Analysis of the flower pigments of some Delphinium species and their interspecific hybrids produced via ovule culture

The anthocyanin composition in flowers of the interspecific hybrid plants, Delphinium cardinale Hook. x D. grandiflorum L. and D. grandiflorum x D. nudicaule Torr. and A, Gray, which have almost intermediate flower colors of both parents, were examined. Analysis of the anthocyanidin by thin layer chromatography (TLC) revealed that the component of anthocyanidin of these hybrids was only delphinidin, with no pelargonidin from D. cardinale or D. nudicaule. The results of analysis of the component anthocyanins by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) showed that both of the hybrids contained violdelphin derived from D. grandiflorum and their compositions of anthocyanin were different from those of their parents. Based on these results, the inheritance and the expression of flower color and further possibility of the breeding in the genus Delphinium are discussed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.