The genesis of new plants

摘要

Sharp eyes, science, and a little luck produce gardenworthy specimens. Last spring, I planted seed of Cerinthe minor var. aurea 'Bouquet Gold', a promising annual reputed to be a first-time offering in 2001. I've since come to realize that, thanks tosuch a simple act, my garden and many others like it are poised at the very crest of the roiling, breaking wave of evolution. In a world where pollution, overpopulation, and the plundering of natural resources imperils the very existence of nearly a tenth of the world's known plant species, new garden plants appear every year. Where, I wondered, did these plants come from? I decided to find out. The answers, on the surface, were simple. Most new plants are selections, the result of sharp-eyed gardenerscapitalizing on a chance seedling with, say, unusually large flowers or more colorful foliage. Others are hybrids, the result of an accidental or intentional cross between two different but related plants.