Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative Report 10:103 (article 53) 1987
A Green Corolla Mutant in Cucurbita pepo
Theodore H. Superak
Harris Moran Seed Company, 3760 Buffalo Road, Rochester, NY 14624
During the summer of 1986, an F2 population of Cucurbita
pepo was observed to segregate for a new flower mutant. The mutant
had a green, leaf-like corolla in both male and female flowers. Early male
flowers were sterile with brown anthers; later male flowers had normal appearing
yellow anthers, but were still sterile. Corollas of both male and female
flowers were partially open at an early stage and remained that way, giving
no indication of a distinct time of opening. Female flowers appeared to
be fertile, but repeated sib pollinations failed and there were no fruit
from open pollination. In addition, the mutant flowers were large, although
this may be related to the genetic backgrounds of the parents.
The segregation ratio of 19 normal to 7 mutant plants suggests a single
recessive gene. It is proposed that the mutant be called green corolla and
the gene symbol gc be adopted. Among the Cucurbits this mutant most
closely resembles the co gene discovered in Cucumis sativus
by Hutchins (1). A green corolla gene in Cucumis melo, described
by Mockaitis and Kivilaan (2), is similar, but affected plants have only
non-functional female-like flowers. Zink (3) recently described a greenish-yellow
corolla mutant of Cucumis melo, but this is fully fertile.
Seed of F2 has been given to the curator of the genus Cucurbita,
Dr. R. W. Robinson, who kindly supplied the literature citations, and any
requests for seed should be directed to him.
Literature Cited
- Hutchins, A. E. 1935. The inheritance of a green flowered variation
in Cucumis sativus. Proc. Amer. Soc.
Hort. Sci. 33:513.
- Mockaitis, J. M. and A. Kivilaan. 1965. A green corolla mutant in Cucumis melo L. Naturwissenschaften 52:434.
- Zink, F. W. 1986. Inheritance of a greenish-yellow corolla mutant
in muskmelon. Jour. Heredity 77:363.
