'Kehr's White Ruffles' is a Triploid

Rhododendron 'Kehr's White Ruffles', which is August Kehr hybrid documented as R. minus var. minus 'Epoch' x R. mucronulatum, has been determined to be a triploid 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.

In the case of triploid 'Kehr's White Ruffles', a suspected tetraploid crossed with a diploid produced a triploid indicating that normal reduced meiosis most likely occurred for both parents. In other words, 'Kehr's White Ruffles' having 39 chromosomes received 26 chromosomes from the suspected tetraploid 'Epoch' and 13 chromosomes from the diploid R. mucronulatum.

Summary of Ploidy Levels

Triploid 'Angel Powder',
Triploid 'Kehr's White Ruffles'

Source: John and Sally Perkins

John and Sally Perkins

'Angel Powder' is a Fertile Triploid

Rhododendron 'Angel Powder', which is Weldon Delp hybrid documented as R. minus var. minus 'Epoch' x R. mucronulatum var. mucronulatum, has been determined to be a triploid 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.

Werner Brack has germinated open pollinated seed collected from 'Angel Powder'. 'Angel Powder' is the first documented fertile triploid lepidote.

In the case of triploid 'Angel Powder', a tetraploid crossed with a diploid produced a triploid indicating that normal reduced meiosis most likely occurred for both parents. In other words, 'Angel Powder' having 39 chromosomes received 26 chromosomes from the tetraploid 'Epoch' and 13 chromosomes from the diploid R. mucronulatum.

Summary of Ploidy Levels

Triploid 'Angel Powder',
Triploid 'Kehr's White Ruffles',
Tetraploid R. minus var. minus 'Epoch'

Source: John and Sally Perkins

John and Sally Perkins

'Opal Thornton' is a Triploid

Rhododendron 'Opal Thornton', which is a John Thornton hybrid documented as 'Antoon van Welie' x R. hyperythrum, has been determined to be a triploid 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.

John Thornton's Breeding Rhododendrons for the Gulf South

Summary of Ploidy Levels

Triploid 'Opal Thornton',
Tetraploid 'Antoon van Welie'

Source: Rarefind Nursery

John and Sally Perkins

'Very Berry' is a Tetraploid

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

'Sugar Pink' is a Triploid

Rhododendron 'Sugar Pink', which is a Harold Greer hybrid documented as 'Trude Webster' x ('Fawn' x 'Queen o' the May Group'), has been determined to be a triploid 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.

'Sugar Pink' has 'Broughtonii', 'Pink Pearl', 'Cynthia', 'Countess of Derby', and 'Trude Webster' as ancestors.

Summary of Ploidy Levels

Triploid 'Broughtonii',
Triploid 'Cynthia',
Triploid 'Pink Pearl',
Triploid 'Sugar Pink',
Tetraploid 'Countess of Derby',
Tetraploid 'Trude Webster'

Source: Greer Gardens

John and Sally Perkins

'Platinum Pearl' is a Fertile Triploid

Rhododendron 'Platinum Pearl', which is a Harold Greer hybrid documented as 'Trude Webster' x R. fortunei ssp. discolor, has been determined to be a triploid 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.

'Platinum Pearl', which has 'Broughtonii', 'Pink Pearl', 'Cynthia', 'Countess of Derby', and 'Trude Webster' as ancestors, is the pollen parent of 'Gentle Giant'. 'Point Defiance', which has 'Marinus Koster' as an ancestor, is the seed parent of 'Gentle Giant'.

Notice 'Gentle Giant' represents the merging of 2 multi-generational polyploid lines, namely 1) 'Broughtonii' (3x), 'Pink Pearl' (3x), 'Countess of Derby (4x)' (polyploid), 'Trude Webster' (4x), 'Platinum Pearl' (3x), to 'Gentle Giant' (4x) and 2) 'Marinus Koster' (4x), 'Point Defiance' (4x), to 'Gentle Giant' (4x).

Summary of Ploidy Levels

Triploid 'Broughtonii',
Triploid 'Cynthia',
Triploid 'Pink Pearl',
Triploid 'Platinum Pearl',
Tetraploid 'Countess of Derby',
Tetraploid 'Gentle Giant',
Tetraploid 'Marinus Koster',
Tetraploid 'Point Defiance',
Tetraploid 'Trude Webster'

Source: Greer Gardens

John and Sally Perkins

'Lydia' is a Fertile Triploid

Rhododendron 'Lydia', which is a Harold Greer hybrid documented as 'Antoon van Welie' x 'Day Dream Group', has been determined to be a triploid 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.

'Lydia', which has 'Broughtonii', 'Pink Pearl', and 'Antoon van Welie' as ancestors, is the pollen parent of 'Grand Slam'. 'Trude Webster', which has 'Broughtonii', 'Pink Pearl', and 'Countess of Derby' as ancestors, is the seed parent of 'Grand Slam'.

Notice 'Grand Slam' represents the merging of 2 multi-generational polyploid lines, namely 1)'Broughtonii' (3x), 'Pink Pearl' (3x), 'Cynthia' (3x), 'Countess of Derby' (4x), 'Trude Webster' (4x), to 'Grand Slam' (4x) and 2)'Broughtonii' (3x), 'Pink Pearl' (3x), 'Antoon van Welie' (4x), Lydia (3x) to Grand Slam (4x).

Summary of Ploidy Levels

Triploid 'Broughtonii',
Triploid 'Cynthia',
Triploid 'Lydia',
Triploid 'Pink Pearl',
Tetraploid 'Grand Slam',
Tetraploid 'Antoon van Welie',
Tetraploid 'Countess of Derby',
Tetraploid 'Trude Webster'

Source: Greer Gardens

John and Sally Perkins

'Rendezvous' is a Diploid

Rhododendron 'Rendezvous', which is a Hachmann hybrid documented as 'Marinus Koster' X R. degronianum ssp. yakushimanum, has been determined to be a diploid 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.

The hybridization efforts by John and Sally Perkins indicated that 'Rendezvous' was most likely a diploid.

Rhododendron 'Marinus Koster', which was determined to be a tetraploid, is the seed parent of the diploid 'Rendezvous'. This seems to indicate that 'Marinus Koster' only provided 1x gamete (13 chromosomes) to 'Rendezvous'.

'Marinus Koster' is the pollen parent to 'Point Defiance', which was determined to be a tetraploid using flow cytometry by Dr. Thomas Ranney, J.R. Jones, and Nathan Lynch. 'Anna', which was determined to be a diploid, is the seed parent of 'Point Defiance'.

Summary of Ploidy Levels

Diploid 'Anna',
Diploid 'Rendezvous',
Tetraploid 'Marinus Koster',
Tetraploid 'Point Defiance'

Source: John and Sally Perkins

John and Sally Perkins