Echeveria Calypso Breeding for Leaf Density and Color Saturation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Echeveria cultivars for larger pot sizes often have fewer leaves with less saturated blue-gray colors, and they may not efficiently fill smaller pots, leading to increased cutting requirements and slower growth rates, which can impact commercial production and landscape durability.
Innovation Solution
The Echeveria 'Calypso' cultivar, resulting from a cross between Echeveria 'BF II' and 'Val', features rosettes with many ruffled blue-green leaves, undulate pink margins, and glaucous coral flowers with golden tangerine tips, growing to a larger diameter, offsetting to form clusters, and producing inflorescences, making it a robust and faster-growing option for commercial production and landscape environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If current Echeveria cultivars are used for larger pot sizes, then they produce rosettes with fewer leaves, but this results in less saturated blue-gray colors and requires more cuttings to fill smaller pots
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by selecting and breeding Echeveria plants with specific genetic parameters that produce rosettes with many leaves (20-40 leaves) while maintaining saturated blue-gray coloration. This genetic parameter selection resolves the contradiction by finding a genotype that simultaneously achieves high leaf count and high color saturation, rather than trading one for the other.
2Productivity
If current Echeveria cultivars are used, then they may not efficiently fill smaller pots, but this leads to increased cutting requirements and slower growth rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes key growth parameters by breeding Echeveria cultivars with enhanced growth rates and optimized rosette development. The new cultivars produce rosettes with many leaves that fill 4-6 inch pots efficiently, reducing the number of cuttings needed and accelerating production cycles compared to traditional cultivars.
3Volume of moving object
If Echeveria cultivars are bred for larger pot sizes, then they produce fewer leaves, but this reduces their durability in landscape environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the genetic parameters of Echeveria plants to produce cultivars with many leaves (20-40 leaves per rosette) that are specifically adapted for landscape durability. These cultivars maintain compact sizes suitable for small pots while developing robust, leafy rosettes that thrive in landscape conditions, resolving the contradiction between pot size and durability.
Data Source
AI summary
A new and distinct Echeveria cultivar named ‘Calypso’ is disclosed, characterized by concentric rosettes comprised of an abundance of ruffled blue-green leaves with crispate margins. The new cultivar is robust growing, quickly filling an 8 inch commercial pot and produces offsets at an early maturity. Plants have been shown to be durable with good landscape performance. Inflorescences are produced in the Summer, comprised of glaucous coral colored flowers. Echeveria is a popular genus, typically produced as container plants for the patio or as landscape plants, as a variety of ornamental purposes.