Krw. Hammett et al., INTERSPECIFIC HYBRIDIZATION BETWEEN LATHYRUS-ODORATUS AND L-BELINENSIS, International journal of plant sciences, 155(6), 1994, pp. 763-771
The recent introduction to cultivation of Lathyrus belinensis has enab
led experimental crosses to be made with cultivars of the sweet pea L.
odoratus. Lathyrus belinensis has flowers with yellow pigmentation, a
color missing from cultivars of sweet pea. Chemical analyses revealed
that three pigment types, carotenoid, flavonoid, and anthocyanin, are
present in L. belinensis, which is easily identified as seedling leav
es exhibit a diagnostic red pigment spot and pods are membranous and i
ndehiscent. Like L. odoratus, L. belinensis is distinctly scented. A h
ybrid was established by means of embryo rescue. Karyotypes of the par
ental species are very similar, and meiotic pairing in the hybrid indi
cated considerable homology. The hybrid between L. belinensis and the
cream-flowered L. odoratus cv Mrs. Collier showed reduced vigor and no
vel flower color. A chemical/biochemical rationalization for the obser
ved color changes is presented. Light and scanning electron microscopy
showed differences in petal surface features and the distribution of
pigments within petals.