Here’s an update on this collaboration project – the brainchild of Jerry Addington, made possible with help from Mike Wang. The original cross was done in 2009. These plants have that hidden anthocyanin free gene that I am hoping to unlock and use in future projects.
Last year, I was able to self one of the clones (alas, I didn’t designate a clone number) and those seeds were sown a week ago. I hope to see some anthocyanin free seedlings from that batch. This year 2 out of the 3 clones I have sent up a bloom. For a little more diversity this year, I crossed clone 1 with pollen from clone 3 in hopes to unlock the hidden gene and come up with anthocyanin free tall minor-esque looking plants. The plants do look very minorish, but the lids have a little bit of undulation that is more noticeable later in the season. Special thanks to S. “Green Monster” for that influence. Clone 3 was crossed with S. purpurea subsp. venosa var. burkii f. luteola in hopes of creating an anthocyanin free S. swaniana-ish looking plant.
Sarracenia minor var. okefenokeensis x “Green Monster” – Clone 1
Sarracenia minor var. okefenokeensis x “Green Monster” – Clone 3
What’s pretty fascinating about the offspring is that it contains a recessive, or as some others say – a “hidden” AF (anthocyanin free) gene. You can see the influence of both parents on the shape of the offspring. The colors are not accurate at this point in time as it has not received a spring or summer with strong light. As with everything else, it’s recovering and kinda lanky right now. Time will tell what this plant’s true colors and form will be like. What I really want to do is use the plants from this cross in future anthocyanin free breeding projects. When crossed with other AF recessive plants, or another AF plant, the anthocyanin free trait is unlocked and a certain percentage of the plants will exhibit the AF trait. Sweet! I know. This breeding stuff takes time, but it’s definitely worth it.
