Subject: Honesty - Lunaria annua - variegated flowers

From: Mike Hardman <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 21:15:17 GMT

Lunaria annua - annual honesty - I have found some plants with variegated flowers.

I can find no mention of such a variety, and wonder if it might be worthy of commercial 
propagation - as the white variety is so deemed.  I understand that viral streaking of the 
flowers is known.  Is this what I am seeing ?  And would it matter if it was viral so long as 
it could be propagated (being an annual, I guess this means transmitted through seed or on 
seed-coat) without risking adverse infection of other species of plant ?

Extra info:
The streaking is white, fairly similarly arranged basal-centrally on all petals, is not 
accompanied by deformation, occurs to different extents on neighbouring plants, and does 
not seem to affect leaves nor overall vigour.  The plants are self-sown in a village garden on 
the chalk in Surrey, UK.

Thanks for any clues
Mike

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From: Jeremy Packer <[email-masked]>
Date: 2 May 1996 08:17:59 GMT

Mike Hardman <[email-masked]> wrote:
>propagation - as the white variety is so deemed.  

>not seem to affect leaves nor overall vigour.  The plants are self-sown in a village garden on 
Whatever the cause, this flower form is common enough in gardens and on roadsides here in Cambridge, UK. It should be easy enough to collect some seeds and see if it does propagate. 

Jeremy