Anthurium (Anthurium andraeanum Linden) is a perennial herbaceous flower of the Araceae family, originating from tropical and subtropical rainforest regions in Central and South America (Teixeira da Silva et al. 2015). Anthurium is characterized by its distinctive flower shape and vibrant color, which is composed of the spadix and spathe, and it has a high ornamental value (Poli et al. 2012). Anthurium can be produced as cut and potted flowers, and has become one of the most popular tropical flowers around the world (Poli et al. 2017). Anthuriums are often more resilient to environmental changes and are ideal as indoor plants once positioned away from direct sunlight. In China, more than 40 million potted anthurium are on market annually.
In recent years, small-sized potted anthuriums have become increasingly popular due to several factors: space efficiency, low cost, and portability, which align with the preferences of modern homeowners and plant enthusiasts, although most of the available cultivars are cut or large/medium-sized potted anthuriums (Farrell et al. 2012).
Since 2011, we launched a breeding program targeting plant size, dedicated to developing small-sized anthurium varieties. Here, two new potted anthurium cultivars with small and compact plant types are described including origin and morphological characteristics.
Origin
Anthurium cultivar Bungle originated from a cross between Anthurium ‘Purple Princess’ (which has a purple spathe) as the female parent and Anthurium ‘Sempre’ (which has a crimson spathe) as the male parent. Spadices of the female parent at the blooming stage were artificially pollinated in Nov 2015 and produced mature seeds after 5 months. A total of 140 offspring seedlings of the F1 population were transplanted and cultivated in the greenhouse. In 2018, flowering seedlings were obtained and field investigated for the selection of superior individuals. One individual, ‘Aa15119-2’, was selected and in vitro propagated using young leaves as explants for tissue culture at Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute–Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (TCGRI-CATAS) in Danzhou, China. In 2019, 240 tissue culture seedlings were transplanted in a substrate consisting of coco blocks and coarse peat (v:v, 3:1). Several characters were evaluated in 3 years (2020 to 2022), including flower characteristics, growth architecture, and leaf color. After an evaluation for various attributes, Aa15119-2 was finally selected as a superior cultivar and was named as Bungle in 2023 (Fig. 1).
Pedigree and timeline of breeding procedures used in the development of Anthurium ‘Nan Hong’ and ‘Bungle’.
Citation: HortScience 59, 9; 10.21273/HORTSCI17883-24
Anthurium cultivar Nan Hong originated from a cross between Anthurium Aa09 as the female parent and Anthurium Beijing Success as the male parent. In 2014, a total of 114 offspring seedlings of the F1 population were transplanted and cultivated in the greenhouse. In 2016, one individual, ‘14108-47’, was selected and in vitro propagated using young leaves as explants for tissue culture at TCGRI-CATAS in Danzhou, China. After transplanting and an evaluation for various attributes, 14108-47 was finally selected as a superior cultivar and was named as Nan Hong in 2022 (Fig. 1).
Tissue culture propagation and unfolding leaf explants were adopted to increase plant numbers. The genotypes of ‘Bungle’ and ‘Nan Hong’ had similar response to callus induction and shoot regeneration. Callus induction medium consisted of half-strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) salt with 0.6 mg/L 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 1 mg/L benzylaminopurine (BA). Shoot regeneration medium consisted of half-strength MS salts with 250 mg/L NH4NO3, 0.1 mg/L 2,4-D, and 1 mg/L BA. Rooting medium was half-strength MS salts supplemented with 1 mg/L indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and 0.05% active charcoal. The number of shoots per explants was 14 to 27. The entire cultivation process was conducted under the condition of 25 °C, 12 daylight hours.
Description and Performance
For ‘Bungle’ and ‘Nan Hong’, thirty 3-year-old plants were used for morphological investigation and measurement. Morphological characteristics were described based on distinctness, uniformity, and stability (DUS) test guidelines for anthurium (TG/86/5 Corr.) (International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants 2008) (Table 1). The color of the spathe and spadix was described according to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Color Charts (2007).
Performance of Anthurium ‘Bungle’ and ‘Nan Hong’ in Danzhou, Hainan, China.
Plant architecture.
Both cultivars are small in plant size. The plant height and crown width of ‘Bungle’ were 35.7 ± 1.1 cm and 42.9 ± 1.5 cm, respectively. Those of ‘Nan Hong’ were 38.5 ± 2.2 cm and 52.5 ± 1.5 cm, respectively.
Spathe.
The spathes of ‘Bungle’ are medium-ovate in shape and small in size (length 8.3 ± 1.1 cm, width 5.7 ± 1.0 cm). The basal lobes are incurved but not touching each other (Fig. 2A). The shape of the distal part is acute and the tip is acuminate. The fully opened spathe has a red-colored adaxial surface (RHS 46A), with a similar red color (RHS 45D) in the abaxial surface. ‘Bungle’ has a weak blistering and glossy spathe. The shape in cross section of the middle zone is straight and the angle of the distal part to the peduncle is obtuse.
The phenotypic characteristics of Anthurium cultivars Bungle (A) and Nan Hong (B).
Citation: HortScience 59, 9; 10.21273/HORTSCI17883-24
‘Nan Hong’ has a broad-ovate spathe with a small size. The basal lobes are incurved but not touching each other (Fig. 2B). The shape of distal part is obtuse and the tip is acuminate. The fully opened spathe has a red-colored adaxial surface (RHS 34A), with a similar red color (RHS 42C) in the abaxial surface. ‘Nan Hong’ has a weak blistering and medium-glossy spathe. The shape in cross section of the middle zone is concave and the angle of the distal part to the peduncle is obtuse.
Spadix.
‘Bungle’ has a narrow and short spadix with a length of 4.0 ± 0.6 cm. The spadix is absent rolling with a straight longitudinal axis. The tapering toward the top is weak. The main color of the basal part shortly before dehiscence of anthers is white to cream and the distal part is red. After dehiscence of anthers, both the main color of the basal part and distal part remain unchanged.
‘Nan Hong’ has a medium thick and very short spadix with a length of 4.7 ± 0.6 cm. The spadix is absent rolling with a straight longitudinal axis. The tapering toward the top is weak. The main color of basal and distal parts shortly before dehiscence of anthers is orange. After dehiscence of anthers, the main color of the basal part and distal part remain unchanged.
Leaf blade.
The leaf blades of ‘Bungle’ are short and narrow, representing a narrow ovate shape with a size of 15.0 ± 0.5 cm in length and 8.8 ± 0.5 cm in width. The color of the upper side in mature leaves is medium green.
The leaf blades of ‘Nan Hong’ are short and narrow, representing an ovate shape with a size of 14.3 ± 0.6 cm in length and 8.7 ± 0.5 cm in width. The color of the upper side in mature leaves is medium to dark green.
In summary, the distinguishing characteristics of ‘Bungle’ and ‘Nan Hong’ are as follows: 1) Both of the two cultivars are potted plants with compact plant type and small size, which meet the emerging demands in market. 2) The bracts of the two varieties are uncommon and uniform in color, representing a good architecture. 3) Compared with the commercial varieties on the market, the flowering period of the two cultivars is long-lasting (more than 2 weeks) and the flowering is abundant, which contributes to their high ornamental value. These characteristics indicate that they have good ornamental value and commercial prospects and have the potential to become popular varieties in the future.
Availability
‘Bungle’ and ‘Nan Hong’ have been propagated by the tissue culture laboratory of TCGRI-CATAS in Hainan, China. Both varieties have been applied for rights protection from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China. Plants for research purposes may be obtained directly from the author (niujunhai2014@sina.com).
References Cited
Farrell AD, Evelyn S, Lennon AM, Umaharan P. 2012. Genotypic variation in senescence and water relations in cut flowers of Anthurium andraeanum. HortScience. 47(9):1333–1337. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI.47.9.1333.
International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants 2008. Guidelines for the conduct of tests for distinctness, uniformity and stability. Anthurium. 1–25. TG/86/5 Corr.
Poli LP, Temponi LG, Coan AI. 2012. Anatomical aspects of the gynoecium of species of Anthurium sect. Urospadix Engl. (Araceae, Alismatales). Flora. 207(8):615–621. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.flora.2012.06.014.
Poli LP, Temponi LG, Coan AI. 2017. Floral vasculature and its variation for carpellary supply in Anthurium (Araceae, Alismatales). Peerj. 5:e2929. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2929.
Teixeira da Silva JA, Winarto B, Dobránszki J, Zeng S. 2015. Anther culture of Anthurium: A review. Acta Physiol Plant. 37(8):173. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-015-1909-5.