christmas cacti chimera

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ocimum_nate
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christmas cacti chimera

Post by ocimum_nate »

I have been breeding christmas cacti for the last 10 years and noticed something really strange on an orange variety that I raised from seed I am posting video to illustrate. The plant has been reliably orange but just put out a white flower anyone else seen anything like this?
http://s32.photobucket.com/albums/d2/Na ... D00013.flv
ghmerrill
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Re: christmas cacti chimera

Post by ghmerrill »

I didnt even know you could get a christmas cactus to seed! thats amazing to me, I always thought propagation was just by rooting pads...

BTW, do you have easter catus? I have really bright pink one thats pretty cool... right after the christmas cati are done blooming here, the weather starts brightening, and it goes into its show.
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ocimum_nate
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Re: christmas cacti chimera

Post by ocimum_nate »

The main trick to producing seed is by cross pollination. The plants are self infertile so you have to cross with a different variety. I have tried to cross the easter and christmas cacti but they are too far apart genetically to produce offspring. I have read some research on the subject and have seen that it has been successful with tissue culture and plant hormone manipulation.
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Re: christmas cacti chimera

Post by ghmerrill »

by different variety do you mean different color?
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Re: christmas cacti chimera

Post by Alan_L »

ocimum_nate wrote:I have tried to cross the easter and christmas cacti...
Valentine's Day cactus?

:wink:
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ocimum_nate
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Re: christmas cacti chimera

Post by ocimum_nate »

typically if they are a different color then they will pollinate another variety. However they could be the same color but different parentage and be fertile for cross pollination. I have noticed that most of the white varieties and one of the orange varieties are not fertile with anything that I throw at them. It will be interesting to see if this plant is fertile on the white? I did try to pollinate the flower but I will have to see if it took.

Valentines cacti how appropriate.....
ghmerrill
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Re: christmas cacti chimera

Post by ghmerrill »

ocimum_nate wrote:typically if they are a different color then they will pollinate another variety. However they could be the same color but different parentage and be fertile for cross pollination. I have noticed that most of the white varieties and one of the orange varieties are not fertile with anything that I throw at them. It will be interesting to see if this plant is fertile on the white? I did try to pollinate the flower but I will have to see if it took.

Valentines cacti how appropriate.....
just like love... a little painfull at times! :wink:
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Jeff: Igor's Apprentice
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Re: christmas cacti chimera

Post by Jeff: Igor's Apprentice »

cool.
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