Coreopsis Citrine Hybridization for Compact Yellow Bloom
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a new Coreopsis cultivar that combines the desirable traits of compact growth, vibrant yellow flowers, and excellent vigor, while being distinct from existing varieties like 'Rum Punch' and 'Presto', with improved leaf narrowness and flower color compared to Coreopsis pubescens.
Innovation Solution
The development of Coreopsis 'Citrine', a dwarf cultivar resulting from a controlled cross between Coreopsis 'Rum Punch' and Coreopsis pubescens, characterized by clear yellow daisy-type flowers, dense, compact habit, and grass green foliage, propagated asexually to ensure consistent characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If Coreopsis pubescens is used as pollen parent, then flower color is yellow, but leaves are too broad and habit is not compact enough
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the desirable traits of two parent plants: Coreopsis pubescens provides the clear yellow flower color, while Coreopsis 'Rum Punch' contributes the compact dwarf habit and narrow leaves. The hybridization combines these complementary characteristics into a single cultivar that exhibits both bright yellow flowers and compact growth form.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention achieves different qualities in different parts of the plant: the flowers exhibit clear yellow coloration inherited from C. pubescens, while the foliage and overall habit display the compact, narrow-leaved characteristics from C. 'Rum Punch'. This local differentiation of traits resolves the contradiction between flower color and leaf morphology.
2Shape
If Coreopsis 'Rum Punch' is used as seed parent, then habit is compact, but flower color is orangey-rose not clear yellow
Solution Approach 1:
The hybridization merges the compact habit from C. 'Rum Punch' with the clear yellow flower color from C. pubescens. The seed parent contributes the growth habit and structural characteristics, while the pollen parent contributes the flower pigmentation, resulting in a plant that exhibits both compact form and clear yellow blooms.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention achieves different qualities in different parts of the plant: the overall habit and foliage display the compact characteristics from C. 'Rum Punch', while the flowers specifically exhibit the clear yellow coloration from C. pubescens. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between habit compactness and flower color.
3Illumination intensity
If Coreopsis grandiflora 'Presto' is used, then flowers are golden doubles, but they are not clear yellow single flowers
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the clear yellow coloration trait from the parent plants while deliberately excluding the double-flower characteristic. By selecting for single flower form combined with clear yellow color, the breeder has isolated and fixed the desirable color trait while rejecting the double-flower morphology, creating a distinct single-flowered cultivar.
Data Source
AI summary
A new and distinct Coreopsis plant named ‘Citrine’ characterized by daisy-type flowers that grow to 4 cm in diameter, flowers that are clear yellow, grass green foliage on short stems, flowers all summer, a dense, compact, mounding habit, and excellent vigor.