ISHS Acta Horticulturae 522: XXV International Horticultural Congress, Part 12: Application of Biotechnology and Molecular Biology and Breeding - General Breeding, Breeding and Evaluation of Temperate Zone Fruits for the Tropics and the Subtropics.
MORPHOLOGICAL AND GENETIC VARIATION IN CHRISTMAS BUSH (Ceratopetalum gummiferum Sm.) A NEW AUSTRALIAN CUT FLOWER |
| Authors: | K.A. Johnson, K. Ronowicz |
| Keywords: | Australian native plants, wildflowers, random amplified polymorphic DNA polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) |
| Abstract:
Cultivation of wildflowers is a dynamic and expanding new industry in Australia, where there has only been a relatively short history of production knowledge. Ceratopetalum gummiferum Sm. (NSW Christmas bush) an erect shrub, is a native of coastal New South Wales. The flowers are small and white, but in spring and early summer the fruiting calyces swell and turn bright red. It is extensively used as a seasonal floral feature and is fast becoming sought after on the international markets. Some marketed material is bushpicked at present and cultivated plants are of very variable quality as most of initial plant material for farm plantations comes from a wide undocumented range of sources (mostly seedlings). There is only one selected clone in commercial cultivation that was developed about 10 years ago C. gummiferum 'Albery's Red'. There is also a selection of which the calyces remain white through to maturity which makes an interesting contrast to the normal bright red form. New selections are required if C. gummiferum is to become an important flower crop. This paper describes the morphological attributes important for selection of new cultivars and usefulness of random amplified polymorphic DNA polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) for assessment of genetic diversity in Ceratopetalum gummiferum. | |
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