Book Description

The solanaceous family is one of the most interesting and diverse plant groups among the dicotyledons. Plants of various genera are grown for their edible parts, for drugs, or for ornamental purposes. The six genera grown primarily as ornamental plants are: Browallia, Brunsfelsia, Datura, Nicotiana, Petunia, and Salpiglossis. Of these, Petunia is the most economically important in terms of worldwide use as an ornamental plant. In addition to its horticultural value and prominence, the genus Petunia plays a key role as experimental plant material in a broad range of horticultural and biological research endeavors. Because of the broad range of commercial and research interest in Petunia, the collaborating authors believed it was appropiate to prepare a monograph dealing in a comprehensive manner with all economic and biological facets of the genus Petunia. The authors sincerely hope that this monograph will be of resource value and stimulating to students, researchers, and workers in industry interested in having a compendium of the knowledge available on the genus Petunia. KENNETH C. SINK Contents Introduction. By K. C. Sink 1 1.1 Survey of Petunia as a Research Species 1 2 1.2 Survey of Petunia as an Economic Plant Species 2 Taxonomy. By K. C. Sink ....... 3 2.1 Geographical Distribution ...... 3 2.2 Status of Petunia Within the Solanaceae 3 2.3 Early Taxonomie Studies . . . . . . . 4 2.4 Species Described by Fries, Steere, Smith, and Downes 5 ...... 7 2.5 Origin of the Cultivated P. hybrida Vilm.