c Hooperiana, must be a male

[SHEP]

I really, really want a male for my large female C Hooperiana.  Darold has given me five separate plants through the years.  I grow them up, and "It's a girl!" for every one, and I bought seeds, but nothing germinated, and I admit it got discouraged and tossed out after six months.  I have spent quite a few years, trying to make this happen, and I know they need to get bigger to get to this point.  I so envied, Jim in Los Altos specimen in his front yard, and so I will still continue this quest.  Let me know.  Thanks, going to SoCal  in a few months and then late season Summer in October, so that would be the easy button.  Hope someone responds.  Thanks, Cecile Oh, BTW I have a few female plants of the above for sale, it would be price less if you had a male, and we could do a trade. 

[Phoenikakias]

I have a boy, which blooms every year prolificly. I am however in a different continent. But I think I could gather and send to you some pollen, if anthesis of your plants overlaps. Mine blooms in early June up to mid of July.

[Phoenikakias]

Well my male specimen may actually reach anthesis much earlier this year.  Perhaps my offer should be reconsidered.

[SHEP]

I will jump at the chance.  Mine looks about the same maturity as yours.  How long is the pollen viable?  I have import license for seeds & plants from USA Dept of Agriculture, so I am pretty positive I can bring into the USA.  I have stored pollen in small, plastic film canisters, but kept it in the freezer.   How old is your plant?  I have another one from Darold, but I removed some tall, invasive ginger shading it, and now it gets too much sun and won't bloom, but it was female.  I have always aspired to the thought that if it is happy in its environment it will bloom.  I am so excited.  Thank you so much for responding.  Aren't we all crazy about our yards, and our palms?  Cecile

[Darold Petty]

Cecile, you might want to re-think using your USDA permit.   I had some very precious palm seeds confiscated and destroyed for two reasons having nothing to do with disease or healthfulness.

Using my APHIS 587 permit for seed import,  the inspectors found two problems, first my name was written on the outside of the package, adjacent to the green&yellow USDA mailing label, and second, there was no 'bill of sale' enclosed, even though the label stated that this was a gift. 

I have had success with several APHIS imports through other inspection facilities, so I don't know if this was an isolated incident, or if the inspectors in South San Francisco are the problem.

This sort of mindless confiscation might encourage other means of transport,... just sayin'.    

[Phoenikakias]

On 3/27/2022 at 11:02 AM, SHEP said:

I will jump at the chance.  Mine looks about the same maturity as yours.  How long is the pollen viable?  I have import license for seeds & plants from USA Dept of Agriculture, so I am pretty positive I can bring into the USA.  I have stored pollen in small, plastic film canisters, but kept it in the freezer.   How old is your plant?  I have another one from Darold, but I removed some tall, invasive ginger shading it, and now it gets too much sun and won't bloom, but it was female.  I have always aspired to the thought that if it is happy in its environment it will bloom.  I am so excited.  Thank you so much for responding.  Aren't we all crazy about our yards, and our palms?  Cecile

Don Hodel in his monumental book gives thorough advice about the collection and storage of pollen. I do not recall him writing anything about storage in the freezer (only use of a desiccant) but I will look in to the book again. I think only real concern is whether hooperiana belongs to the spp group producing sticky pollen, which is more difficult to be gathered. However I have the impression that also in this sp pollen is volatile. We keep in touch.

[SHEP]

Kostas, and Darold:  Thank you both for you quick responses.  I don't believe that pollen is considered a seed, and requires the import permit.  Now, perhaps it is live plant material (seems inert in my opinion), but I have a contact I can call.  Amazing what some of those guys know at the USDA back east.   When I was renewing my permit this year, I needed help and got the greatest guy (mostly just a technical, computer guy), so I am covered for everything seed related in my permit for all of Western Europe (my permit is about 50 pages long-mostly exclusions).   But, that doesn't hold up to what they are doing at the Inspection Station.  I got seeds from UK this year and it took about six weeks to clear, and a few were tossed. 

I have never heard about a Bill of Sale for importing seed products, wow that is a new one.  I would have been really pissed.  Cecile