the roses that I grow that has larger hips is 'Midas Touch'. You might consider using this rose in your breeding program. I suspect that my rose highlighted in this post would not produce larger hips due to the problem is seems to have with expansion of the hip (which is why if forms this alligator like skin on its hips). Also, please note that with test varieties, I generally do not share seeds. It has taken much work to develop some of my roses. If any get on the market, you are free to breed with them. Best wishes in your endeavor to produce larger rose hips!
ReplyDeleteThanks much for your quick response. I totally understand and respect your reservations regarding release of test varieties. Knowing the trait can exist is itself a large step forward (for me, at least). I'll keep an eye out for your future releases.
ReplyDeleteI've seen similar happen with Sweet Spot Calypso when I first got it, I just assumed it was because of mildew (when the plant was new it developed so much mildew, it was more mildew than plant at one point). It stopped happening with hips that developed later in the season (because the mildew stopped), either way didn't seem to affect seed viability as both crusty and green hips had germinating seeds.
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