After coming across some Arisaema triphyllum during a foliage paddle several years ago I’ve become enthralled by the genus. I currently have A. triphyllum, from seed in there 3rd year, as well as A. speciosum var. Magnificum and A. griffithii var. Pradhanii.

With so much variety in this genus there are species which are hardy in most of our North American zones. I’m aware of many naturally occurring varieties but have been wondering if there are any attempts at hybridization underway. If not, is this market driven or due to difficulty.

Evan,

I'm not aware of any of this work going on, but that doesn't mean that someone is not doing it. Were I located in a northern climate, I would be doing the work myself! I've already done some hybridization with Typhonium, and if Arisaema is similar, the pistils are receptive once the bloom first opens, and the pollen drops the next day. If you have a number of specimens blooming during the same time period, you can try this yourself. Pollen can be collected and saved in the refrigerator for a day or two if you need to wait for a bloom to open.

LariAnn

Thanks LariAnn,
I'll give it a shot. Last year my griffithii bloomed 1 week prior to the 1st speciosum. If the pollen keeps for a few days maybe I could try tenting one of the speciosum to accelerate blooming. I've never done this before! As the plants are in the ground, would I need to "bag" the pollinated inflorescence? If I'm going to attempt this I can see I'll need to do some homework.

Evan,

Unless you have other Arisaemas blooming and emitting pollen at the same time as you are doing your cross, you should not have to bag the pollinated inflorescence because they are not wind-pollinated. If you wish to be strictly scientific about your work, though, you should bag the inflorescence.

LariAnn

LariAnn,
As I expect to only have the 2 species blooming this year I was more worried about same species pollination "polluting" the cross. If I bag won't I increase the odds of having cross-pollinated seeds?

Thanks again,

Evan,

Yes, if you bag you will definitely increase the likelihood that any seed set will be hybrid seed. However, if the two parents you are using are sufficiently and distinctly different, you should be able to tell just by looking at the progeny whether your cross worked or not. When I do crosses, I pick parents that are different enough, and for which the pollen parent is very different from the ovule parent. That way, if traits from the pollen parent show up in the progeny, I know the cross worked, whether I bagged or not.

LariAnn

Thanks LariAnn.
Got it!

Unfortunately I didn't have an opportunity to hybridize this year. I never had two blooms, let alone two different species blooming at the same time. I guess I'll just have to increase my stock. One speciosum bloom was nearly twice the size of the other and from last year if memory serves.