Pl. fortunei seedlings: Will they be variegated or a species form?

[sasa fool]

I have 5 seedlings from another growers' Pl. fortunei from a flowering last August. I am generally not patient enough to grow seedlings but the Pl. fortunei intrigued me as I would really like to see what the seeds produce, I am curious to see if indeed this variegated species is actually a cultivar of another green form. ALthough I will not have any real proof, it will be rather suggestive if the seedlings are remain solid green. To me the question is can a variegated ground cover be a species as I believe the Pl. fortunei is considered to be and if not then what is it's 'parent' form - Pl.pygmaeus?

[ShmuBamboo]

Well, that is a good question. I have seen and grown a lot of sports (mutated stems) in other types of plants, especially in the rose family (roses and thornberry plants). Some are caused by genetic variations or instability that cause change as the plants grow new stems. Others are virus induced, like striping on tulip blooms and leaves of cymbidium orchids. Most sports that I have grown only hold their characteristics in clones and not from seeds. Many boos were brought back from asia that were specimins, or variations from normal types. From millions to choose from in massive forests of boos, odd ones were collected and brought back to the states. Supposedly boo seeds will produce plants more true in form of the species. Odds are extremely heavy in favor that they will anyway.

[Mark Meckes]

... the question is can a variegated ground cover be a species as I believe the Pl. fortunei is considered to be and if not then what is it's 'parent' form - Pl.pygmaeus?

... Or will we end up with a new species - Pleioblastus fortunei
... with the variegated form called Pleioblastus fortunei 'Variegata'?

Tis interesting that this plant was also formerly named Arundinaria variegata ... and then Pleioblastus variegata.

Curious to see what your seedlings become.
... and must remember to check out this plant growing in a local botanical garden, for seed, next time I'm in the vicinity.

Mark

[sasa fool]

I spoke with Adam Turtle about this yesterday and he said that there are several forms of the species Pl. fortunei, but only one in the US and the name is already as you suggested Mark, Pleioblastus fortunei 'Vareigata', and that the other forms are green. I was not aware of these green forms so it is highly likely that the seedlings I have will indeed remain green, as I had hoped.

[Mark Meckes]

How fortuneit for Pleioblastus!
... at least till the next person comes along,
and finds that a e-i-o is missing the blasted u. ;)

(I've often used the vowels a-eio-u as a means to remembering how to spell Pleioblastus) :)