星期五, 7月 28, 2006

Begonia crispula

這凹凹凸凸的美麗海棠,B. crispula,原生地在巴西熱帶低中海拔的雨林底層。

第一次看到他,並不是在網路上尋覓到的照片,而是在國家地理頻道上面有集主題是植物演化的專輯中看到,原生地濃密的植披型態與亞洲雨林相當的不同,他依附在大樹的群幹之中,不起眼,但是卻是焦點。

後來展轉迷上海棠後,三年前第一次與maruo購買種子中,就恰好很幸運的買到這顆,往後maruo的種子目錄中就從未看過此顆,為什麼呢?在種植的過程中,我才漸漸明瞭,這顆看起來剛強,葉片厚實的品種,是多麼難以馴服,好濕氣的她,溫度不能高,日光不能強,而且生長頗為緩慢,抽葉的時間相當的長,葉片成長的時間也非常的耗時,在marou的來往信件中也表示,這顆在冬春開花期間,能夠開出母花的機率也相當的少,可能跟土壤養分、酸鹼值還有日光量有相當大的關係,也因此,種子量是很難收集到的。

不過這各品種個體差異性很大,我跟佐藤守夫購買的那顆品種葉片凹凸的品種倒是沒有這顆巴西來的起伏,但是卻也有另外一種美感,很可惜的母株在進口馴化過程中死亡,(日本來的品種大多相當難馴化),慶幸的是不到1元大小的葉片被我搶救葉差回來,現在就等她慢慢長大嚕。

不過這顆的確很值得期待,在冷氣房的照料下,雖然生長緩慢,但是其堅強的步調下卻讓我對他越來越欣賞,希望來年開花后,我能夠讓他自交成功,繁衍更多的下一代。

Begonia hybridization

Two articles which were listed as following desribe how to get some seeds from begonia. Some technique are usefull to get seeds.

Introduction to Hybridizing

Caveats
The saying that suggests that "If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there" is certainly true with begonia hybridization. Planning is one of the key ingredients. Whether you enjoy such lofty goals as creating a plant with pure white blooms having a better petal texture, or simply creating some seed to have some fun with - develop an idea of where you're going with the effort. For the plebes like me, hybridizing some of the nice named varieties can provide seed for some really nice flowering plants at a fraction of the cost. The folks at Blackmore & Langdon do this themselves and sell the seed commercially. Bear in mind though, that if the goal is to create a new compelling breakthrough in the double tuberous types, you probably has a better chance of winning the 6/49 lottery, so govern your expectations accordingly.

Techniques
As most are aware, pollen is not so easily found on the large double uprights, so you'll likely have to wait until after the flowers have peaked in the season and the male flowers start looking rather scrawny. At this stage the males will produce stamens where they wouldn't have earlier. Once you've spotted a likely candidate the next step is to find out whether the pollen is mature or not. To test this, gently tap the male flower to see if pollen grains fall onto either the petal below, or onto a piece of paper held under the stamen. If they do, the pollen is ripe and you're in luck. As in life, all you need now is a willing female flower.

Getting the pollen from the male flower onto the female stamen is actually a relatively simple procedure. Using a clean tiny paint brush, the kind often found in a child's paint set, remove the pollen from the male flower. You may have to store the pollen in something like a film canister until a female flower stamen becomes available. Brush the pollen on the female stigma and when you're done place a label on the flower stem identifying the cross. In order to ensure the maturing seed pod stays on the plant for the next 5 weeks, place a small paper bag over the seed pod and fasten it with an elastic band. The paper bag over the seed pod not only acts to protect the seed pod from being dislodged after pollination, but will also catch the seed pod and any spilled seed once it matures and falls off the stem. Remove any male flower that may be on the same stem.

A related method to the one just described involves removing the male pollen holding flower, carefully removing it's petals, then swiping it's stamen across the female stigma a few times. The idea being simply to get the pollen on the stigma without including any dirt or foreign material with it. As the seed pod takes between 4 - 5 weeks to mature, plan on keeping that particular plant going for that length of time after pollination. In other words be aware of the timing involved in hybridizing when it comes to your normal end of season begonia activities.

Cleaning the Seed
As the seeds dry and mature, the pod will split and the seeds will spill into your attached paper bag. At this point, carefully remove the bag and dump the pod and seeds onto their own sheet of plain white paper. Now, very carefully blow on the resulting mess - separating the chaff from the very tiny seeds left behind. Next, take a second sheet of white paper and while holding the first sheet in your hand above the second, tap it with your thumb such that the seeds roll off onto the second sheet. The quality seeds will tumble off the first sheet easily, leaving behind any additional chaff.

Have Fun
Your done!. At this point save the seeds for next year's growing effort or for trading. Many of the Begonia Societies around the world offer begonia seed for trade or purchase and as a potential contributor to their collection, they'd love to hear from you.

Tips
1. Select female flowers that have short stamens - long-stamen flowers don't pollinate as well.
2. To ensure good pollination, repeat the process a few times on each cross.
3. When the pollination attempt takes, flowers petals on the female will drop off in about 4-5 days.
4. Once pollinated, use an elastic band to fasten a paper bag over the forming seed head.

reference: http://www.begonias.ca/hybr_introduction.htm

Setting and Saving Seed for Species Conservation

A Seminar for SWR/ABS, May 1999 - Freda Holley
ref:http://absastro.tripod.com/culture/pollination.htm

"Why save seed?", you ask when begonias are so easy to propagate from leaf and stem? Because each new plant of a species we can grow adds to the likelihood that that species will survive and adapt to the captive conditions in which we grow it. When we grow many different seedlings of a species, we capture more of its genetic diversity and secure it to the future. My primary purpose with every species I grow is to set seed and grow them out. Until I have done this, I never really feel that I "know" a species. Over and above that purpose, however, is another fascinating reward. The young seedlings are often gorgeous with leaves that do not even resemble their adult form. The process of securing the future of species through seed comes in two steps: setting them and saving them.

Setting Seed - The Mechanics
The actual mechanics of setting seed in begonias is very easy. Most begonias have both male and female blooms on the same plant. The female is easy to recognize because in back of the flower petals - or tepals as they are called in begonias - is the ovary. In front of the tepals are the styles where the receptacles for the pollen are located. The male flower has tepals and stamens on which is located the pollen. To make seed, one must simply transfer the pollen onto the styles. I usually do this by folding back the tepals on the male flower and brushing the stamens over the styles - very gently so as not to damage them. Some use a small paint brush to transfer the pollen. This act of pollination should occur when humidity is lowest, usually around noon. In many species this transfer is so easy that the plants accomplish it on their own. B. fischeri, B. franconis, B. humilis - the male flowers being positioned above the female and simply shedding their pollen down onto the females. However, in most begonias it is not so easy and we must help the process along. Indeed some are so difficult that no seed have been set in culture; in some cases, the plants have even refused to bloom. In fact, getting a species to bloom is often the first challenge.

Getting Bloom
Each species has its own flowering agenda requiring the right age, time of year, temperature, light and overall environment. Some begonias begin to bloom their first year from seed, including most of the semperflorens and and even such exotic species as B. dipetala or B. U062. However, I find that most canes must reach two or more years in age before they bloom - on a few I have waited up to five years.

The season for bloom in begonias is varied. In general, canes, semps, tuberous, and shrubs bloom in the summer; thick stems and trailing scandent in fall and winter; and rhizomes in winter to spring. In fact, many species with other conditions being right will even be everblooming. Temperatures are very important. In the Ozarks, my canes bloomed heavily right through the summmer, but in Nacogdoches, many canes stopped blooming with temperatures approaching 100 degrees for many days. B. gehrtii, a rhizomatous begonia that likes it downright cold bloomed better for me when night temperatures approached freezing; it bloomed later and less readily in the greenhouse where temperatures were kept at around 50 degrees at night. Thus, one really has to get to know a particular begonia to predict its blooming behavior.

Light has its own effect. In general, most begonias will bloom better in high light, but again this can vary. My B. rajah bloomed happily in a north window in Ozone. In Nacogdoches it refused to bloom on my sun porch and then in the air conditioning under bright florescent light. Once more placed in a north window, although with much lower light than it had gotten in Ozone, it grew happier and is now blooming away. B. maculata kept in heavy shade bloomed in late summer, but placed where it got full sun for about 7 hours a day, it began blooming in early spring and was still blooming at Christmas in the greenhouse. So, if you aren't getting bloom, try different settings. It is nice to have several different plants of a species so this can be done simultaneously. Some environmental effects are more subtle. For example, many rhizomatous species must have a set number of hours of darkness to trigger bloom—ten hours of dark is the usual amount quoted although I believe the degree of reduction may be the key rather than an exact number. I have had rhizomes that came home with me from bright greenhouses and were placed in heavy shade in my yard sometimes begin to flower even in summer. However, if you want your rhizomes to bloom, take care that you don't have night or security lights that interfere.

Finally, remember that phosphate is the miracle food ingredient for bloom. Giving plants a high dose of this before and during bloom really does work.

Getting Seed
Just because a plant blooms is no certainty that it will set seed. Nature seems to program plants so that they will not waste energy making seed if the conditions are not right. In Ozone, my summer bloomers set seed all summer because temperatures seldom went above 90. In Nacogdoches I got seed in spring and hopefully will again in fall, but most of the canes won't set seed in temperatures above 90. Watch your impatiens plants (single); if they are blooming and not setting seed, the culprit is probably the temperature.

Humidity is also important; pollen often won't release if the humidity is too high. In this case, you may be able to take the male flower into a dry area such as in the air conditioning and get the pollen to release. If male flowers tend to fall before the female open, you may save pollen too. Dry it and keep cool until your female is ready. Some even exchange pollen by mail. Light must be right here too. Sometimes, though this effect too can be difficult to predict. I had a B. U347 on which the male blooms refused to open even when placed to get good light in the greenhouse; then one day I noticed that on its back side where the plant was heavily shaded, the male blooms were opening!

Age plays a role here too. I've found that many plants will not set seed on their first blooms or even in their first bloom cycle. B. bufoderma was one that bloomed heavily for several years before I finally got it to set seed for me. Then, those first seed were not viable, that is they refused to germinate. Finally, one year the seed became viable. Keep trying?

When you seek to hybridize, another important determinant in getting viable seed is genetics. The genetic matter of two different species (within a species of course, genetic matter is the very close) must be compatible to produce viable seed. This is fundamental, of course—a petunia and a begonia will never cross, but even within the begonia family incompatibilities occur. Chromosome number is one genetic factor that influences reproductivity although not the only one. Begonia plants vary in the number of chromosomes they carry ranging from a low of 22 up to as high as 156. These come in pairs. At reproduction, each male pollen grain and each female ovule have one-half the number of chromosomes as in the plant cells. At fertilization, the one-halts come together to create the seed with a full complement. An easy way to visualize this happening is to pretend there were a begonia with 10 chromosomes—put the tips of your ingers together to see that they fit to make a "steeple flower" —now take the tips apart—you have 5 chromosomes on one hand (the male) and 5 on the other (the female). You can join them to make the 10 chromosome plant again. Or if you want to "hybridize" you can match your 5 fingers to another person's 5 fingers to make a "new" steeple flower. But say, you had a friend who had 7 fingers, when you tried to join your 5 with his 7, there would be no match and it wouldn't work.

This, of course, is a very simplified illustration and as we all know begonias are anything but simple. The genetic matter must also be compatible; some allege that begonias from different regions of the world do not cross well. Also, chromosomes sometimes do strange things—doubling, tripling, breaking, losing and gaining genes. So we can never say two begonias with different chromosomes or genes won't cross. In general, however, it doesn't happen and if it does, the plant is not likely to be a healthy, strong one.

Let me also put in a word in favor of hybridizing for its usefullness in preserving genetic variability. At times, species are so difficult for us to grow that they may disappear from cultivation. For example, B. olbia used to be quite common, now it is rarely seen, but we have some of its genetic variability carried on in B. 'Argenteo-guttata' and other hybrids.

Saving the Seed
Harvesting
So now, you've pollinated and the seed appear to have set. I've read that when seed set, the female tepals will close and fall. I find this to be true sometimes and sometimes not. In some varieties the tepals will persist and hold to dryness. Usually, however, you can see the pod visibly swell as the seed grow. Pods without seed will be very thin and papery. Leave the pod on the plant until it is dry and brown. If it should fall before this stage and has been on the plant for some time, you may try to save it if the seed is precious by placing it where it can safely dry off the plant. Sometimes this seed will germinate, sometimes not. After the seed pod has dried on the plant, I gather the seed in glass baby food or mushroom jars. I use a permanent marker to label immediately (Don't even think you will remember later what the seed was from!). Then I place the open jar in a place where further drying can occur—on top of a florescent light fixture, in an oven with the light or pilot on, anywhere that contributes to drying. In the humid outside environment, you will think the seed pod dry, but there will be much moisture left and this must be extracted. Dryness, I believe, is even more important than a cool temperature to save seed.

Storing the Seed
Since all the seed pods do not necessarily mature at the same time, you can continue dropping them into the labeled jar until you have them all or the jar is as full as will safely continue drying. When I have a number of these jars to process, I spread newspaper at the dining table. I have a plastic ice cream container to receive the waste, small and large sheets of paper, seed envelops, a metal tea strainer, a notebook, and a pen and a permanent marker. At the same time I have a container of one inch plastic portion cups filled with wet seed planting mix. I break the seed pods over a small sheet of paper (note size) placed over a larger sheet trying to get as little of the papery pod as possible into the seed that fall. Unless the seed is clean, I pour the seed through the strainer onto a second small sheet; continuing back and forth until the seed is as clean as I can get it. I've read that you can just roll the seed on the paper to free them from the debris, but my debris always slides better than the seed roll! It is important that your strainer be metal, not plastic as the seed will cling to the plastic. Next, I crimp the center of the small sheet and pour the seed into a glassine seed envelope. Before I discovered that these envelopes can be bought from the Commercial Division of Park Seed Company, I used little squares of foil, folded tightly, then wrapped these in paper for labeling. But, the tiny seed would always manage to filter out. The seed envelopes are well worth their price of about $30/thousand. Finally, I use an SOS pad to remove the marking from the baby food jars and place them in the dishwasher before reusing them (the tiny seed persist where you least want them). I also place a tiny portion of the seed into the germinating mix for testing. Then I use the marker to label both the portion cup and the glassine envelope. After trying various labeling schemes, what I use now is a label such as "99.97 B. egregia". This tell me that I gathered this 97th batch of seed in 1999. I use the pen to record the same info in my notebook, adding any relevant information such as "bloom fell early" or "first seed from this plant". This labeling will be very important if you have to go back several years to find seed you want. When I have finished with all the seed for the day, I place the seed envelopes together in a Ziplock snack bag which goes into a larger 1999 Ziplock bag. These go into the refrigerator crisper - or if you are like a few of us seed nuts into a small seed refrigerator. The cups are placed into a foil baking pan with clear plastic cover under florescent lights. When germination occurs, the time is recorded in the notebook. Thus secured, you may save the seed for long periods of time. Germination has been reported on begonia seed saved for 20 or more years and I have personally germinated seed 14 years old. However, I believe that the fresher the seed the better the germination and the stronger the plants you will get. For securing species, it is probably wise to have a plan for growing out new stock on a regular basis.

The whole process is really quite easy and mechanical once you have established the routine and the ideal timing for saving seed in your setting. There are almost always jars of seed setting around waiting to be processed at my house. Not all of us will be able to get seed of every species in our environment, but some will no doubt prefer your environment and set seed for you when they will for no one else. Let's save our species!

星期一, 7月 24, 2006

海棠的迷思

種海棠,是不是一定要很好的環境? 是不是一定要有恆溫高溼通風的栽植地點呢?

答案是,有當然很好,沒有,也是可以克難栽植,但是品種的選擇上,就是得好好的選擇。

品種的選擇,就得牽扯到海棠的種類,海棠分布很廣,沿著亞洲東南亞非律賓、蘇門答臘、婆羅洲等典型熱帶氣候,往西,上達喜瑪阿雅山山脈群,雲貴高原等高山森林中都有分佈,再往西印度西非馬達加斯加島等風蘭族群的季風雨林也有分佈,在美洲亞特蘭大雨林,北美南美巴西也都有分佈,這分佈的範圍廣大,所以不同的種類海棠,也有非常不同的照顧方式。

就以一班在花市常買到的琥班或是REX系統的海棠為例,這些根莖性的海棠適應能力相當的強,在台灣的四季氣候中,其實不太需要太多的悉心照料。 一班海棠喜好的環境都是遮陰,溼度均勻,通風的地點,就如同我們再中海拔底森林的環境一斑,春秋是生育比較旺盛的季節,夏季夜溫高,呼吸作用強,所以白日需要多遮陰,提高濕度來越夏,冬天的話減少澆水頻率,避免濕冷,就能順利越冬。

不過對很多其他原種或是球莖性海棠而言,台灣的冬天或是夏天,都是致命的關鍵,這系統實在太多繁雜,有興趣的人載直接問我就好^^。

此篇若有錯誤,請多多指教。

星期六, 7月 22, 2006

七夕

閏月,兩各七夕。

人總是會對感傷的情愫產生共鳴,淒美銀河劃分著兩個人的愛情故事,流傳著中國人的浪漫。

但是感情真的能夠這樣深刻嗎?平日習慣的吃飯,走路,撘車上班,習慣著屬於自己一個人的世界,真的能夠永遠的接那另外一各人進入自己的領域?
上帝給於人自由意志,自由的感情流向是專屬於我們應該擁有的決定,只是,要單純的喜歡一個人,真的是很困難的。

紅磨坊裡頭唱述著,世界上最美好的事情,莫過於愛人並且得到相當回應的愛,很簡單的1+1卻是最難解的數學問題。

一杯平時的咖啡,或許不會去在意他的好壞,但是在一個人啜飲冷掉的咖啡時,卻也很難掩飾住人類是怕寂寞的動物。

七夕,或許現在的街燈流雲已經取代銀河,能夠看到的,或許也都是鐵殼上的剛強,只是柔嫩的感情,還是需要屬於愛的慰藉,希望大家在七夕都能夠得到愛情的溫暖,忘卻再冰冷社會中殘酷的一面。

星期六, 7月 15, 2006

祇園 京都

從京都拖著累垮的身體回來台灣,卻發現,京都的美,還是值得細細品遊,如果下次有機會自己一個人或是找到臭味相投的旅伴,在好好的融入京都的生活,不過總之,這次演講還算順利啦,可喜可賀!

星期六, 7月 08, 2006

迷失

我總是沒辦法做好自己.

面對自己真正的感情.

星期三, 7月 05, 2006

前生五百次的回眸才換來今生的擦肩而過?

這句話是從這個故事來的吧...
  
  有個年輕美麗的女孩,出身豪門,家產豐厚,又多才多藝,

日子過得很好。
  
  媒婆也快把她家的門檻給踩爛了,但她一直不想結婚,

因為她覺得還沒見到她真正想要嫁的那個男孩。
  
  直到有一天,她去一個廟會散心,於萬千擁擠的人群中,

看見了一個年輕的男人,不用多說什麼,

反正女孩覺得那個男人就是她苦苦等待的結果了。
  
  可惜,廟會太擠了, 她無法走到那個男人的身邊,

就這樣眼睜睜的看著那個男人消失在人群中。
  
  後來的兩年裡,女孩四處去尋找那個男人,但這人就像蒸發了一樣,

無影無蹤。
  
  女孩每天都向佛祖祈禱,希望能再見到那個男人。
  
  她的誠心打動了佛祖,佛祖顯靈了。
  
  佛祖說:「你想再看到那個男人嗎?」
  
  女孩說:「是的!我只想再看他一眼!」
  
  佛祖:」你要放棄你現在的一切,包括愛你的家人和幸福的生活。」
  
  女孩:「我能放棄!」
  
  佛祖:「你還必須修煉五百年道行,才能見他一面。你不後悔麼?」
  
  女孩:「我不後悔!」
  
  女孩變成了一塊大石頭,躺在荒郊野外,四百多年的風吹*曬,

苦不堪言,但女孩都覺得沒什麼,難受的是這四百多年都沒看到一個人,

看不見一點點希望,這讓她都快崩潰了。
  
  最後一年,一個採石隊來了,看中了她的巨大,

把她鑿成一塊巨大的條石,運進了城裡,他們正在建一座石橋,於是,

女孩變成了石橋的護欄。
  
  就在石橋建成的第一天,女孩就看見了,

那個她等了五百年的男人!
  
  他行色匆匆,像有什麼急事,很快地從石橋的正中走過了,當然,

他不會發覺有一塊石頭正目不轉睛地望著他。
  
  男人又一次消失了,再次出現的是佛祖。
  
  佛祖:「你滿意了嗎?」
  
  女孩:「不!為什麼?為什麼我只是橋的護欄?如果我被鋪在橋的正中,

我就能碰到他了,我就能摸他一下!」
  
  佛祖:「你想摸他一下?那你還得修煉五百年!」
  
  女孩:「我願意!」
  
  佛祖:「你吃了這麼多苦,不後悔?」
  
  女孩:「不後悔!」
  
  女孩變成了一棵大樹,立在一條人來人往的官道上,

這裡每天都有很多人經過,女孩每天都在近處觀望,但這更難受,

因為無數次滿懷希望的看見一個人走來,又無數次希望破滅。
  
  不是有前五百年的修煉,相信女孩早就崩潰了!
  
  日子一天天的過去,女孩的心逐漸平靜了,她知道,不到最後一天,

他是不會出現的。
  
  又是一個五百年啊!最後一天,女孩知道他會來了,

但她的心中竟然不再激動。
  
  來了!他來了!他還是穿著他最喜歡的白色長衫,臉還是那麼俊美,

女孩癡癡地望著他。
  
  這一次,他沒有急匆匆的走過,因為,天太熱了。
  
  他注意到路邊有一棵大樹,那濃密的樹蔭很誘人,休息一下吧,

他這樣想。
  
  他走到大樹腳下,靠著樹根,微微的閉上了雙眼,

他睡著了。
  
  女孩摸到他了!他就靠在她的身邊!
  
  但是,她無法告訴他,這千年的相思。她只有盡力把樹蔭聚集起來,

為他擋住毒辣的陽光。
  
  千年的柔情啊!
  
  男人只是小睡了一刻,因為他還有事要辦,他站起身來,

拍拍長衫上的灰塵,在動身的前一刻,他抬頭看了看這棵大樹,

又微微地撫摸了一下樹幹,大概是為了感謝大樹為他帶來清涼吧。
  
  然後,他頭也不回地走了!就在他消失在她的視線的那一刻,

佛祖又出現了。
  
  佛祖:「你是不是還想做他的妻子?那你還得修煉……」
  
  女孩平靜地打斷了佛祖的話:「我是很想,但是不必了。」
  
  佛祖:「哦?」
  
  女孩:「這樣已經很好了,愛他,並不一定要做他的妻子。」
  
  佛祖:「哦!」
  
  女孩:「他現在的妻子也像我這樣受過苦嗎?」
  
  佛祖微微地點點頭。
  
  女孩微微一笑:「我也能做到的,但是不必了。」
  
  就在這一刻,女孩發現佛祖微微地歎了一口氣,或者是說,

佛祖輕輕地鬆了一口氣。
  
  女孩有幾分詫異,「佛祖也有心事麼?」
  
  佛祖的臉上綻開了一個笑容:「因為這樣很好,

有個男孩可以少等一千年了,他為了能夠看你一眼,已經修煉了兩千年。」

相遇是緣,相識相知是緣,相親相愛則成為緣分的最後驛站。

但是「緣」就像這段話中所說的那樣不可易得:

「佛說:前生五百次的回眸才換來今生的擦肩而過… …

佛說:前生五百次的微笑才換來今生的一次相逢… … 」

這也是緣的另一種詮釋,它是前世修來的福分,

在今生是可遇而不可求的。

飄渺人世間,緣分造就了一對對佳人比翼雙飛,

也釀成一比比不可改變的孽緣。不僅人間如此,

世間萬物蒼生都遵循著一個個不可違背的規則而忙碌不息。

一場場愛恨情愁便孕育而生了......

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