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Abstract
Breeding for pollinators and consumers fosters public interest in pollinator conservation. Pycnanthemum is a pollinator-plant with market potential. The first study discussed in this work compared pollinator attractiveness between three Pycnanthemum species. Pycnanthemum virginianum attracted the most pollinators overall, while most pollinator categories preferred P. flexuosum. A second study explored the effect of paclobutrazol treatments. Pycnanthemum virginianum treated with 4 – 8 mg a.i./pot were shorter than the control. Pycnanthemum flexuosum treated with 6 mg a.i./pot were more compact, though flowering decreased. The final study determined the genome size of 14 Pycnanthemum species ranged from 2.89 pg (P. californicum) to 7.22 pg (P. torreyi). The study also found that ploidy and chromosome number could predict the genome size of Pycnanthemum species. Additional studies comparing propagation, phenotypes, mutagen dosages, and crosses provide beneficial information. Introducing a pollinator-plant that consumers covet encourages the supplementation of pollinator habitat and resources in urban landscapes.