What if . . .

[biologyboy98]

Hey everyone, this question has bothered me all week, would it be possible to cross-pollinate a Heliamphora with a Darlingtonia and get viable seeds or would it be impossible? I'm just curious.

 

[Dante1709]

No, that's not possible.. It's only possible to hybridize two closely related species within the same genus..Both Darlingtonia and Heliamphora are different genera with different trap mechanisms. Even if it were possible to crossbreed, I doubt it would be able to catch insects, which automatically disqualifies it as a "carnivorous plant".

 

[Whimgrinder]

Not even remotely possible.

 

[lance]

Darlingtonia and Heliamphora both have different chromosome numbers, thus making it impossible unless some radical mutation were to occur. Although they are from the same family, evolving over the millennia has kept them genetically separate as species.

 

[Est]

Darlingtonia and Heliamphora both have different chromosome numbers, thus making it impossible unless some radical mutation were to occur. Although they are from the same family, evolving over the millennia has kept them genetically separate as species.

Horses and donkeys have a different number of chromosomes.

Now, I'm not saying it is possible, but with biology you should be careful with your absolutes. "Never" is never always true.

 

[tatorger]

As a general rule plants or animals of different genus cannot naturally interbreed. But that's not to say that it couldn't be done in a lab. the only example, I can think of at the top of my head, of an organism of different genus being interbred are sheep and goats.