Subject:     Re: Hexxed
Sent:        3/2/99 8:06 PM
To:          Peter F. Mueller
             nick15@assumption.edu

Peter,

Sorry for the delay in replying. I was vacationing in Florida.

If I read your letter correctly, you have the experience and the equipment to
count chromosomes. That is just what I am looking for - I have not been able to
locate any daylily enthusiasts in my area who can do this.

"Hexxed" is in short supply, of course, but I believe daylily chromosomes are
counted by mashing a part of the root, and I can certainly spare a root tip.

I also have the so-called "tet" Ed Murray, as well as the original so-called
"dip" Ed Murray, plus GARNET ROBE, known to have 33 chromosomes, which you can
use as a cross-check. I also think THORNBIRD and NORMAN LEE HENNEL (registered
as diploids, I think they're tets) should have their chromosomes counted, and I
have a seedling I believe is a triploid which should be counted, too. You might
even want to check out LIGHTS OF DETROIT, if I can find it in my garden among
the weeds. I can provide you with fans of any of these.

Dan Trimmer is going to colchicine-convert "natural" tetraploids
(IMPLAUSIBILITY, THORNBIRD, NORMAN LEE HENNEL) to octoploids for me in an
effort to use them as a "bridge" to create hexaploids (22+44=66 chromosomes).
My theory is that the conversions of "natural" tets will not be as "stiff" as
octoploid conversions of tets which already have conversions in their ancestry,
and will grow well enough to hybridize with. The hexaploids created, I expect
from my experience with "Hexxed", will be viable garden plants.

Let me know if you want to be a part of this "hexaploid project". (I think
hexaploids might do very well in your climate, and you could test them out.) We
can post our progress on my web pages so the whole daylily world can follow it.

/Nick