New Mussaenda Hybrid Honors UPLB Professor Emeritus Azucena Lantican Carpena
The University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) unveiled a distinctive new Mussaenda hybrid named in honor of Professor Emeritus Azucena Lantican Carpena, PhD, on November 29, 2024, at her residence in Jubileeville, Bay, Laguna.
This beautiful tribute recognizes Professor Carpena’s lifelong dedication to academic excellence in genetics and plant breeding through her years of teaching and research at UPLB.
Mussaenda: A Symbol of Resilience and Brilliance
Mussaenda, a hardy flowering shrub from the Rubiaceae family, aptly symbolizes the resilience and brilliance that defined Professor Carpena’s long and distinguished career.
M. ‘Azucena L. Carpena’: A Unique Cross with Striking Features
M. ‘Azucena L. Carpena’ is a cross between Mussaenda ‘Dona Eva’ and M. ‘Dona Aurora’. It boasts prominent revolute petaloids inherited from the male parent.
The calyx lobes are greenish-white suffused with claret rose at the base, with veins that deepen towards the apex. The edges of the lobes flaunt prominent dark claret rose margins.
The true flowers exhibit ovate-elliptic to lanceolate corolla lobes, saffron yellow with orpiment orange grooves running along each petal. Their tips are Aqathia green with greyed-orange hair color around the center of the flower.
The undersides of the petals are yellow with white hairs and a greenish margin. The leaves are ovate-obovate, light green on the upper surface and yellow-green on the underside, gracefully accented with creamy white hairs on both surfaces.
Cultivation and Adaptability
This hybrid blooms abundantly under tropical climates and full sunlight. Its adaptability to various soil types makes it ideal for both landscaping and container planting. It thrives in loamy, friable soil and blooms more profusely than the reference pink varieties, M. ‘Queen Sirikit’ and M. ‘Doña Amelita’. Propagation by marcotting is particularly easy.
A Team Effort Honoring a Legacy
The development of M. ‘Azucena L. Carpena’ is attributed to the dedication of IPB breeders: Dr. Maria Luisa D. Guevarra, Gerlie P. Antesco, Jennelyn C. Bengoa, Priscilla P. Vicencio, Sandy A. Baldo, Kristine Joy V. Carandang, Lucio M. Alcantara, and Hermigildo Jalotjot, Jr., and the late Simeona V. Siar and Maria Luz J. Sison.
As an output of the IPB core-funded project, “Genetic Diversity Conservation, Utilization, and Improvement in Philippine Ornamentals: Mussaenda, Medinilla, Hoya, Foliage and Flowering Trees,” M. ‘Azucena L. Carpena’ belongs to the “Natatanging Syentistang Pilipina Series.”
Professor Carpena’s Enduring Impact
Professor Carpena’s contributions as an educator, adviser, researcher, author, and scientist are vividly reflected in the hybrid’s beauty. She is renowned for her work on crop varietal improvement, which led to the development of varieties, such as sweet potato and cassava, that were registered with the National Seed Industry Council.
Because of her outstanding and exemplary dedication and service, Dr. Susie, as she is fondly called, has received several notable recognitions including the following: the Achievement Award in Teaching from the Crop Science Society of the Philippines in 1986, the Achievement Research Award in Agriculture from the National Research Council of the Philippines in 1999, the Outstanding Alumnus Award from the UPLB Alumni Association in 1995, and the Professional Award in Agriculture from the UP Alumni Association in 2005.
M. “Azucena L. Carpena” is a lasting tribute to Carpena’s legacy in genetics and plant breeding. Guided by its mandates, IPB continuously develops promising varieties that depict honor and excellence, igniting inspiration for farmers and other stakeholders.