Author Topic: Unusual Flower @ my Cherimoya - 5 or 6 Petals, Really! (Read 11840 times)

behlgarden · « **on:** June 25, 2012, 04:52:10 PM »

while trying to pollinate flowers, I came across this wierd flower on my Cherimoya that had 5 petals as suppose to 3 or 4. has anyone every seen this?

Jackfruitwhisperer69 · « **Reply #1 on:** June 25, 2012, 05:11:03 PM »

Hi Behlgarden,
WOW...never seen one like that before

The flower sure looks slick

Thanks for sharing

behlgarden · « **Reply #2 on:** June 25, 2012, 05:16:49 PM »

it reminded me of octopus! LOL

Jackfruitwhisperer69 · « **Reply #3 on:** June 25, 2012, 05:23:35 PM »

Quote from: behlgarden on June 25, 2012, 05:16:49 PM

it reminded me of octopus! LOL

sure does look like a little octopus

I checked the petal...Good luck with the hand pollination

Hope you get a huge load

fruitlovers · « **Reply #4 on:** June 26, 2012, 04:00:15 AM »

Never seen a cherimoya flower like that. My guess is that if you pollinate it you will get a siamese type fruit, with 2 fruits stuck together.

Mike T · « **Reply #5 on:** June 26, 2012, 04:12:06 AM »

I have seen 2 flowers on one stalk with annona before and it maked sense if it is 2 almost perfectly fused flowers.

behlgarden · « **Reply #6 on:** June 26, 2012, 09:14:23 AM »

I will post pictures of fruit if it sets. The flower did not appear to be fused at all it was so clean, but that might be it.

cuban007 · « **Reply #7 on:** June 26, 2012, 04:08:57 PM »

Behl that is a very unique Cherimoya flower. I will look at mine trees and see if they any flowers as yours.

behlgarden · « **Reply #8 on:** June 26, 2012, 04:10:32 PM »

I thank Daniel and Joe for pointing me to hand pollinate my tree. Although it puts fruits itself, hand pollination seemds to be working. I saw a cluster of 8 fruits, like mangoes! LOL

FlyingFoxFruits · « **Reply #9 on:** June 26, 2012, 06:20:29 PM »

seen weird flowers with 2 or 4, never 5 ...cool pic cherimoctopod!

cuban007 · « **Reply #10 on:** June 26, 2012, 08:28:55 PM »

Behl, keep records of your observations and track it. I am curious to see what the fruit will be like in shape and taste.

TropicalFruitHunters · « **Reply #11 on:** June 27, 2012, 07:16:51 AM »

Not to one up you but I had a male flower this morning with 6 petals. Did not spot it in the female stage. Maybe the pollen will be doubly potent?! Very odd looking flower. So maybe the 4 or more petals are more common but just rarely noticed.

behlgarden · « **Reply #12 on:** June 27, 2012, 09:02:46 AM »

Wow. Let's hope urs get self pollinated

TropicalFruitHunters · « **Reply #13 on:** June 27, 2012, 09:15:42 AM »

LOL! No chance! I pulled the pollen to hit up a few innocent females on the tree! Hope it packs a punch! This will be the first time the plant has produced this many flowers so I'm trying hard to keep up with the male/female ratio and storing pollen. The plant produced fruit from the seedling portion but not the El Bumpo or Pierce grafted limbs. Lost the Honey Hart graft for some reason and it was couple years old. Lost the entire branch. The seedling fruit was actually very good but hoping for the others this time around.

fyliu · « **Reply #14 on:** June 27, 2012, 12:55:01 PM »

ohiojay, did you know about the female stage pollen of cherimoya? I'm sure there are slides online somewhere. Basically you pick the flower in the female stage and scrape the pollen off and it lasts up to 72 hours. Male stage pollen only lasts 24 hours.

TropicalFruitHunters · « **Reply #15 on:** June 27, 2012, 01:49:25 PM »

there is no pollen in the female stage. Female is first stage and then turns into the male flower with pollen. Been doing this for years.

behlgarden · « **Reply #16 on:** June 27, 2012, 01:52:06 PM »

I have been using make pollen to pollinate famale flowers, next day I have been collecting pollen from female that opened a bit more and using it on other femanes. I am seeing massive fruits, in some cases, clusters of two or three

TropicalFruitHunters · « **Reply #17 on:** June 27, 2012, 02:03:48 PM »

Let me clarify...I don't believe there is any female pollen that can be used to pollinate other female flowers. Either male or female here... All articles I've read have only shown taking pollen from a male flower to be used on a female flower. If the flower was transitioning from female to male, I'm not sure the pollen granules could shed or be viable??

behlgarden · « **Reply #18 on:** June 27, 2012, 02:06:48 PM »

my understanding is that female stage turns into male stage when pollen is shed, petals wide opened. if female stage is pollinated, female stage still opens petals into next day and pollen is still shed but flower is pollinated, i.e. pregnant.

TropicalFruitHunters · « **Reply #19 on:** June 27, 2012, 02:35:10 PM »

flower sex doctors need to chime in here! You may be right...I always remove at least one petal from cherimoyas, all for sugar apples, after pollination. So I've never paid attention to these after the deed was done. So maybe I've been missing out on more pollen to collect?!

fyliu · « **Reply #20 on:** June 27, 2012, 04:07:29 PM »

Maybe it's information that just circulates within the CA cherimoya association. It does take some effort to get the pollen loose at the female stage so it's easier to just pick that flower. You can decide to sacrifice some flowers on outer or weaker branches, but that's what you have to do when all you have are female stage and you really want some fruit.

behlgarden · « **Reply #21 on:** June 27, 2012, 04:50:35 PM »

Well, pros need to answer this simple question then.

We get female stage
then it turns into male stage and we collect pollen
we use this pollen to pollinate other female stage flowers

Now, all the flowers that I have pollinated in female stage has opened up a day later and appeared as make stage and I have been able to extract pollen from previously pollinated flowers, and those flowers I believe have continued onto putting fruits as well.

So the question is, is this ok? Once you pollinate female stage flower, does the flower not advance to male stage? Is so why do I see pollen? Is that pollen colllected from pollinated female flower not viable?

Too much confusion.

behlgarden · « **Reply #22 on:** June 27, 2012, 05:00:00 PM »

also found this http://cherimoya.orconhosting.net.nz/pages/des_flower.html

It says that each flower will shed pollen, and if not pollinated in female stage the flower will not put fruit, it does not say that pollen that is shed post pollination and flower turning into male from female stage cannot be used. So, I think I am doing it right, pollinating flower in female stage, then collecting pollen from same flower for other females at the same time.

Boy, all females are in trouble in my yard, oh I meant cherimoya flower females. Watch out, here I come with a brush!

fruitlovers · « **Reply #23 on:** June 27, 2012, 06:31:18 PM »

Quote from: ohiojay on June 27, 2012, 07:16:51 AM

Not to one up you but I had a male flower this morning with 6 petals. Did not spot it in the female stage. Maybe the pollen will be doubly potent?! Very odd looking flower. So maybe the 4 or more petals are more common but just rarely noticed.

Double fruited siamese would make more sense with 6 petals, as 3x2=6. But i guess it depends on how and where the siamese is fused?

behlgarden · « **Reply #24 on:** June 27, 2012, 06:36:24 PM »

Oscar, so in my case I get one ok and one handicapped conjouned twin? 5 petals = 3 +2

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Author Topic: Unusual Flower @ my Cherimoya - 5 or 6 Petals, Really! (Read 11840 times)