Viewing post #1877676 by ElPolloDiablo

ShawnSteve said:Hi Y'all. I think the original intent by Mr. Itoh, was to produce an intersectional plant, but also to introduce yellow into the mix. Like sort of attempting to do two things at once. Multitasking, is what it may be called now days. Yeah, when you get too many chromosomes in the mix, you may just about reach the end of the experiment. But using colchicine to change the shoots, chromosome number & the resulting seeds, may be affected, in chromosome number, too. Like those triploid Daylily,, for example., getting up there... I have noticed some perennial plants I grow from seeds, sometimes just don't want to produce any seeds...
(Edit, to remove my question.) I thought that some of the original four, made it to France, also ?
According to Smirnow in an article I read, the original four were eventually "lost'. But, the results of Mr. Itoh's successful intersectional cross, was repeated, (using the same known parents ) then those resulting plants were used to introduce other intersectional named cv.;s too.

To answer your question: one of the original Itoh hybrids from Japan or, more likely a partition, was still in existence as of last year, but it's in private hands and the owners apparently have no interest in propagating it. Being very long lived plants it's likely unless something dramatic happens it will still be around for a long time.
There are all sorts of rumors floating about on where the original Itoh hybrids ended up, but it seems most were either sold in Japan or simply lost/destroyed after Dr Toichi's widow passed away. My contacts in Japan have never seen any Itoh outside known commercial varieties, so that's most likely it.

Oh yes, and the one in six million chanches of having partial fertility in an Itoh are after treatment with Colchinine... these are very stubborn plants.