Re: Pollinating Cephalotus...

Gary (garko@sfsu.edu)
Tue, 6 Aug 1996 10:52:57 -0700 (PDT)

Thanks for all the input so far. One thing I've noticed is that the
pistils on the flowers seem to be fused when the anthers release their
pollen. After adhering pollen to the stigma, which seems to be quite
receptive during this fused stage, the pistil seems to split into six
branches, each branch bending backward toward the calyx. In this stage,
the stigma seem unreceptive to being pollinated. In one of my flowers,
the base of one of these has swollen and has pushed out beyond the closed
calyx. I suspect I have a seed. I would like to know if any of you have
made the same observations when you've pollinated yours. BTW, is anyone
knowledgeable about the natural pollinators of Cephalotus, and the
conditions under which these plants are pollinated in the wild?