Echinodorus Angustifolia flowers and seed?

[wijnands]

Hi all.

I'm growing Echinodorus Angustifolia emersed in a storage jar.
At least that's what it was sold as. See on this pic in the middle below the wood

DSC_7530 by j_wijnands, on Flickr

Since it's been in the jar it's growing steadily and flowering constantly with tiny delicate flowers. Is there any way to get it to seed as well? Do I need to polinate with a brush?

Echinodorus palaefolius var. latifoliu by j_wijnands, on Flickr

 

[Mick.Dk]

Yes, you probaply need the small brush, to pollinate, since I suppose there's not a lot of insects around in your jar *ss*.
There is a risk, though, that the plant will not self-pollinate (produce seed from pollen of the same actual plant) - so if possible use pollen from one plant, to pollinate another. This is no guarantee, either, since most Echinodorus are commercially produced by adventive plants (plants produced without pollination - like the runners on strawberries)......meaning all thousainds of them are genetically 100% "the same plant".
- But for the fun of it........give it a try !!!!
Next thing you will be cross-pollinating species/varieties to create new types !!! Judging by the amount of new Ech. presented, it seems everyone are, these days *ss*
Good luck

 

[BigTom]

My E. cordifolius produced a number of plantlets from it's flowers. I didn't pollinate them myself (must have been a few bugs about), but the paintbrush technique should do the trick. Not sure if there's variation in self-pollination viability between different Echinodorus species - plant sex has always confused the hell out of me.

 

[Mick.Dk]

The "plantlets" are the adventive plants, produced entirely by the "mother" - no pollination going on there. Echinodorus do this a lot on their flowering spikes. Those, and TC, are the ones used commercially, and both are copies of original plant. This basically gives no genetic variation.

 

[BigTom]

Aha. Thanks Mick, you learn something new every day.

 

[Mick.Dk]

Aha. Thanks Mick, you learn something new every day.

They say that's what life is fore............😀