Pollination / seed production

[RL7836]

For the last bunch of years, I've cut off the flower stalks on my Cephalotus. This year I've decided to let them bloom and try to collect seed (so far 3 stalks have become apparent).

IIRC, Bob Z told me that his plants required no human intervention to produce seed. My question is: are the plants self-pollinating (since they are apparently self-fertile)? My reasoning for the question is that Bob Z. got viable seed but did he possibly have some insect help w/ the pollination? Will a manual intervention help the quantity of seed produced?

Comments / experiences on any aspect of Cephalotus seed production (success or failure) are welcome.

[ICPS-bob]

As you said, Ron, I simply let the plant in my greenhouse flower so that I could photograph them. I did nothing to pollinate the flowers. In a couple months when the flower stalk dried, I cut it to discard in the compost heap, but I noticed some seeds. So I thought I would see if they might germinate. It is possible that the flowers were insect pollinated. About all I have in my greenhouse are flies and spiders (my Dionaea have never been pollinated by my greenhouse insects). The more complete story is here:
users.humboldt.edu/rziemer/zphotos/Cephalotus.html

[cephalotusinfo]

I use a small fine haired watercolor brush to spread the pollen around - especially when I'm experimenting to see if cross pollinating Hummers and German Giant and/or other clones produce anything interesting.
I have also seen hover flies on the flowers - so I'm not sure if I need to pollinate!

I usually get a germination rate of around 50 - 70% on the seed I get - fresh sown in shallow trays in September onto a perlite/sand/peat mix, kept moist not wet without any heat over winter in a cold greenhouse, then kept very wet and warm 60F until germination.
In September I pot up the individual tiny plants into 3" pots.

This year seems to be a mass flowering of my plants, so I'm looking forward to a bumper crop.

Jonathan

[mabudon]

Very interesting, a friend of mine has his first Ceph flower popping up right now and we were wondering what the pollination protocols might be, if any..

It's also reassuring that germination rates on super-fresh seeds aren't too high, no-one I know up here (personally anyways) in Canada has ever had ANY success with seeds- even after they sprout, something always seems to get them, cuttings seem to work MUCH better

[picrophyll]

In the wild Cephs are visited by a large arrangement of flies, bees, wasps and beetles. It seems that in the glasshouse self pollination can take place although rather hit and miss. If you use the fine brush you should get better results.
Don't forget that the crown that carries the spike will die and normally a new rhizobial shoot appears from below the crown.

Cheers
Phill

[gardenofeden]

well, hoverflies at least visit mine, but they seem to set seed without any obvious pollination as well, so I assume they self-pollinate. I usually help them if I remember
hoverfly pollination