Central Virginia Organic Gardener

"And 'tis my faith that every flower enjoys the air it breathes." - William Wordsworth, 1798

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Wenesday Lagniappe: Gardener's Glossary


"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:

Anita said...

Colchicine... Is this something available to your average home gardener? Have you ever used it?

Beautiful blossom.