I don't claim to be a scientific expert but the way I understand it, if you have say an awarded cattleya, collectors are going to place a premium on vegetative divisions of that plant because mutations are much less likely (and since we are talking about a superior plant, any mutation is more likely to cause inferior flowers and/or decreased vigor). Meristems are I believe generally made from the dormant eyes, and the quality of the mericlone run varies greatly depending on the amount of seedlings you try to generate (maybe other factors too). The more seedlings, the more (rapid) divisions among the cells, and a greatly enhanced mutation rate in this whole process. Of course, by convention all mericlones no matter the quality carry the cultivar name and award.
Sometimes the award goes to a mericlone and not the original plant. I believe an early mericlone of the famous Oconee 'Mendenhall' received the AM, not the original. And of course occasionally a clone is superior to the original, which is frequently but not always due to 2N->4N conversion.
For the majority of orchid growers this topic may not be that relevant, but for people for whom the hobby has turned into, how should I put it, an affliction it is highly important where the plant comes from!
|
Hybrid Mode
