01/08/2024
🤗
"Pure po ba to?"
I was explaining this earlier to a friend, why certain plants can only be called pure or true after they pass certain criteria, and I've also been receiving this question with increasing frequency so I guess I should write about it now especially since the local plant offerings is only increasing, and the varieties available to buyers and collectors is as extensive as ever.
So, the question goes, is my plant "pure"? This is, in particular, prevalent with Gymnocalycium friedrichii LB2178 Agua Dulce (also known as Gymnocalycium friedrichii var. angustostriatum, or LB2178, Agua Dulce, or just LB or Agua), and plants that apparently came from this variety or are labeled this ID.
My first response is always "What did your seller say? What did he/she tell you?" Because I will be blunt: there is no way, absolutely no way, to know whether your plant is genetically pure unless the seller, source, or one who grew it is honest, and diligent (in preserving the genetic purity of the plant variety). But first let's talk about what people actually expect to mean when they say pure, and why I think this word is problematic.
When people ask if a plant is pure, the most obvious and pertinent definition of it is what we call genetic purity. This means the degree or percentage of contamination of the genetic material of a particular seed or plant. This just means how much of the original genetic material of a particular species, variety, or breed is actually in the plant that *you* have. Contamination in this sense pertain to genes from other species, variety or breed of plants that have been introducted to the original species, variety, or breed. In our plant example, we will talk about Gymnocalycium friedrichii LB2178 Agua Dulce.
Gymnocalycium friedrichii LB2178 Agua Dulce pertains to a particular population of a very unique form of the Gymnocalycium species that may be found in Agua Dulce, Alto Paraguay, Paraguay, in South America. You see, the "Agua Dulce" in the name Gymnocalycium friedrichii LB2178 Agua Dulce pertains to the near town/area where this natural population of the plants were originally found . LB2178 on the other hand pertains to the plant's collection data, also known as collection number, or field number. This string of letters and numbers denote particular information: LB are the initials of Ludwig Bercht-- a Dutch, who is the person who found and recorded the plant population of the species in question for that area, and also collected the original seeds for ex situ conservation (meaning growing in captivity, i.e. in our gardens, greenhouses, or nurseries). 2178 was the accession number given to that sample and plant population. An accession number just means the unique numerical identifier (ID number) given to a particular sample or acquired material.
Now, to maintain genetic purity, only plants and seeds that come from 100%, original, true G. friedrichii LB217(Agua Dulce), should and can be called also as G. friedrichii LB 2178 (Agua Dulce). Meaning, if you have a plant that is labelled as such, and we assume that the label is accurate, your plant's genetic material can be traced directly from the original plants that Ludwig Bercht himself collected in the year 2000 (the date of collection has nothing to do with the accession number in this case).
If, at some point, a flowering true and pure Gymnocalycium friedrichii LB2178 Agua Dulce got pollinated by any other plant that is not exactly a pure Gymnocalycium friedrichii LB2178 Agua Dulce, even one that is also a Gymnocalycium friedrichii but isn't an LB2178, then that plant is already genetically impure. Even if the resulting plants end up looking as close to the original plants, on a genetic level, there have been contaminations already introduced. Those resulting plants do not warrant the collection data/collection number label. And really, as I mentioned earlier, the only way that your plant will truly be pure is if and when the grower made sure that the seeds or seedlings he/she sold you is something that came from two true Gymnocalycium friedrichii LB2178 Agua Dulce plant parents, or if the seller you got it from got it from a grower who also made sure of it. Once a plant changes hands, the one who has it may be liable to change, omit, or include information that may not be true or different, which in turn affects the legitimacy of the plant's label and details about its genetic purity.
Now, the succeeding question is, can one judge whether a plant is "true" or "pure" just based on looks and physical characteristics? No, absolutely not. Because the only way that one can know whether a plant is a true Gymnocalycium friedrichii LB2178 Agua Dulce is if records were kept and the seed producer and grower was/is very careful with that record.
At this point I will have to note that the look and form of plants that came from the location where LB2178 was collected is so unique from the normal look of the species that it was/is given a variety name, var. angustostriatum, meaning "with thin lines/striations", pertaining to the unique, often curved and strongly marked lines in the body of the plants. (Edit: the var. angustostriatum name isn't valid, and is currently not recognized. Although, I will be using it in the interests of distinction [from other friedrichii forms]. I will talk about plant name validity in future posts instead.) Also, the normal habit of this variety are as follows (as originally described by Pažout, in Fričiana 1(7): 3-4. 1962.): A single plant. Stem flattened with acute ribs (12-14). Areoles are pubescent with one central spine bent down along the rib. The flowers are white with a brown on the end, the size is up to 5cm, prone to not fully opening the flower. Flowering period from the middle of summer to autumn. Pistil is deep in the flower, which greatly complicates the pollination. Fruits elongated up to 3 cm, prone to cracking after ripening. The seeds are about 200. The seeds are spherical 0.5-0.8 mm light brown.
But, there are other locations and populations of Gymnocalycium friedrichii that exhibit this unique look and form (var. angustostriatum). A couple of such other plants with a given collection data/field numbers are VoS 14a and VoS 1241, collected and recorded by Volker Schädlich, a German. You can read about it here:https://www.schuetziana.org/downlo…/Schuetziana_7_2016_3.pdf
As such, the better ID for these plants with single downcurved spines, sharp thin ribs, and overall unique look is actually Gymnocalycium friedrichii var. angustostriatum, regardless of provenance (where it came from) or genetic purity. As I've mentioned and stressed above, only a plant that specifically came from the LB2178 originals may be called as Gymnocalycium friedrichii LB2178 Agua Dulce. Without this label, then ONE CANNOT JUST LABEL ANY PLANT AS LB2178 AGUA DULCE, even if they look extremely similar to the original plant's type and form. At this point in time, there are people who are merely using the LB2178 tag to increase the perceived value of other plants, or give them attention over a standard or other Gymnocalycium friedrichii specimens and forms. This is not without merit, because the var. angustostriatum look is unique and very pretty (this I will admit readily myself). However, there is some sort of status that is accorded plants that have the LB2178 tag, even though people do not know what it means and I find that this importance is currently being muddled or has been muddled (deliberately or otherwise), and is lost in translation, and now people are merely equating it to plants being just somewhat prettier or of higher market value than others. The significance of the actual LB2178 label is only important if you are interested and absolutely trying to keep a genetically pure sample or collection of plants with recorded collection data/field number. If you are merely for the look of the var. angustostriatum, then it doesn't matter, in my (strong) honest opinion.
So there. The concepts and issues tackled here applies to all other plants with collection data/field numbers by the way. I wrote this to clarify to everyone (collectors, buyers, sellers, producers, etc.) the meaning behind the LB2178 tag/code, and issues that are apparent to me in relation to it. No malice or slight is intended to any party, just to make it absolutely clear.
Questions? Clarifications? All are welcome! haha.
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