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  • From: Ron Maunder <pondeeza@enternet.co.nz>
  • To: pleurothallid-l@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [pleurothallid-l] Lepanthes and frozen pollen!
  • Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 04:42:21 +1300

Kathy in MN asks "How are you with Lepanthes (pollen)? - in Vol 5 Issue 18.

I never saw a Lepanthes flower big enough that the florists would buy
it Kathy (grin!)! There were some excellent huge close up prints of
them on a wall display at Glasgow or Vancouver WOC a few years back
though. Quite impressive looking, but it would take a hundred
generations of breeding to bring them up to Masd coccinea size!
Probably wouldn't cut anyway! I'll stick with my Sobralias. Their
flowers may not last long either or have such wonderful colours as
your Lepanthes, but at least they are easier to grow and admire!

Seriously Kathy, I don't grow Lepanthes. Its pollen would certainly
be microscopic to work with. I see someone has crossed a Lepanthes
with a Lepanthopsis to make a Lepanopsis, so it is possible to put
the pollen in the right place!

I have tried Restrepia pollen. I have several species. Cute flowers.
I found I had to almost stand on my head to self the flower. Getting
the pollen back up under than "hook" was diabolical. I've decided
that multiplying them by their leaves is far easier and quicker.
Only got a few protocorms from the pod anyway and they didn't survive
on agar. Much easier to keep alive than Lepanthes I'm sure - and
easier to see when in flower. No "life support units" required for
them here either.They're like cockroaches - quite hardy!


Thomas Enderer also writes and says he used frozen pollen to make a
cross which is growing fine. Can I just confirm Thomas, whether the
pollen was really frozen in the icebox or just held at 4°C in the
fridge and for how long it was held frozen till it was used in
pollination? Was it Masdevallia pollen?

I'd be interested in swapping pollen sometime Thomas. Easier than
seed. I'm not a purist any more so it would mostly be the larger cool
growing Coccineae section type hybrid pollen. Now is a good time to
get it as there is a "sea" of colour out here at present with us in
the Southern Hemisphere. We have shipped out around 500 blooms to NH
buyers in the last couple of weeks.

Some of the smaller species still blooming here are ignea,
yungasensis, datura and instar. All pretty cool loving customers.
Can send coccinea alba pollen for your strobelii to make white
"haired" yellow flowers or veitchiana 'Prince de Galles' to give some
xanthics. You'll have to wait for a few months for my strobelii to
flower.

Getting warmer by the day here, but still a few cool nights. Three
weeks till the longest day for us!

Good growing,

Ron








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