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THE

PHILIPPINE
AGRICULTURAL
The Origin
and Characterization
of TwoSCIENTIST
New Mussaenda Hybrids
Vol. 89 No. 1, 85-90
March 2006

T. L. Rosario and
ISSN
F. 0031-7454
B. Aurigue

Germplasm and New Cultivars or Breeds

The Origin and Characterization of Two New Mussaenda Hybrids


T. L. Rosario1* and F. B. Aurigue2
1Department

of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, University of the Philippines Los Baos, College, Laguna, Philippines
2 Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
*Author for correspondence: e-mail: tl_rosario@yahoo.com

Hybrids of mussaendas are being developed continuously by the College of Agriculture, University of
the Philippines Los Baos. Two new hybrids namely, M. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and M. Zenaida
Umali are hereby being named and characterized.
M. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a cross between M. Doa Evangelina (with red bracts) and M.
Doa Aurora (with white bracts). The bracts are 4.0 x 1.7 - 4.0 x 2.1 cm, oblong to ovate elliptic,
basically white suffused with tiny rose areas and with claret rose margin. The flowers are orpiment
orange, 1.5-1.8 cm across and sterile. It was named after the incumbent President of the Philippines
and daughter of former President Diosdado Macapagal and former First Lady Evangelina Macapagal.
M. Zenaida Umali is one of the progenies generated from the embryo rescue of (M. philippica x M.
Doa Aurora) x M. Paraluman. The bracts of the female parent are creamy white while those of the
male parent are claret rose with paler veins. M. Zenaida Umali has creamy white bracts which are 6.5
x 4.0 - 8.0 x 4.5 cm in size, obovate, with veins slightly sunken giving the bracts a puckered, slightly
cupping downward appearance. The flowers are sulfur yellow, 2.2 - 2.4 cm across and semi-fertile.
This hybrid was named after the wife of Dr. Dioscoro L. Umali, former Dean of the College of Agriculture
and who initiated the development of the mussaenda hybrids in the 1940s with the assistance of Mrs.
Umali.

Key words: calyx lobes, embryo rescue, Mussaenda, Mussaenda philippica, petaloid, Rubiaceae

INTRODUCTION
The genus Mussaenda (Family: Rubiaceae) is characterized by the development of one or more of the calyx lobes
into a large, colorful petaloid structure. Several cultivars
of mussaenda have been produced at the University of
the Philippines Los Baos (UPLB) and traditionally, they
are named after the First Ladies of the Philippines (Table 1)
and addressed as Doa as in Doa Aurora.
Crop improvement in mussaendas is a continuing effort at UPLB, hence, new cultivars are developed regularly. One of them was named after Maria Clara, a character
portraying a typical Filipina in the book Noli Me Tangere
by Jose P. Rizal, the countrys national hero. Still another

cultivar was named Maria Makiling, after the legendary


goddess of Mount Makiling as a tribute to her beauty and
fertility; UPLB is nestled at the foot of this mountain. The
rest of the mussaendas were given Filipino names synonymous to the word muse. These names are titles given to
Filipino ladies chosen for their poise, grace, beauty and
intelligence. These mussaendas are Mutya, Diwata,
Paraluman and Bathaluman (Rosario 1998). They are all
officially registered with the National Seed Industry Council (NSIC), Department of Agriculture (DA).
The most recently developed varieties/hybrids are M.
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and M. Zenaida Umali; both
are officially registered with the NSIC. The origin and characteristics of these two hybrids are presented in this paper.

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist Vol. 89 No. 1 (March 2006)

85

T. L. Rosario and F. B. Aurigue

The Origin and Characterization of Two New Mussaenda Hybrids

Table 1. Cultivated mussaendas named after the First Ladies of the Philippines
Year Named

First Lady

President

Year of Incumbency

1974
1938
1962
1974
1946
1952
1958
1962
1962
1967
1998

Hilaria
Aurora
Esperanza
Paciencia
Trining
Alicia
Luz
Leonila
Evangelina
Imelda
Amelita

Emilio F. Aguinaldo
Manuel L. Quezon
Sergio Osmea
Jose P. Laurel*
Manuel A. Roxas
Elpidio E. Quirino
Ramon R. Magsaysay
Carlos P. Romulo
Diosdado P. Macapagal
Ferdinand E. Marcos
Fidel V. Ramos

1897-1901
1935-1944
1944-1946
1945
1946-1948
1948-1953
1953-1957
1957-1961
1961-1964
1964-1986
1992-1998

* Speaker Jose P. Laurel acted as President of the Republic when President Manuel L.
Quezon was in Australia during the Second World War.

Mussaenda Gloria Macapagal Arroyo


This hybrid was named after the incumbent Lady President and daughter of a former President of the Philippines
(Table 1). In 1962, a mussaenda cultivar, M. Doa
Evangelina was named after her mother as a former First
Lady. This cultivar was used as the female parent of M.
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (Fig.1). The male parent was
M. Doa Aurora. The characteristics of the hybrid and
the parents are shown in Table 2.
Mussaenda Zenaida Umali
The development of the mussaenda cultivars was initiated
by Dr. Dioscoro L. Umali, a prominent plant breeder and
former Dean of the College of Agriculture, University of
the Philippines, using M. Doa Aurora as one of the parents. M. Doa Aurora, with all its white calyx lobes enlarged, is a mutant of M. philippica, a native species and
has only one of its calyx lobes enlarged. Since ornamentals
were not a priority crop in the 1940s and 1950s, the wife of
Dr. Umali assisted in the care and maintenance of the hybrid seedlings. In recognition of her efforts, Dr. Umali
planned to name one of the hybrids after her, but she declined. After Dr. Umalis demise, she graciously consented
in naming a hybrid after her, hence, the name M. Zenaida
Umali.
This hybrid is one of the progenies generated from the
embryo rescue of ( M. philippica x M. Doa Aurora) x M.
Paraluman (Fig. 2). The female parent is a hybrid of M.
philippica and M. Doa Aurora which have creamy to
white bracts. The characteristics of M. Zenaida Umali and
its parents are shown in Table 3.

86

Mussaenda hybrids that were developed earlier show


dimorphism (Siar and Rosario 2001) in terms of style length
and the position relative to the anther. M. Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo and M. Zenaida Umali are thrum types
because their anther is higher than their stigma. The female
parents of both hybrids are pin types, that is, the stigma is
higher than the anther.
NSIC registration number:
For M. Zenaida Umali
NSIC 2001 Orn 49
For M. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo NSIC 2001 Orn 50
Developers:
For M. Zenaida Umali
- Dr. Teresita L. Rosario
Department of Horticulture, UPLB
- Mr. Fernando B. Aurigue
Former University Research Associate
Department of Horticulture, UPLB;
Currently with the Philippine Nuclear
Research Institute, Diliman, Quezon City
For M. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
- Dr. Teresita L. Rosario
Department of Horticulture, UPLB
The hybrids were approved by the National Seed Industry
Council (NSIC), Department of Agriculture for registration
in 2001.

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist Vol. 89 No. 1 (March 2006)

T. L. Rosario and F. B. Aurigue

The Origin and Characterization of Two New Mussaenda Hybrids

Doa Aurora

Doa Evangelina

M. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Fig. 1. The making of M . Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist Vol. 89 No. 1 (March 2006)

87

T. L. Rosario and F. B. Aurigue

The Origin and Characterization of Two New Mussaenda Hybrids

Table 2. Characteristics of M. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and its parents


M. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

M. Doa Evangelina

M. Doa Aurora

Color

Basically white suffused with tiny


empire rose (48C) areas; very thin,
claret rose (50A) margin

Solid red (45A-B) to


currant red (46A)

Greenish white
(157C)

Size

4.0 x 1.7 4.0 x 2.1 cm

4.0 x 2.0 6.5 x 4.0 cm

4.5 x 2.5 6.5 x 3.5 cm

Other characteristics

Oblong to ovate elliptic with


short pink hair; limpy with age

Ovate lanceolate with


short red hairs; veins
underneath reddish;
limpy with age

Oblong to ovate elliptic;


limpy with age

Color

Orpiment orange (25A);


yellowish at center

Sulphur yellow (6A);


reddish brown to blood
red at center radiating
slightly to petals; reddish
hairs underneath

Orpiment orange (25A);


yellowish at center

Size across

1.5 1.8 cm

2.1 2.3 cm

1.2 cm

Corolla tube length (cm)

2.5; with reddish hairs


at the upper half

1.9 2.3; stout;


with dense reddish
brown hairs

1.8 2.5;
light yellow-green

Throat

With dense brownish hairs

With dense brownish


red hairs

With dense yellow


hairs

Style length

0.7 cm

1.5 cm

0.7 0.8 cm

Stigma lobes

Thin; 2.0 mm long

Thick; open;
sometimes exserted;
6.0 9.0 mm long

Thin; 2.0 mm from


throat; 5.0 mm long

Anther

Above stigma; 2.0 mm


from throat; 5.0 mm long

Below stigma; 10.0 mm


from throat; 5.0 mm long

Above stigma; 2.0 mm


from throat; 5.0 mm
long

Pollen fertility

Sterile

Sterile

34.1%

Leaf

Texture and color

Smooth; dark green when young;


basal midvein reddish

Upper surface hairy;


light green; veins pinkish;
petiole hairy

Smooth; dark green;


midrib ivory

Other
Characteristics

Nodes/stipules

Stipules and young nodes


with light red hairs; stipules
dry up with age

Stipules and young


nodes/stem with
short red hairs;
stipules dry up with age

Tiny stipules green; dry


up with age

Bract

Flower

88

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist Vol. 89 No. 1 (March 2006)

T. L. Rosario and F. B. Aurigue

The Origin and Characterization of Two New Mussaenda Hybrids

Paraluman

(M. philippica X Doa Aurora)

M. Zenaida Umali

Fig. 2. The making of M . Zenaida Umali

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist Vol. 89 No. 1 (March 2006)

89

T. L. Rosario and F. B. Aurigue

The Origin and Characterization of Two New Mussaenda Hybrids

Table 3. Characteristics of M. Zenaida Umali and its parents


M. Zenaida Umali

(M. philippica X
Doa Aurora)

M. Paraluman

Color

Creamy white to white

Creamy white with


greenish tips

Claret rose (50A-B)


with paler veins

Size (cm)

6.5 x 4.0 8.0 x 4.5

9.1 x 3.4 9.25 x 4.7

5.0 x 4.0 8.0 x 6.0

Other characteristics

Obovate; veins slightly


sunken, giving the bract
a puckered appearance;
slightly cupped
downward; whole
inflorescence compact
and full

Oblong to ovate elliptic,


limpy with age

Obovate; one bract


much larger than the
rest; midvein paler

Color

Sulphur yellow (6A); light


brown hairs at center

Cadmium orange
(23B)

Size across

2.2 2.4 cm

1.2 1.7 cm

Lemon yellow (13A);


center yellow with
brownish ring of hairs
1.8 2.2 cm

Corolla tube length

2.6 3.0;
pale yellow green

1.2 1.9 cm;


light yellow green

2.2 2.5 cm;


with red hairs

Throat

With dense yellow hairs

No hairs

With dense yellow


hairs

Style length

1.2 1.5 cm

0.8 1.7 cm

1.5 cm

Stigma lobes

Thin; 5.0 mm long

Thick; 5.0 7.0


mm long;
slightly exserted

Thick; open; 5.00 mm


long

Anther

Above stigma;
2.0 mm from throat

Below stigma;
7-9 mm from throat;
5.0 mm long

Above stigma;
5.0 mm from throat;
5.0 mm long

Pollen fertility

20.8%

0% (sterile)

25.27%

Leaf

Texture and color

Smooth; green to dark


green; midrib underneath
very pale pink

Smooth; dark green;


midrib underneath ivory

Light green with short


hairs; underneath pale
pink midrib and veins

Other
characteristics

Nodes/stipules

Stipule short, light green;


dry up with age

Stipules short; green;


dry up with age

Young nodes pale pink;


stipules with hair at
edges and tips; dry up
with age

Bract

Flower

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Ms.
Marilou B. Mendoza in the conduct of the study.

SIAR SV, ROSARIO TL. 2001. Heterostyly in Mussaenda I.


Dimorphism in floral characters of the pin and thrum
morphs. Philipp Agric Scientist 84 (1): 64-71.
The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart. 1966. London.

REFERENCES CITED
ROSARIO TL. 1998. Ornamental Mussaendas of the Philippines. College, Laguna, Philippines: College of Agriculture,
University of the Philippines Los Baos. 70 p.

90

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist Vol. 89 No. 1 (March 2006)

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