Flower color and pigments of intersubgeneric hybrid between white-flowered evergreen and yellow-flowered deciduous azaleas

Abstract

Flower color and floral pigments were evaluated on an intersubgeneric hybrid (9027-2), obtained by crossing R. kiusianum Makino cv. Shirobana-miyamakirishima x R. indicum (L.) Sweet cv. Hakata-jiro, and R. japonicum f. flavum. The flowers of the 9027-2 were pale yellow at full bloom. The absorption peaks detected in the extracts from the petals of R. japonicum f. flavum and 9027-2 are considered to be β-carotene and that this pigment was inherited by 9027-2 from R. japonicum f. flavum. The 9027-2 was confirmed as the hybrid between (R. kiusianum cv. Shirobana-miyamakirishima x R. indicum cv. Hakata-jiro) hybrid No. 1 and R. japonicum f. flavum No. 1 by isozyme analysis.