Hi Joe, Ken, and all, In hybridizing Crinum, it seems that most crosses are infertile. When you get a primary cross (i.e., interspecific, between two pure species parents) you should test the pollen for fertility by a backcross on the more tolerant of the two parents. If bulbispermum is one of the parents, test the pollen on bulbispermum. One problem with putting exogenous pollen on C. moorei is the tendency of moorei to produce parthenogenic (i.e., asexual) seeds. If you pollinate moorei and get big seeds, they are almost certain to be parthenogenic. If there are also seeds in the moorei fruit that are no bigger than a garden pea, try growing them on; they might be true hybrids (from sexual fertilization). In any case, a pollination attempt that fails does not unequivocally prove that the pollen is infertile. Germinate some on a microscope slide and then examine under the 'scope. If some of the pollen grains produce tubes, it might be fertile on the right parent. WHITE QUEEN is a cross from C. macowanii. Macowanii pollen actually sets seeds on 'White Queen.' Not many germinated, but I have one or two small seedlings from ['White Queen' x macowanii] growing. Ken, When testing or breeding for hardiness, be sure to try accessions of C. macowanii from many different locations in southern Africa. It has a very wide range, and some forms of it are very likely to show considerably more cold tolerance than others. Jim Shields in central Indiana (USA) ************************************************* Jim Shields USDA Zone 5 Shields Gardens, Ltd. P.O. Box 92 WWW: http://www.shieldsgardens.com/ Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA Tel. ++1-317-867-3344 or toll-free 1-866-449-3344 in USA Member of INTERNATIONAL CLIVIA CO-OP