Rhododendron 'Very Berry', which is a Harold Greer hybrid documented as 'Trude Webster' x 'The Honorable Jean Marie de Montague', has been determined to be a tetraploid using flow cytometry by
Dr. João Loureiro, Dr. Silvia Castro, José Cerca, and Mariana Castro
Plant Ecology and Evolution Group,
Centre for Functional Ecology,
Department of Life Sciences,
Faculty of Science and Technology,
University of Coimbra, Portugal.
'Very Berry' has 'Broughtonii', 'Pink Pearl', 'Cynthia', 'Countess of Derby', 'Trude Webster', and 'The Honorable Jean Marie de Montague' as ancestors. 'Verry Berry' appears to be another case where 'The Honorable Jean Marie de Montague' threw unreduced gametes.
Summary of Ploidy Levels
Diploid 'The Honorable Jean Marie de Montague',
Triploid 'Broughtonii',
Triploid 'Cynthia',
Triploid 'Pink Pearl',
Tetraploid 'Countess of Derby',
Tetraploid 'Trude Webster',
Tetraploid 'Very Berry'
Source: Greer Gardens
John and Sally Perkins
