Growing plants from hybrid seeds is lots of fun because you can sometimes get variations that are quite wonderful. You NEVER get little "Frankenstein-Monster" plants, lol.
Illustration:
Monstroflora trudimakus
Hybrids may or may not come true from seed. The flower colors might be somewhat different, or the shape or count of the petals might be different, or the leaves might be more shiny, or a little less pointed, the height might be different by a few inches, etc. These are all of the probable expected differences you might see....if you notice any differences at all. You've got a 1:3 ratio* that the seedlings can show a difference from the parent plant.
Plants produced from the seeds a hybrid plant are actually a lot like the children of one couple. Sometimes they are all identical...each child's face has the same features as its brothers and sisters, or sometimes each child is different* and looks like any of the grandparents, or even the great-grandparents.
Enjoy growing the seeds of a hybrid plant. When the seedlings grow to maturity you may find that you're in love with the whole batch, or some may be more appealing to you than others. Keep your favorites and share or compost the rest.
"In 1859 I obtained a very fertile descendant with large, tasty seeds from a first generation hybrid. Since in the following year, its progeny retained the desirable characteristics and were uniform, the variety was cultivated in our vegetable garden, and many plants were raised every year up to 1865." ~ Gregor Mendel to Carl Nägeli, April 1867 LINK
Mendel, Gregor. "Gregor Mendel's letters to Carl Naegeli. 1866-1873." Translated by L.K. Piternick and G. Piternik. Genetics , 35, 5, part 2 (Supplement: "The Birth of Genetics"), 1950. Reprinted in Stern and Sherwood [1966] pp.56-102. LINK
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by Dr. Dennis O'Neil
Behavioral Sciences Department
Palomar College, San Marcos, California
