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tnangela

A rant on Amaryllidaceae/Lycoris genetics.

tnangela
14 years ago

Ok, I'm not an expert. I'm throwing this out there in my own attempt to grasp a better understanding through feedback.

My house in Athens, TN CAME with three amaryllids. Crinum lily, Lycoris radiata, & Lycoris squamigera. It was built in the 20's. The town itself is far older. I didn't have to buy them.

In fact once my neighbors lot next door had a large mass simultaneous bloom of Lycoris radiata one year that was stunning (I wish I had taken pictures... before he moved in and started mowing it). I have scattered isolated pockets of radiata in my yard. All around my neighborhood there's pockets of these three amaryllids.

Last year I had some spontaneous seed production on Lycoris radiata which I was excited about (but failed to germinate- they rotted).

This year I am even more excited about an apparent seed pod on Lycoris squamigera.

...just so we're all on the same page...

July 15

{{gwi:426995}}

Sept. 21

{{gwi:426996}}

Ok I think I've learned my lesson. You don't PLANT the seed. It will spontaneously germinate ON THE SURFACE... I hope.

Now here's the interesting part. I've never had seed from squamigera before (before last year neither had I on radiata either). It just so happens this scape is the one I half-heartedly experimentally brushed agapanthus (amaryllidaceae) pollen on... because it was the only other amaryllidaceae I had in bloom. So this got me started to thinking (and researching) Lycoris genetics.

L. aurea 2n=2x=14 (7 + 7)

L. chinensis, L. longituba 2n=2x=16 (8 + 8)

L. straminea 2n=2x=19 (8 + 11)

L. sprengeri, L. radiata, L. sanguinea ... these are the interesting ones, apparently they have the ability of autoployploidism... and populations of these can exhibit 2n=2x=22 or 2n=3x=33 or 2n=4x=44 (11 + 11, 22 + 11, 22 + 22)

Lycoris squamigera 2n=3x=27 (11 + 16)

L. incarnata 2n=3x=30 (8 + 22), offspring 2n=4x=41 (19, 22)

The supposed parentage for squamigera has been suggested to be (L. sprengeri x L. longituba) x L. chinenis

or L. sprengeri x L. straminea.

I have no clue but it seems to me that the n=16 in squamigera probably comes from an autopolyploid- with L. straminea fitting the bill nicely (but could also be TETRAPLOID chinensis or longituba).

IF SO THERE SHOULD BE TETRAPLOID STRAINS OF STRAMINEA OUT THERE.

Of course there's another possibility. L. squamigera could be a hybrid with another amaryllidaceae with 2n=32... an intergeneric hybrid. The whole family has a history of mixing it up, so it's not unheard of.

The odds of me having a L. squamigera x agapanthus are EXTREMELY unlikely, getting it to germinate and live even more so. But the thought that it COULD BE has me super stoked.

references:

http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jsbbs/56/2/209/_pdf

http://www.plantsystematics.com/qikan/manage/wenzhang/f05-0108.pdf

http://www5e.biglobe.ne.jp/~lycoris/lycoris-origin.of.sterile.taxa.html

http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/mss/volume24/AMARYLLIDACEAE.published.pdf

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