Calamus caryotoides Flowering. Will it's set seed?

[Stevetoad]

I have a Calamus caryotoides that quaman gave me a few years ago. I Kind of forgot about it and stumbles across it today and noticed it was flowering. So my question is are these self fertile? Or do I need a male and female for it to set seed? Thanks for any help.

[quaman58]

Steve! Nice job; I'm glad you got it, as I ignored my other one to death. Turns out that watering is important. Dug this up on Palmpedia..http://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Calamus_caryotoides Looks like they are self fertile. How tall is it?

[Stevetoad]

It's about 3 foot now. Seems to be really happy under shade cloth. It gets plenty of water too. It's got some nasty Falange now too. The flowers grow in the same manor as the Falange. Thanks for the great plant. I should post a pic of that little A.alex that you gave me too it went from a little 3 leafer to about 9foot now. Things a rocket!

[Phoenikakias]

Mine has been flowering since three years and it has never set fruits. I guess it must be dioecious.

[Pal Meir]

I found in the booklet Australian Palms Ferns Cycads and Pandanas by L. Cronin (1989/2000: p. 70) the following remarks: “Male and female flowers are born on separate plants on the outer or middle branchlets of the inflorescence. The males usually occur singly and the females in pairs.”

Here a photo taken in 1979 of Calamus caryotoides in its natural habitat:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/palmeir/9988198093/in/album-72157635989680165/

[Jeff Searle]

Just like people, you need two to tango!

[Phoenikakias]

I found in the booklet Australian Palms Ferns Cycads and Pandanas by L. Cronin (1989/2000: p. 70) the following remarks: “Male and female flowers are born on separate plants on the outer or middle branchlets of the inflorescence. The males usually occur singly and the females in pairs.”

Here a photo taken in 1979 of Calamus caryotoides in its natural habitat:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/palmeir/9988198093/in/album-72157635989680165/

Now that the matter of dioecism is settled, we should try to define the gender of Steve's palm. If I have the right concept of the above information, Steve's palm has to be female.

[Pal Meir]

I found in the booklet Australian Palms Ferns Cycads and Pandanas by L. Cronin (1989/2000: p. 70) the following remarks: “Male and female flowers are born on separate plants on the outer or middle branchlets of the inflorescence. The males usually occur singly and the females in pairs.”

Here a photo taken in 1979 of Calamus caryotoides in its natural habitat:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/palmeir/9988198093/in/album-72157635989680165/

Now that the matter of dioecism is settled, we should try to define the gender of Steve's palm. If I have the right concept of the above information, Steve's palm has to be female.

If yours is male you can produce together many C. caryotoides babies.

[Phoenikakias]

Not, that it has not crossed already my mind. It's just that flower maturity time here (yes I think mine is a male one) has to precede so that pollen is available and in the right place when female flowers reach maturity. The odds are not good, since both plants grow in different latitudes and in different continents.

[Phoenikakias]

Well here's mine flowering again, sorry about the bad quality of the picture- inflorescence was hanging quite high above ground.

[Alberto]

Not, that it has not crossed already my mind. It's just that flower maturity time here (yes I think mine is a male one) has to precede so that pollen is available and in the right place when female flowers reach maturity. The odds are not good, since both plants grow in different latitudes and in different continents.

Dry the pollen, put it in a bottle with some of that humidity absorbing stuff, deep freeze it and wait for the female to be ready....