Sorry Henrietta but a degree in botany is not required for one to hybridize
plants. There are scores of amateur and professional plant hybridizers in
the world who don't have degrees.
You may be shocked to know that Luther Burbank never had a degree in botany
or horticulture but he was able to make many outstanding plant hybrids that
are still being grown to this day.
After reading over his memoirs, it quickly became clear to me that Burbank
could have done much more if had a clearer understanding of botany but he
was still able to make a fortune anyway.
To become better aquatinted with the phylogeny of the genera of Apiaceae
(Umbelliferae) (and the allied Apiaceae), one should read over the taxonomic
and cytological articles written on the family, find out exactly on what is
the basis for the genera, find out what intergeneric crosses have already
been made and just go ahead and do experimental crosses to see what happens.
You may want to look in the Agricola database for some leads.
The recent creation of the snap pea was the result of someone who went ahead
and made what originally seemed to be frivolous crosses between traditional
seed peas and oriental pod peas. A whole new type of commercially viable pea
was created instead. You never know what you might get unless you try.
Henriette Kress wrote in message
news
an.2003.07.19.12.17.22.623739@hetta...
Matthew Montchalin wrote:
I suppose it would be asking too much for a poster I could slap up
on the wall, detailing the branches, but then again... How does
a person generally go about judging how genetically distant any
two genera are, let alone species?
One attends a university, specializes in botany, and starts to study the
branch one is interested in.
Henriette
--
Henriette Kress, AHG Helsinki, Finland
Henriette's herbal homepage: http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed