New Plants for Florida: Lisianthus
Click here to view a PDF version of this document.
Home Search What's New Products Survey Help
New Plants for Florida: Lisianthus

   

New Plants for Florida: Lisianthus1

Brent Harbaugh2

Click here to view the print version.

Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) is a relatively new cut flower. Sakata Seed Company was the first to offer lisianthus as a new cut flower in the United States in the early 1980s. Growers and consumers alike were anxious to try lisianthus because it has elegant and beautiful flowers in 15 colors, the flowers have a long vase life, and there are few "blue" flowers available in the cut flower market.

While many advances were made by Japanese breeders in the development of lisianthus as a new flower crop, the varieties lacked heat tolerance, a very important attribute for Florida growers. A lisianthus selection and breeding program was initiated by FAES Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in 1985 under the direction of Brent Harbaugh and in cooperation with Jay Scott. The lisianthus varieties available at that time only could be produced profitably when flowered in late April to June. Their goal was to develop heat-tolerant dwarf and semidwarf varieties that could be grown year round in Florida. Maurine Blue (pot plant) and Florida Blue (bedding plant) varieties were released from this program in 1995. They were the first heat-tolerant lisianthus varieties whose seedlings could be grown at 82° to 88° F, making them highly desirable for year-round production in Florida. Additional varieties released from this program provide the same heat tolerance and a wide selection of colors.

The Florida Series is being marketed worldwide, and the Maurine Series is being marketed in the U.S. and Canada. In Florida, the Florida Series represented more than 50 percent of the lisianthus plug production and flowering pots sold as bedding plants for 2002. The Maurine Series sold as plugs for pot plant production, (5- to 6-inch flowering potted plants) represents more than 50 percent of this market.

Tables

Table 1. Lisianthus varieties developed by FAES.

Variety


Date of Release


Maurine Blue, Florida Blue
1995
Maurine Pink, Maurine Pink Lilac, Maurine White, Maurine White-on-Blue, Maurine Light Blue, Maurine Lilac
1997
Florida Pink, Florida Light Blue
1998
Florida Silver
2000
Maurine Daylight, Maurine Twilight
2001


Footnotes

1. This document is part of Circular 1440, a publication of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, the Agronomy Department and IFAS Communication Services, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date August 2003. Originally published as a booklet by IFAS Communication Services June 2003. Visit the EDIS Web Site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2. Brent Harbaugh, Professor, Environmental Horticulture Department, Gulf Coast REC--Bradenton. Circular 1440 is edited by Richard L. Jones, Mary L. Duryea, and Berry J. Treat, Florida Agricultural Experiment Station. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.


Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Richard L. Jones, Dean for Research, publishes this information to further programs and related activities, available to all persons regardless of race, color, age, sex, disability or national origin. Information about alternate formats is available from IFAS Communication Services, University of Florida, PO Box 110810, Gainesville, FL 32611-0810.


The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.



Copyright Information

This document is copyrighted by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) for the people of the State of Florida. UF/IFAS retains all rights under all conventions, but permits free reproduction by all agents and offices of the Cooperative Extension Service and the people of the State of Florida. Permission is granted to others to use these materials in part or in full for educational purposes, provided that full credit is given to the UF/IFAS, citing the publication, its source, and date of publication.