Kaido

Blue Honeysuckle

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'Tana', 'Chito', 'Hoka' and 'Borealis'

Summary: The plants of 'Kaido' have weak vigour whereas the plants of 'Tana' and 'Borealis' have medium vigour. The plants of 'Kaido' are narrower than the plants of 'Hoka' and 'Borealis'. The shoot tip of 'Kaido' has dense pubescence while the shoot tip of 'Hoka' has absent or sparse pubescence and the shoot tip of 'Tana' and 'Borealis' has sparse pubescence. The tip of the shoot of 'Kaido' has a weak to medium intensity of anthocyanin colouration while it is very strong for 'Tana' and strong for 'Hoka' and 'Borealis'. The leaf blade of 'Kaido' is shorter than the leaf blade of 'Hoka' and 'Borealis'. The leaf blade of 'Kaido' is wider than the leaf blade of 'Chito'. The sepal of 'Kaido' is short while the sepal of 'Tana', 'Chito' and 'Borealis' are of medium length and that of 'Hoka' is long. The sepal of 'Kaido' is narrow while the sepal of 'Tana' and 'Hoka' is wide and that of 'Chito' is of medium width. In cross-section, the fruit of 'Kaido' are broad elliptic whereas the fruit of 'Tana' and 'Chito' are narrow elliptic. In lateral view, the fruit of 'Kaido' is obovate while the fruit of 'Tana' is ovate and broad oblong and the fruit of 'Chito' is ovate. The fruit of 'Kaido' is narrower than the fruit of 'Tana' and 'Hoka'.

Description:

PLANT: weak vigour, upright growth habit, medium degree of branching, mid-season bud burst
ONE-YEAR-OLD SHOOT: no lenticels, absent or very sparse pubescence, red brown bark, strong development of adventitious buds
SHOOT TIP: dense pubescence, absent or weak glossiness of bark, weak to medium intensity of anthocyanin colouration

YOUNG LEAF: sparse pubescence at base
LEAF BLADE: medium length to width ratio (1.5:1), obtuse apex, absent or very sparse pubescence on upper side, absent or very sparse pubescence on lower side, light to medium green on upper side in spring, medium green on upper side in summer
STEM-CLASPING LEAF: large

TIME OF BEGINNING OF FLOWERING: mid-season
SEPAL: short, narrow
FLOWER: dense pubescence on corolla tube, downwards attitude, style longer than anther

TIME OF BEGINNING OF FRUIT RIPENING: mid to late season
FRUIT: broad elliptic in cross-section, obovate in lateral view, calyx end is truncate, fruit tip present, medium sized eye opening, surface is smooth to intermediate, tufts of hairs at apex present
FRUIT SKIN: strong bloom, dark intensity of blue colour

Origin & Breeding History: 'Kaido' originated from an open pollinated cross that occurred in Corvallis, Oregon, U.S.A. and was bred and developed by the breeder Dr. Maxine M. Thompson. The cross was made between a female parent variety, designated '#22-64', and an unknown male parent. The resulting seeds were collected and sown in Corvallis, Oregon, U.S.A. From the resulting seedlings, 'Kaido' was selected as a single plant in 2007 based on its plant vigour; fruit size, appearance, taste, yield and early maturity. 'Kaido' was first propagated by hardwood stem cuttings in 2008 in Corvallis, Oregon, U.S.A.

Tests & Trials: The comparative trial for 'Kaido' was conducted in the field and examined during the summer of 2018 at BioFlora Inc. in St. Thomas, Ontario. The trial included a total of 15 plants each of the candidate variety and reference variety 'Hoka', 7 plants of the reference varieties 'Tana' and 'Borealis' and 10 plants of the reference variety 'Chito'. All plants were grown from rooted cuttings and transplanted in the field on June 9, 2016. Observations and measurements were taken from 10 plants, or parts of plants, of each variety at various times throughout the summer of 2018. All colour determinations were made using the 2007 Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Colour Chart.

Comparison tables for 'Kaido' with reference varieties 'Tana', 'Chito', 'Hoka' and 'Borealis'

Plant width (cm)

Leaf blade length (cm)

Leaf blade width (cm)

Fruit width (mm)

Click on image for larger view

Blue Honeysuckle: 'Kaido' (top centre) with reference varieties 'Chito' (top left), 'Tana' (top right), 'Hoka' (bottom left) and 'Borealis' (bottom right)