I love those blue dyed pals and I do buy them from time to time.
By the way, if more genes were inserted to the existing DNA of a given phal, wouldn't that change the number of chromosome and thus GM blue phal may not be able to interbreed with other phals for incompatibility reason??
I only took basic Genetics in college, so that's what I'm curious about.
Read the link I posted. It's P. amabillis the blue genes come from Asiatic Dawflowers
When this was first discussed it brought to mind a common weed here in the eastern US that had always amazed me with its bright true blue little blooms. I just today bothered to google Asiatic dayflower, Commelina communis, the plant used to provide the gene for the genetically-modified blue Phal, and lo and behold it is that very same weed.
It's actually considered as an invasive species here. I've seen it more recently growing in my neighborhood in a curb-side tree pit, but I remember it as well growing in our yard in my childhood.
Some sites mention that handling the plant can cause skin irritation or an allergic reaction.
---------- Post added at 06:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:01 PM ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by NYCorchidman
By the way, if more genes were inserted to the existing DNA of a given phal, wouldn't that change the number of chromosome and thus GM blue phal may not be able to interbreed with other phals for incompatibility reason??
I only took basic Genetics in college, so that's what I'm curious about.
I assumed that the gene is spliced into an existing Phal chromosome, rather than adding a chromosome.
Japanese Wiki entry has an interesting episode on this one. It was called "Hell weed" or "Hell flower." Flowers are harvested to collect pigments that are used for drawing of Yûzen, a type of fabric and Kimono. Pigments are water soluble and fade easily that made this popular. But this is a day flower, and flowers are harvested in the middle of summer. The procedure was labor intensive and exhausting, hence its nicknames.