Abelia (Caprifoliaceae, Linnaeoideae subfamily) has been used as an ornamental woody shrub for more than a century in landscapes in the southeastern United StatesIntroduced as an ornamental to Europe from China in 1884 , Abelia is an important genus for the nursery and landscape industry. This versatile genus has a long flowering period from spring to frost, seasonal yellow-green, bronze, red, or dark green leaves, and pink, white, or yellow flowers. Disease, pest, and deer resistance, in addition to heat and drought tolerance, nontoxic foliage and flowers, attractiveness to a variety of pollinators, and noninvasiveness because of gametophytic self-incompatibility make Abelia a desirable landscape plant. Despite these characteristics, only a few cultivars are available on the market, and the majority are sports or hybrids of Abelia chinensis and/or Abelia ×grandiflora..
Recent studies on the phylogeny of the genus Abelia have explored its evolutionary relationships within the Dipsacales order. The Linnaeoideae subfamily was established to maintain monophyletic (a single common ancestor) groups within Caprifoliaceae, which includes Abelia and related genera. Depending on the source, Abelia is recognized to contain between three and 15 species. For this research, the genus is defined to include A. chinensis, Abelia forrestii, A. macrotera var. engleriana, among others. Some previously classified Abelia species have since been reclassified into the genera Diabelia, Vesalea, and Zabelia.
Researchers utilized advanced genomic techniques to analyze the total DNA content and determine ploidy levels across multiple species, shedding light on the evolutionary adaptations within the group. They found significant differences in total DNA content among various Abelia species, showing the genetic diversity within the subfamily. The research also identified several species with varying ploidy levels (number of sets of chromosomes in the organism), suggesting a complex evolutionary history influenced by hybridization and environmental adaptation.
The findings of this study not only enhance our botanical knowledge but also have practical implications for horticulturists, plant breeders, conservationists, and researchers alike, and could aid in the development of new cultivars, for the landscape, with new traits.
According to the author, “This research was conducted as part of my PhD work at the Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, at the University of Georgia. Dr. Carol Robacker and I have successfully crossed Abelia species, but we were interested in crossing Abelia with other related genera to introgress new traits into Abelia. As our preliminary crosses were unsuccessful, we decided to conduct this research to deeper our understanding of Abelia relatives and how we can use them in future breeding efforts”
The full article can be found in the Journal of the American society for Horticultural Science electronic journal website at:
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