The Hybrid

Regular viewers may recall that I am trying to hybridize a new abutilon, taking pollen from the anthers of one of my favourite varieties, the orange flowered Abutilon Apfelsine, and adding it to the stigma of another, the pink flowered Abutilon Rosela. In August, after months of trying, I finally got some seed to germinate. You can see the first seedlings here. Four months on and the first batch of 24 seedlings are looking quite sturdy and have their third pair of true leaves. I'm hoping we might see a flower (will it be pink-orange?) or two in another four months. Only then will I know whether the experiment has worked. If it hasn't then I will have lots of small Abutilon Rosela plants to give away!