A new frontier in hardy hibiscus breeding

Added on 31 August 2023

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A new frontier in hardy hibiscus breeding

After the breakthrough achievements of creating blue and maroon flower colors in hardy hibiscus, Texas A&M AgriLife plant physiologist and breeder Dariusz Malinowski, Ph.D., has now developed the first-ever coral-colored hibiscus.

Malinowski leads a forage and ornamental plant breeding program, focusing on perennial cool-season forage grasses and hardy hibiscus at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Vernon. He is also a professor in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Soil and Crop Sciences.

The coral-colored hibiscus is the latest creation from what started as a hobby for Malinowski in 2005 and has grown to the point that Vernon is now considered the Hibiscus Capital of Texas.

“This new hibiscus hybrid is the latest example of how Dr. Malinowski’s work has put the Texas A&M AgriLife center here in Vernon at the forefront of hibiscus breeding,” says Rick Vierling, Ph.D., Director of the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Vernon and director of Texas A&M AgriLife Foundation Seed. “Dr. Malinowski’s releases have generated tremendous excitement worldwide, and we’re glad to have hibiscus breeding as a cornerstone program of the center.”

Photo: The coral colored hardy hibiscus is the latest unique color developed by Dariusz Malinowski, Ph.D., a Texas A&M AgriLife Research plant physiologist and ornamental plant breeder. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Dariusz Malinowski)

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