Inheritance of spineless leaves in Aechmea (Bromeliaceae)

Bromeliaceae are tropical ornamentals with a variety of colors and inflorescence shapes. Leaves with spined margins are characteristic for the genus Aechmea. Crosses between spineless and spined Aechmea cultivars were attempted in order to obtain a spineless offspring. Crossing spined and spineless genotypes resulted in a progeny with on average 50% spineless plants. The hybrids of two spineless plants had on average 75% spineless leaves. This indicated that the spineless character was dominant. Homozygous plants were selected; these plants are interesting for further breeding and propagation by seed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.