Chamaedorea elatior setting seeds

[nachocarl]

My C elatior appears to be setting seeds....I wonder who the dad is?

 

Possible sires:

tepejilote

seifrizii

benziei

ernesti_augustii

metallica

radicalis

[Mandrew968]

Lucky you! Mine's a male and 25 feet and 10 heads.

[Pal Meir]

As Ch elatior belongs to the sub-genus Chamaedorea and none of your other Chamaedoreas belongs to that too, I fear that the seeds could be hollow (???) …

[Pal Meir]

PS: This was once the case with a fruiting Ch elegans (sub-g: Collinia) of mine which got pollinated from Ch metallica (sub-g: Eleutheropetalum).

[gyuseppe]

chamaedorea species often produce false seeds, small seeds  are infertile

[XYZ]

I agree that they're probably parthenocarpic. As Gyuseppe notes, this is quite common in chamaedoreas, particularly where flowering females are in proximity to flowering males from other subgenera and in immature female palms. I suspect a bit of strange pollen prompts a short-lived fruiting response that terminates in very small, "ripe" black fruit that is hollow (i.e. stimulative parthenocarpy). Pal provides a good example. One of the only hybridization attempts that I have made on a repetitive basis (castillo-montii x tuerckheimii) invariably concluded with an infructescence packed with tiny black hollow fruit. While they are in the same section and probably hybridize in the wild once in a blue moon at at least one location, could never get the cross to take.

I have encountered this condition in several spp of wild chamaedoreas as well, but seems to occur far, far less than in cultivation.

You should know if they're duds in a month or two.

J

[nachocarl]

I saw my hooperiana do this, looking like it was setting seeds and the tossed them.  I'm less then a mile from Jeff Brusseas yard, I wonder if he has anything in the sub genus flowering and if any bees made it back and forth?  I will keep an eye on the seeds as this is the first time it has ever set any.

[Josh-O]

3 hours ago, nachocarl said:

I saw my hooperiana do this, looking like it was setting seeds and the tossed them.  I'm less then a mile from Jeff Brusseas yard, I wonder if he has anything in the sub genus flowering and if any bees made it back and forth?  I will keep an eye on the seeds as this is the first time it has ever set any.

Not likely Carl.

I agree with Gyuseppe that seed/fruit is parthenocarpy (literally meaning virgin fruit) unfortunately. I have a big one that sets false seed as well at my Carlsbad garden.

[nachocarl]

Still holding on to them and there is a small round object inside that looks like a small kernel of corn.  Too small?

[Mandrew968]

Those are looking good!

[XYZ]

They still look mostly like duds to me, but perhaps there is a viable seed somewhere in there.

J

[gyuseppe]

I hate to say this, but I am sure that seeds are not good

[Josh-O]

On 3/1/2017, 3:15:38, nachocarl said:

Still holding on to them and there is a small round object inside that looks like a small kernel of corn.  Too small?

pinch them. I bet they will all pop.

 

where have you been Carl. There is no more beer left at Mother earth BC

[nachocarl]

Thanks everyone for the feed back, they do have a hard kernel inside and something that looks green and "gooey" around it.  There is a a slight tingle of oxalates when I pinch them open.  I will cut one of the kernels and see if there is anything inside.  

 

Josh, I have been traveling a bit for work and and now Little League started which is cutting into my microbrew time.  If Mother is out of beer then Belching Beaver will have to suffice!