What does 4N Clone mean? - Orchid Board

Paul Mc · #1 10-29-2011, 06:48 PM

I have no clue, but I am highly interested in this phal I see. The growers say it has more distinct coloration than the species parents (same) do, but I'm confused what a 4N Clone means. I'm also concerned that it won't look like the picture if it decides genetically to change it's mind, lol...

tucker85 · #2 10-29-2011, 08:17 PM

I hope we get a good explanation. I read an article about what 4N meant and I didn't understand a word of it. Hopefully someone can put it into plain english for us.

isurus79 · #3 10-29-2011, 08:45 PM

Most plants/animals are diploid (2N) and have 2 sets of chromosomes, one from each parent. Polyploid organisms have more sets of chromosomes than normal. In the case of your plants, they are tetraploids (4N). Why is this important? In many species of orchids, 4N plants grow larger flowers and plants with more vibrant colors that often grow very quickly. So being a 4N orchid is typically a very desirable trait! For a quick rundown of the technical stuff, try this: Polyploid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia I don't normally like to use wikipedia as a reference, but it seems that this practice is being used more and more.

Paul Mc · #4 10-30-2011, 10:39 AM

WOW, thank you for the dummied down explanation. So I'm assuming that I should not worry about color variations as the colors should be vibrant regardless.

Lars Kurth · #5 10-30-2011, 12:10 PM

Actually this article is quite good A Brief Look at Polyploidy

Ray · #6 10-31-2011, 11:14 AM

If you are into breeding, having a tetraploid parent can cause problems.

Crossing a 4N with a standard 2N can result in 3N offspring, which are sterile. 4N x 4N can be the makings of greatness, though.

PaphMadMan · #7 12-04-2011, 11:35 PM

The explanation of 4N was not dumbed down, it is just that simple - it has twice as many chromosomes as a 2N plant, 4 of each rather than the more typical 2 of each.

Any mericloned plant, whether diploid (2N) or tetraploid (4N) or any other has a slight chance of mutating and falling short of the expectations based on the original plant, but the same kind of chance exists that the next growth of any plant may have mutated. It just shows up a little more often in mericlones because a mutation in a single cell has a better chance of actually being seen, but the expectation and normal outcome of the cloning process is plants that are identical to the original. You also have to supply similar optimal conditions to get the same vibrant colors.