Podophyllum 2014

[johnw]

Here are two shots of a single plant of my cross of pleianthum x versipelle.  Even as a youngster it had yellow mottling on the leaves.  This has not impaired its vigour by any means but I wonder if I should bin it?  One of its siblings has 100% yellow foliage but at the moment I can't lay my hands on it or a photo.   I have never seen virus in a Podo so would like some opinions.

johnw - +6c and damp, feeling like -7c

[Afloden]

John,
 
 Post images again when the leaves are mature. From this point it looks like it could be the that the chloroplasts have not fully developed or moved around where the leaf was crumpled up while unfolding.

 I had a seedling a few years ago that I thought was virus, but it turns out, now that it has matured, it is a very nice variegated clone. Sadly it is the only versipelle/mairei clone that I have that does not seem to run around the garden.

 

[johnw]

Thanks Aaron.  I will certasinly do that but it may be a couple of weeks for the leaf to fully expand.  It's damp and very raw here with cold Atlantic breezes.

johnw

[johnw]

Aaron  - Here is a follow-up shot of that "suspect" Podo.  I'll take another in a few weeks.  The sheen is so pronounced it's difficult to get a glareless shot.  You can see how slow the pace of growth is in these parts; if the Scots didn't take every last bit of heat out of the Gulf Stream the return current might give us a hint of warmth in the Spring.

johnw

[Stephen Vella]

Hi John,

Never heard of virus in Podophyllums but as they are newish to cultivation who knows??

The leaves do look odd and it could just be cold damaged caused early on when in bud and this can be seen in some plants where emerging leaves unfold with deformities and streaking and mistaken for virus. You could isolate it since its in a pot...

[johnw]

Stephen  - I have hesitated to plant this one outside so it has never been below +4c.  I have never had a Podo touched by frost in the garden either.  As mentioned before a yellow-leafed form did arise from this cross.  Once the leaves expand and flatten I will re-post pix.

john

[Stephen Vella]

Oh ok..yellow forms. You might be on a good thing
Maybe if you gey it to flower and its deformed or has discolor that maybe virus.. Lets just cross fingers and hop it's not

[johnw]

Well a few more photos of that suspicious Podo.  I doubt the leaves are fully expanded - glacially slow aren't we? - but here goes.

Shall I light the fire now?

johnw

[Tony Willis]

Podophyllum difforme.

First time flowering from a sowing of my own seed in Aug '05. The reason is because i have kept dividing it to give away.

The white on the leaf tips is scorch as it has been in an unshaded frame and the sun has been shining!

[johnralphcarpenter]

Sun? In Chorley?

[johnw]

And visiting a friend's garden today she had suspicions about a few of hers.  Could this indeed be frost damage?  Or a deficiency?  The yellowing combined with the crinkling certainly makes it more worrisome.

johnw  - +8c

[Stephen Vella]

John if you don't like it burn it..looks suspicious with the deform leaf but I'm no expert with virus on podos

[Robert]

One way to check for virus infection -

Use a paper hole punch to punch a sample from the suspicious plant. Use the same hole punch to punch a hole in a healthy plant that you think might be susceptible. Take the sample from the suspicious plant and tape it into the hole made on the healthy plant. Wait and see if symptoms appear.

This is one of a few simple methods to infect plants with virus. It is a simple and easy way to checking for resistance, especially useful in a breeding project.

[johnw]

This one is labelled Podophyllum aurantiocaule from PMacD.  It is very late emerging compared to the other species and this particular plant has the most incredible iridescence to the leaf.  Difficult to capture with the camera, it's almost like a slick of gasoline with a rainbow of colours. 

johnw - a bone chilling 10c & overcast, magnolias are in a state of suspensiuon given this weather.

[Brian Ellis]

That's rather fine, have you bred from it John, and if so does this carry through?