Subject: [NAFEX] Malus sieversii (apple's wild ancestor) at the Cornell Orchards (Ithaca, NY)
Date: Mon, 6 Sep 2010 11:09:56 -0700
Hello,
Some of you may or may not be aware that folks from
Cornell have gone on multiple expeditions to Asia, to the area where
Malus domestica originated. They've collected seed from Malus sieversii
and have some planted trees.
If I were anywhere near NY state,
I'd go collect some budwood or seed and have some for yourself (and nafex ;) ).
wikipedia: "Some, but not all, of
the resulting trees show unusual disease resistance. The variation in
their response to disease on an individual basis is, itself, a sign of
how much more genetically diverse they are than their domesticated
descendants."
I did the googling the other month and I'm not
aware of any other source of this germplasm in North America..