"Tetraploid"
Have you ever heard of a plant described as a tetrapoid? This means it is an organism with twice the number of normal genes. Tetraploid plants can be more vigorous, with larger blooms. They can be created by using colchicine, a derivative of the autumn crocus, to double the chromosomes, or can occur spontaneously. Commercial daylilies are often tetraploids (44 instead of 22 chromosomes).
Happy gardening!
1 comment:
Colchicine... Is this something available to your average home gardener? Have you ever used it?
Beautiful blossom.
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