If you grow South African plants, a question for you

Michael Mace michaelcmace@gmail.com
Thu, 04 Sep 2014 10:12:29 PDT
Hi, gang.

 

I've been talking with a South African postdoc botanist who's interested in
documenting the pollination and seed-setting behavior of South African
plants, including bulbs. There are some theories about the habitats in which
plants will and won't self-pollinate, and he's looking to test them. He's
also interested in hybridization  between species. 

 

I told him what I've observed, and he asked me if I knew of anyone else who
might have info. I thought of y'all, of course. if anyone else has info to
share with him, I'd be glad to connect you with him.

 

Specific questions he's asking:

 

--1. Does a particular species self-pollinate on its own? (In other words,
if you isolate it from insects and don't touch the flowers, will it set
seeds on its own, without any intervention?).

 

--2. If the answer to 1 is no, does that species set seeds if it's
pollinated by hand with its own pollen?

 

--3. Does that species set seed if it's pollinated with pollen from a
genetically different individual of the same species?

 

--4. How sure are you of the results above? Are your plants protected from
wild pollinators? How did you protect them?

 

--5. Have you tried making hybrid crosses between species you grow? If so,
which species will hybridize, and which ones won't?

 

--Bonus question: If you're not in South Africa but grow South African
plants, are some of the species you grow attractive to local pollinators? If
so, which species are visited by which pollinators?

 

If you have thoughts on any of this, let me know and I'll put you in touch
with him. He has a little form you can fill out.

 

Thanks,

 

Mike




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