Development and Characterisation of Five Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Cultivars ‘the Bengal Series’ from India
Deep Chakraborty
Botanical Survey of India, Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah-711103, West Bengal, India.
Jetti Swamy *
Botanical Survey of India, Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah-711103, West Bengal, India.
Devendra Singh
Botanical Survey of India, Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah-711103, West Bengal, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Hibiscus flowers hold great cultural significance in India, particularly in West Bengal, Odisha, and Maharashtra. Due to their wide range of colours, they are extensively used in aesthetics, ornamentation, and landscaping. As part of a regular breeding program for the development and characterization of new Hibiscus cultivars, five new Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. cultivars (the Bengal Series) namely 'Bengal Sunrise', 'Bengal Sunset', 'Bengal Dancing Queen', 'Dark mother of Bengal', 'City of Joy' were successfully developed, characterized and registered with the 'International Hibiscus Society'. Hybridization was conducted in the Singur, Hooghly district from 2019-2020, and field observations were carried out at the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, Botanical Survey of India, Howrah, West Bengal, from 2022-2025.
Keywords: Hibiscus, new cultivars, Bengal series, characterization, West Bengal