Velvet flower (Salpiglossis sinuata, Solanaceae) can be used as an excellent demonstration plant for horticultural crop breeding classes. Salpiglossis produces large trumpet-like flowers exhibiting an assortment of corolla color and pigmentation pattern. The pistil is large (3 to 4 cm long) with a sticky stigmatal tip and anthers can be easily emasculated prior to anthesis. The large pollen grains are shed in tetrads, which can be separated and individually placed on the stigma. It takes 8 to 9 weeks from seeding to blooming, with a prolific flowering cycle repeated in flushes. Numerous seeds (about 750/capsule) are obtained in 3 weeks after self- or cross-pollination. The influences of three genes that control flower color and pigmentation pattern can be conveniently demonstrated with their dominant and recessive alleles. The R gene controls flower color with red (RR or Rr) being dominant over yellow (rr) flower color. The D gene controls the density of pigmentation with solid (DD or Dd) color being dominant over dilute (dd) color. Corolla color striping is controlled by the St gene with striped (stst) being recessive to non-striped (StSt or Stst) pattern. For example, by using diploid lines of genotypes RRDD (red, solid), RRdd (red, dilute), or rrdd (yellow, dilute) and their crosses, students can easily learn a dominant phenotypic expression in the F1 hybrid and the digenic 9:3:3:1 segregation ratio in the F2 progeny. Another gene (C) that controls flower opening can also be used to show its influence on cleistogamous (closed, self-pollinated, CC or Cc) versus normal chasmogamous (open-pollinated, cc) corolla development. In addition, the induction and use of polyploid (4X, 3X) plants in plant breeding can be effectively demonstrated using this species.
