Viewing post #922006 by admmad

DogsNDaylilies said:The 4-part seedpod from the middle picture, however, is on my "Fear Not" and it only had a few blooms this year (it only had a single scape) and not one of them was a poly.

I think that four part stigmas are not always noticeable and that may be the only part of the flower that had extras

DogsNDaylilies said:Maurice, thank you for sharing all of the great information! That's helpful to know about the multi-part stigma. That might be why I ended up with a four-part seedpod, but I honestly don't remember there being a multi-part stigma on the Fear Not. Maybe I just didn't see it?

You are very welcome. I often do not notice four part stigmas when pollinating a flower.

DogsNDaylilies said:Where did you get this information from, if I may? This could be really useful information to include in the ATP database!

I am interested in the genetics of daylilies. There is not one single characteristic that has been scientifically analyzed in daylilies and (scientifically, objectively) identified as being due to a single gene mutation. White seeds may be caused by such a single gene mutation. Therefore, I have posted and discussed white seeds on other forums over the years. I do not have a record of who (or how many different people) may have posted that "Moonlight Orchid" always produced white seeds for them or on what forum but that would have been the origin of the information. I had a seedling that produced only white seeds in all its pods. Unfortunately, I lost it because I dug it up and potted it (I should have left it in the ground). I purchased a double fan of 'Moonlight Orchid' last year to verify its production of white seed. It has not bloomed this year.

DogsNDaylilies said:I don't know if this is the same thing or not, but I know of one hybridizer who told me her pod parent wasn't any good because it kept producing grey seeds--is it possible that those seeds were viable, but just improperly pigmented?

Yes, quite possible.

DogsNDaylilies said:Or are grey seeds always a sign of infertility?

There is no reason that I know of for unusually coloured seeds that are mature at about the right time and firm to not be viable.

DogsNDaylilies said:I will try to capture the white seeds if they fall out. If they fall out while still white, I'll do a pinch test to see if they might be viable. Since they are on my Olallie Red (and not a lighter-colored cultivar), I have to imagine that the plant can make the appropriate pigmentation, but we'll see. :)

The black pigment covering the seeds is not closely related to the pigments in the flowers so the colour of the flower and the presence or absence of the black pigment would be unrelated. A daylily might have dark purple or dark red flowers and have a mutation in one of the genes that are required to produce the black pigment so its seeds could be white (or a shade that is not the usual black, possibly brownish or greyish, etc.).

beckygardener said:Maurice - How interesting!!!! I had never heard of that before about the white seed possibilities! Fascinating information. Thank you for sharing that with us. I learn something new every day!

You are very welcome.