The History of Petunias

Botanists have made many attempts to increase the range of petunia colors.

A popular plant often featured in gardens and hanging baskets, the petunia has evolved from a plant species originally found predominately in South America into the multiple varieties grown in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom today. The history of the petunia is made up of significant cross-breeding efforts from breeders, which ultimately led to the wide selection of colors and varieties of petunia that now exist.

Origins

The origins of the petunias lie in two breeds, the Petunia axillaris and the Petunia violacea, which were discovered in South America between the middle of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th. These two types were later introduced to countries in Europe, but they weren't much like the petunias of today; the Petunia axillaris, for example, had a small white flower. When breeders started to these flowers, they created the group called the "garden" petunia. These plants offered larger flowers, with some possessing double flowers, though the results were varied. These plants, the results of crossed species, were termed "Petunia x hybrida."

Early 20th Century

Petunia breeders in the 20th century stepped up their efforts to create larger and more colorful varieties of plants. The Sakata Seed Corporation, based in Japan, was the first breeder to create, in 1934, fully double petunias through the application of gene dominance theories developed by Austrian scientist Gregor Mendel. New varieties of petunia were bred during the 1930s, such as a range of grandiflora petunias introduced in Germany. Research into consistently double-flowered petunias progressed at the end of that decade thanks to American Charles Weddle, who discovered the secret of producing seeds that yielded double-flowered offspring each time.

After WWII

Following the end of World War II, researchers looked to find ways to improve the petunia's resistance to weather and to generate more colors and increase flower size. A prominent organization involved in the research was the Pan American Seed Company. Both Weddle and his colleague Claude Hope worked on multiple petunia varieties and won awards for plants such as the Ballerina, a grandiflora, in the 1940s and '50s. Petunias gained increased popularity with the public during the 1950s thanks to their colors, and new varieties such as the yellow Summer Sun and the first spreading petunia, the Purple Wave, emerged in 1977 and 1995, respectively.

Naming Controversy

The genus petunia applies to the whole family of these plants, but the name came under criticism in 1985. Some botanists claimed that the name "" should be amended to "stimoryne" to better reflect the plant's nature as a member of the potato family. Since the petunia was already well-established by this time, and thus a name change would damage commercial ventures involving the plants, the name petunia was upheld by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.

References

• National Garden Bureau: 1997; Year of the Petunia; 2011
• Annuals A-Z; Petunias -- Their History and Use in the Garden; Graham Rice; 1997