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#1
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Crosspollinating two related species with wide morphological differences
A few years ago, I have seen a documentary film about a plant in
Hawaii, I could not remember it's name, but it looked like a weed that most people would not bother about it. This plant has quickly spread to locations at various altitudes with climatic differences, and therefore each plant has evolved into a different variation that superficially looked very different from the original plant. I also recall that the diverged species could be crossbred, because there was not enough time to make genetic divergence, but I did not see how the hybrid species would look like. Maybe the data I'm providing is not enough to give a hint to the species I'm inquiring about, but I can give you an example from the world of cacti, with which I'm much more familiar: Most cacti can be grafted on other types of cacti, because they are closely related, although they look quite different: The ribbed structure of ferocacti, the radiating shape of Mamillarias, the star-shaped Ariocarpus, and the columnar Quiabentia which still carries leaves. If we crosspolinate two different cacti and obtain viable seeds, how would the hybrid look like ? Is there an example of such a plant I would find i the market ? |
#3
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Crosspollinating two related species with wide morphological differences
There are hundreds of examples of "wide" crosses in Cactaceae. The so called
"Epiphyllum" hybrids are actually complex crosses between Heliocereus, Nopalxochia, Disocactus, Selenicereus, and Hylocereus but rarely are the true Epiphyllum species used other than day blooming E.crenatum. Hybrids are usually intermediate in appearance between the parents but there are exceptions, especially when one of the parents is polyploid. Gabriel wrote in message om... A few years ago, I have seen a documentary film about a plant in Hawaii, I could not remember it's name, but it looked like a weed that most people would not bother about it. This plant has quickly spread to locations at various altitudes with climatic differences, and therefore each plant has evolved into a different variation that superficially looked very different from the original plant. I also recall that the diverged species could be crossbred, because there was not enough time to make genetic divergence, but I did not see how the hybrid species would look like. Maybe the data I'm providing is not enough to give a hint to the species I'm inquiring about, but I can give you an example from the world of cacti, with which I'm much more familiar: Most cacti can be grafted on other types of cacti, because they are closely related, although they look quite different: The ribbed structure of ferocacti, the radiating shape of Mamillarias, the star-shaped Ariocarpus, and the columnar Quiabentia which still carries leaves. If we crosspolinate two different cacti and obtain viable seeds, how would the hybrid look like ? Is there an example of such a plant I would find i the market ? |
#4
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Crosspollinating two related species with wide morphological differences
Sounds like the silversword alliance. Yes, there was a documentary on this.
This plant group is mentioned in General Botany books as an example of adaptive radiation. Judy Kelly From the University of Hawaii website -- http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty...ilversword.htm "Members of the tarweed subtribe (Madiinae) of the sunflower tribe (Heliantheae) of the aster family (Asteraceae), the Hawaiian silversword alliance consists of about 30 species in three genera (Argyroxiphium, Dubautia, and Wilkesia). The species exhibit an extraordinary range of anatomical, morphological, and ecological adaptations but are exceedingly closely related as judged by data from biosystematics and molecular studies. The evidence favors the conclusion that all of this diversity evolved from a single ancestor that colonized Hawaii by way of long-distance dispersal from North America. More information on adaptive radiation, hybridization, and evolution of this group is linked here. For further information and photos related to individual species, click on a genus below. " "Gabriel" wrote in message om... A few years ago, I have seen a documentary film about a plant in Hawaii, I could not remember it's name, but it looked like a weed that most people would not bother about it. This plant has quickly spread to locations at various altitudes with climatic differences, and therefore each plant has evolved into a different variation that superficially looked very different from the original plant. I also recall that the diverged species could be crossbred, because there was not enough time to make genetic divergence, but I did not see how the hybrid species would look like. |
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