double amaryllis

Rodger Whitlock totototo@telus.net
Sun, 20 Nov 2005 09:14:43 PST
On 20 Nov 05 at 17:36, Carol Jensen wrote:

> My cut flower has faded. I have been poking around for days
> trying to find pistil, etc., but it seems that the double
> amaryllis is lacking the seed-making apparatus. Is this
> possible?

Doubling of flowers often involves the conversion of the sexual 
organs into petaloid forms.

However, if you keep close watch, you *may* find some pollen, 
perhaps on the edge of a "petal", perhaps deeper down in the 
flower; the conversion is not always perfect.

Florence Bellis, the great primrose breeder, used pollen from 
double forms to carry out her work. I think there's an account 
of this in her book "Gardening and Beyond".


-- 
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate

on beautiful Vancouver Island


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