Post by orflo on Nov 15, 2010 15:27:39 GMT -5
In 2009 I managed to pollinate and harvest some yacon seeds. I hand-pollinated some different varieties (a 'morado' type and another bi-coloured leaf yacon coming from New Zealand but has been grown for a few years in the Czech Republic (of course yacon originates in the Andes).)
To my big surprise the seeds germinated this spring, and some 22 fine-looking plants were grown from the seeds, my friend Owen (Rhizowen on the forum here) had also some good luck (I did send him some seeds) and some more plants were grown out over there. The plants looked like yacon, grew like yacon, but the overall appearance was somewhat different, not as bushy as yacon. Until a few months ago I really thought these were 'true' yacon plants, but differences became more obvious when the plants grew taller. Leaf shape was a bit different, even their growth habit was somewhat different. And suddenly I started realising that these plants probably weren't a yacon cross, but a cross of yacon (polymnia sonchifolia or smallanthis sonchifolia) and an unknown polymnia species, which I had growing in the garden last year. Here's a picture of that unknown polymnia, under it is a picture of the hybrid yacon
I didn't clean my polination brush thoroughly, not expecting something like this would happen, still there it was, a polymnia sonchifolia x polymnia spp. cross, which was actually good news as well. This could be a start for something more interesting, crossing these in to yacon could result in some things: a possible easier seed-set for yacon, a possibility of creating some new yacon-species, or even some new polymnia species? Yacon is probably derived from many wild polymnia species, and I suspect this unknow polymnia was one of them, so it's a bit returning to the ancestors. The roots on this new yacon-hybrid are however quite small, although I still have to harvest the biggest plants:
I harvested just one seed on this hybrid version up to now, (yes, just one...
), but I hope frost stays out somewhat longer and some other seeds will ripen off. Meanwhile I will overwinter the plants the way yacon is overwintered, so I should at least get some new plants next year. And I'll sure sow the seeds of that unknown polymnia again in 2011, and try to cross hem one more time with the 'true ' yacon. Here are two photos of flowers of the hybrid version, and underneath some flowers of the unknown polymnia:
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To my big surprise the seeds germinated this spring, and some 22 fine-looking plants were grown from the seeds, my friend Owen (Rhizowen on the forum here) had also some good luck (I did send him some seeds) and some more plants were grown out over there. The plants looked like yacon, grew like yacon, but the overall appearance was somewhat different, not as bushy as yacon. Until a few months ago I really thought these were 'true' yacon plants, but differences became more obvious when the plants grew taller. Leaf shape was a bit different, even their growth habit was somewhat different. And suddenly I started realising that these plants probably weren't a yacon cross, but a cross of yacon (polymnia sonchifolia or smallanthis sonchifolia) and an unknown polymnia species, which I had growing in the garden last year. Here's a picture of that unknown polymnia, under it is a picture of the hybrid yacon
I didn't clean my polination brush thoroughly, not expecting something like this would happen, still there it was, a polymnia sonchifolia x polymnia spp. cross, which was actually good news as well. This could be a start for something more interesting, crossing these in to yacon could result in some things: a possible easier seed-set for yacon, a possibility of creating some new yacon-species, or even some new polymnia species? Yacon is probably derived from many wild polymnia species, and I suspect this unknow polymnia was one of them, so it's a bit returning to the ancestors. The roots on this new yacon-hybrid are however quite small, although I still have to harvest the biggest plants:
I harvested just one seed on this hybrid version up to now, (yes, just one...
), but I hope frost stays out somewhat longer and some other seeds will ripen off. Meanwhile I will overwinter the plants the way yacon is overwintered, so I should at least get some new plants next year. And I'll sure sow the seeds of that unknown polymnia again in 2011, and try to cross hem one more time with the 'true ' yacon. Here are two photos of flowers of the hybrid version, and underneath some flowers of the unknown polymnia:
