quote:

Originally posted by Anonymous:
This applies to any type of seed, be it floral, vegetable or herbal. This is a simplified version of the process, but is valid.

The Biology of Open Pollinated & Hybrid Plants

1. Seed is created when the male pollen (sperm), from the flower's stamen, meets up with the female stigma (ovary) of a flower. Some plants make flowers that have both pollen and stigma on the same flower, others do not. Self pollinators, ones that have the ability to fertilize their own stigmas are called 'perfect' flowers. These often can fertilize themselves before the flower is truly open. Most peas and beans are 'perfect'. Other plants, that have only one sex on each flower need to transfer the pollen to the stigma, via the wind or insects. (That's why bees are truly man's best friend!) Plants that need this transfer are far more common than 'perfect' plants.

2. Cross pollinators can share pollen and stigma from plant to plant in the area. Some can breed only by receiving the same plant variety's pollen. Others can cross with any member of the same plant family group, like squash and gourds, cabbage and alyssum. Seed planted from such a cousin & cousin crossing will either be a delightful new variety, or (most common) and un-usable mutant. Most crosses will not produce viable seed for the next season's crop, as these 'children' are now hybrids.

3. The cross pollination between two open-pollinating (o/p's) plants usually results in a hybrid offspring. This hybrid will grow quite nicely, but when the time comes to make seeds, either it will produce sterile (Dead, not viable) seed, or the resulting seed will grow into a plant that is one of it's grandparents, reverting back to the dominant genes.

4. Seed marked F1, or F2 hybrids are all results from a cross-pollination, directed by humankind, most of the time. Seed companies do not make money by selling seed that will reproduce itself. To renew the supply of hybrid seeds, the breeder has to go back and cross the original parents, again and again, every year. (F2 hybrids involve 4 o/p parents).

5. Seed creation that results in a fertile plant that can breed true the following season are called open pollinated. O/p's that have a track record of 50 + years are given the name, 'heirloom'.

6. Nearly 95% of all supermarket produce, florist shop flowers, are hybrids. Therefore, to collect and use seed from these is a crap-shoot. There are exceptions, of course, but without the variety's name being stated on the veggie bin, and without knowledge of which names are o/p's, it is impossible to know which are capable of breeding true..

So. How does a gardener keep an open-pollinated variety the exact same from year to year, when the plant is quite capable of mating and producing offspring with any other pollen from it's class or type? It is the same way dog breeders keep a purebred line going. On purpose, and very carefully....

So where are the seeds? How do I collect them? I wish to get white maple leaf flowering plant seeds.

(See Part 2: Crossing Purebred Seed, to follow)