#Supercal petchoa petunia x calibrachoa series#

Through hybridization, their color range has expanded even further. The 28 wild Calibrachoa species, though, come in every color of the rainbow. The natural range of petunia flower colors is quite limited (white, purple and red), although, thanks to 150 years of hybridization, it’s much now much more extensive than it was originally.Calibrachoas are perennials by nature (at least in mild climates), sometimes even shrubby. Petunias are, for the most part, true annuals and die at the end of the season.Petunia flowers, especially the larger ones, are often damaged by rain, while calibrachoa flowers usually come through even major downpours intact.Hybrid calibrachoas are simply not sticky. Petunia stems and leaves are covered with sticky hairs, as you’ll quickly discover when you prune or deadhead them.Those of calibrachoas are only about 2.5 to 3 cm in diameter (about 1 to 1¼ inches) whereas petunia flowers typically measure two or even three times more. Visually, calibrachoas and petunias can be readily distinguished by the size of their flowers. Telling the Two Apart Calibrachoas have much smaller flowers than the average petunia and that’s the best way to tell the two apart. The difference in chromosome numbers is at the heart of the two genera’s inability to cross: normally, plants (and animals) must share the same number of chromosomes in order to produce offspring. Today the genus Petunia now includes the 21 species whose haploid chromosome number (n) is 7, while a new genus, Calibrachoa, was created to incorporate the 28 species whose haploid number (n) is 9. Bos formally proposed splitting the genus Petunia in two based on the plant’s chromosome number. In other words, the two groups, although physically similar, were genetically different … and sexually incompatible. However, it was easy to cross any small-flowered “petunia” with another small-flowered petunia and any large-flowered petunia with another large-flowered petunia.

However, as early as the beginning of the 20th century, taxonomists knew something was wrong: the small-flowered species (the ones now called Calibrachoa) were not interfertile with the large-flowered species ( Petunia). Petunias and Calibrachoas: Kissing Cousinsįor almost two centuries, calibrachoas were placed in the genus Petunia, as both plants belong to the tomato family, the Solanaceae, and share many characteristics, including and most especially trumpet-shaped flowers. If that’s useful to you, know that the genus Calibrachoa was named for the Mexican botanist and apothecary, Antonio de la Cal y Bracho (1764–1833). Still having a hard time remembering the name? Sometimes knowing its origin can help a lot. When I pronounce it, it sounds likes ka-li-bra-KO-ah, if that’s any help. Just remember that the “ch” is pronounced “k” and give it a try. It just seems so complicated, but it’s not. If the name million bells stuck as a common name for this plant, I think it’s because people were afraid to try pronouncing the botanical name Calibrachoa.

#Supercal petchoa petunia x calibrachoa series#

Who had ever heard of the genus Calibrachoa until the Japanese company Suntory launched the Million Bells® series of hybrids in 1992? I well remember that my local garden center didn’t even know what to call this new plant and sold it at first under the name mini-petunia! The new plant caught on immediately and the calibrachoa, still called million bells by the public even when the plant belongs to some other series, is now among the most popular annuals in the world! Go to 2018: The Year of the Coreopsis to learn more about this year’s perennial honoree.įrom Obscurity to the Limelight The Million Bells series (here Calibrachoa × hybrida Million Bells® Trailing Magenta) was the first hybrid calibrachoa on the market over 25 years ago … and it’s still widely available! Source: Suntory, National Garden Bureauįew plants have become so popular so quickly as the calibrachoa. Here’s the second of 2018’s four plants, the annual called calibrachoa or million bells ( Calibrachoa × hybrida). It’s a great way to discover a new plant or to learn a bit more about a plant you may already be growing. Source: BallFloraPlant, National Garden BureauĮvery year, the National Garden Bureau, a non-profit organization promoting the pleasures of home gardening, selects one perennial, one annual, one edible plant and one bulb to celebrate.

Calibrachoa × hybrida MixMasters® Spring Showers, showing just a few of the many possible flower colors.