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The Corroboree
Elrik

Do Lophophoras actually self pollinate?

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When Lophs set seed without input from an outside pollen source is it actually using its own pollen and producing a recombination of its own genetics or are the female cells being induced into apomixes to produce clones in the form of seed? [This phenomena is common in cacti]

I've always heard it referred to as selfing but I cant find any evidence to back that up in genus Lophophora. On the other hand I received a single fruit and got two plants from it, if I cross them I still only get 1-3 seeds per fruit and one of their offspring is now adult and backcrossing it to either parent only produces 1-3 seeds per fruit as if it were simply setting seed without pollen input.

Are all my specimens from that bloodline apomictic clones?

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Not all Lophophora are able to self-pollinate. Take this little one here for example...hs.thumb.jpg.f143a9a24d80e8238a65cbbb5b322ca5.jpg It and others in its geographic location are known not to self-pollinate. If one concludes that self-fertilization results in decreased fertility and lowered seed set as is often the case from the sources I have read on and that the result of outcrossing is often an increased seed set... perhaps it is simply the fact that you are rolling the dice with the same sets of chromosomes and albeit they may be more mixed up... the sets themselves have not changed as much as rolling the dice with an unrelated individual.

 

For what its worth, crossing a Brugmansia aurea or such back to its mother repeatedly also lowers the fertility rate and eventually results in a Brugmansia that rarely if ever sets seeds to its parent if this is done for approximately 3-4 generations. 

 

Big Bend5b7afc08cbb52_Lophophorawilliamsii.BigBend_TEX_01.X1500.thumb.jpg.fd88ddda53d23e8cff02e82cae659e63.jpgHuizache5b7afc0f19d2e_Lophophorawilliamsii.Huizache_SLP_01.X1500.thumb.jpg.d0098c1421da7f9e0a34143bc858ed2a.jpg La Paloma 5b7afc14a0a5a_Lophophorawilliamsii.LaPaloma_COA_01.X1500.thumb.jpg.f8bcc107b0a2740066b5197829bed55c.jpg pollens all vary greatly from one another, yet they are all the same species. Then you get into some of the hybrids5b7afccf83eee_Lophophorajourdaniana.-.-_01.X1500.thumb.jpg.12ecb2edde21550a43f315ec96471e6a.jpg and the pollen changes again.

hs.thumb.jpg.f143a9a24d80e8238a65cbbb5b322ca5.jpg

5b7afc08cbb52_Lophophorawilliamsii.BigBend_TEX_01.X1500.thumb.jpg.fd88ddda53d23e8cff02e82cae659e63.jpg

5b7afc0f19d2e_Lophophorawilliamsii.Huizache_SLP_01.X1500.thumb.jpg.d0098c1421da7f9e0a34143bc858ed2a.jpg

5b7afc14a0a5a_Lophophorawilliamsii.LaPaloma_COA_01.X1500.thumb.jpg.f8bcc107b0a2740066b5197829bed55c.jpg

5b7afccf83eee_Lophophorajourdaniana.-.-_01.X1500.thumb.jpg.12ecb2edde21550a43f315ec96471e6a.jpg

hs.thumb.jpg.f143a9a24d80e8238a65cbbb5b322ca5.jpg

5b7afc08cbb52_Lophophorawilliamsii.BigBend_TEX_01.X1500.thumb.jpg.fd88ddda53d23e8cff02e82cae659e63.jpg

5b7afc0f19d2e_Lophophorawilliamsii.Huizache_SLP_01.X1500.thumb.jpg.d0098c1421da7f9e0a34143bc858ed2a.jpg

5b7afc14a0a5a_Lophophorawilliamsii.LaPaloma_COA_01.X1500.thumb.jpg.f8bcc107b0a2740066b5197829bed55c.jpg

5b7afccf83eee_Lophophorajourdaniana.-.-_01.X1500.thumb.jpg.12ecb2edde21550a43f315ec96471e6a.jpg

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I've had 3 fruits from 2 L williamsii plants in the last 6 weeks but saw no flowers

Torsten said give the wool a trim and upon doing so I only found 1 spent flower. Did the other 2 just pollinate itself that quick?

Cool regardless

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Those fruits most likely came from flowers that opened late last season. Every spring I get tons of fruits from that, before any flower opens.

Edited by MeanGreen
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49 minutes ago, MeanGreen said:

Those fruits most likely came from flowers that opened late last season. Every spring I get tons of fruits from that, before any flower opens.

 

Surely not? It's been well over 6 months?

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If they've been overwintered properly, kept dry and hibernated then most definitely. The plant doesn't have the energy to push the fruit once it's going dormant so it just waits until it gets water sun and warmth.

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20181009_201142.thumb.jpg.30fb3ff6f95fab4e17cffb9b9d621309.jpg

@MeanGreen just took this about half hour ago (wasn't there this afternoon)

 

Peekaboo!

20181009_201142.thumb.jpg.30fb3ff6f95fab4e17cffb9b9d621309.jpg

20181009_201142.thumb.jpg.30fb3ff6f95fab4e17cffb9b9d621309.jpg

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Nice! First flower of the season?

Nothing to do with the previous fruits though, you'll get a fruit from this one in a month or so.

I swear if you were to attach a label to end of the season flowers you'd see the fruits you get in spring come from them.

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First LW flower of the season. My Jourd flowered today too!

Didn't realize how good LW are as a seed factory :)

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