Joran's Seeds and Research

Since 2024, I had been noticing unusual amaranth plants in my gardens without paying much attention to them. During the summer of 2025, I decided to investigate them more closely.  These plants turned out to be spontaneous hybrids between Amaranthus cruentus, a cultivated species, and A. retroflexus, a wild species. These two species share the same ploidy level (2n = 34) and belong to the same evolutionary complex, the so-called “hybridus group”, characterized by strong phylogenetic proximity and both historical and ongoing gene flow.  Amaranthus cruentus : A cultivated species originating mainly from Mexico and Central America, A. cruentus is derived from the domesticated complex related to A. hybridus and is primarily outcrossing. This species exhibits considerable phenotypic variability, particularly in leaf coloration, inflorescence color, and growth habit, with either erect or drooping panicles. In this case, the observed form is an amaranth with red stems and erect, re...

Development of naturalizable lettuce by self-seeding through hybridization with its wild ancestor ( Lactuca sativa subsp. serriola ). First published: December 3, 2023 Last modified: December 22, 2024. Abstract: In an agroecological approach of permaculture or agroforestry, it is desirable to cultivate plants capable of naturalizing. However, cultivated lettuce ( Lactuca sativa subsp. sativa ) presents a very strong barrier to spontaneous propagation: its flower heads remain closed after the seeds have matured, so the latter cannot fly away as those of their wild ancestor would do. ( Lactuca sativa subsp. serriola ). While this characteristic resulting from human selection is essential in conventional cultivation systems since it facilitates the harvesting of seeds and avoids the uncontrolled propagation of plants, it is however less relevant in the context of an agroecological culture, based on the processes and ecosystem functions. This trait can be eliminated through hybridization w...