All 43 F1 plants of this hybrid show a peculiar withering. After satisfactory growth the tips of branches become pale, droop, the withering continuing toward the base until the entire branch dies. New shoots are produced, however, before the branches are completely dead. Ordinarily plants do not die under greenhouse conditions, but under field conditions, cuttings taken from greenhouse cultures grow to some extent and then die.
The backcross of this hybrid to L. esculentum as a female parent segregates 1 withered: 1 normal, and in the F2 the ratio is 9 withered: 7 normal, suggesting complementary gene action of dominant genes derived from each species, providing an efficient isolation barrier.