tricho fertility

[strangebrew]

Would it be possible for a Trichocereus to be self-fertile at all? A hybrid maybe?

[Rev]

Would it be possible for a Trichocereus to be self-fertile at all? A hybrid maybe?

the plant needs to manufacture incompatibility sensors and compunds that make the pollen unable to pollinat the flower

if these were defective then i presume the plant would be self fertile

it could happen if the genes for the incompatibility system were defective

Outcrossing confers major advantages to the population genetics though and seems to be a highly conserved trait amongst columnar cacti

[strangebrew]

Is this the first known self-fertile Trichocereus? I'm 90% sure it is.

If anyone wants to try and grow this unknown, non-bitter species PM.

[Rev]

how can you be sure it wasnt pollinated by moths from a nearby plant

look high and low. Thsi looks like its related to T spachianus.

i have found they accept just about any echinopsis pollen so might even be looking for small globular cacti as the pollen donor

besides, at least at the stage the photo is at you arent assured of a strike yet

ive had them hang on for a while then drop off up to a week and a half later

inside the ovule was unfertilised

[zee_werp]

So there were absolutely no other cacti (of any genus) flowering anywhere near it at the same time? Just asking cause it looks to be in a cactus garden.

[faslimy]

I really think it was a fluke pollination from another 'cultivated' plant - i'm guessing an insect could travel miles to do this

[Rev]

yeah but 4 flowers pollinated?

i reckon that means if its not self fertle that the father is close by

[strangebrew]

Every flower this plant produced ended up setting seed and they didn't all flower at the same time. It's a bit of a mystery.