Rhododendron 'Windbeam', which is a 1934 Nearing hybrid documented as a 'Conestoga' hybrid, has been determined to be a diploid using flow cytometry by
Dr. João Loureiro, Dr. Silvia Castro, José Cerca Oliveira, 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.
In 1977 at Breeders Roundtable in Eugene, Oregon, Ellis Jones presented several reasons he suspected that 'Windbeam' was a triploid. In 1979, Gustav A. L. Mehlquist reported that 'Windbeam' was fertile.
Summary of Ploidy Levels
Diploid Rhododendron minus,
Diploid Rhododendron racemosum,
Diploid 'Manitou',
Diploid 'Windbeam'
Source: RareFind Nursery
John and Sally Perkins
