Floral breeder named Fulbright scholar

From Cornell Chronicle:

His cut flower cultivar creations have brightened many homes and gardens, and now a prestigious grant will allow horticulture professor Mark Bridgen to spend a semester studying Alstroemeria flowers in their native habitat.

Bridgen, director of Cornell’s Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center, has been named a 2013 Fulbright Scholar.

He will take a sabbatical leave starting in September, to work at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC) in Santiago, Chile, where he will teach two classes and conduct research on breeding native Chilean plants and plant tissue culture.

Bridgen has been studying the plants of Chile since 1985 and has traveled there approximately 20 times, including two trips to Easter Island with students.

Much of his breeding work at Cornell has involved Alstroemeria flowers, including the development of two new varieties: “Mauve Majesty” and “Tangerine Tango.” His cultivar “Sweet Laura” is the only fragrant, commercial variety in the world.

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