How are some trees self fertile?

Aiki_Joker

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Is this a mutation due to years of propagation? Surely in the wild this would jot be advantageous for the gene pool? Self fertile plants appear to have a slightly different flower morphology that allows them to fertilise themselves. But that is all.

I noticed the longer stamens or shorter stigma allows the flower on this calomondin to pollinate itself automatically. Pollen from the anthers is automatically transferred to the lower stigma! Brilliant for guaranteed fruit!

I was looking at a lilly the other day and I noticed that some flowers that people keep in vases and want to last a long time seem to have the opposite.

This way, the flower has minimal chance of fertilising itself and lasts longer (when a flower is fertilised it will die off once the pollen has grown down the anther and fertilised the ovule).

Does anyone know for sure if this is a procdure that growers go through, or is it just serendipity?

lili flower.jpeg 20160913_164302.jpg
 

ColinFraser

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Many wild plants are self fertile - sometimes just as an accident/occasionally, but sometimes as a major reproductive strategy. The California wildflower genus Clarkia come to mind . . .
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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"Trees" used for bonsai fall into all of the many categories for pollination strategies. Every possibility exists. Some require out crossing to set seed, some are self fertile, but need a pollinator insect to move the pollen around. Some are self pollinating, in that if no insect brings pollen, the mechanics of the flower ensure that seed will form. Some are cleistogamous, where the flowers pollinate themselves before the flower actually opens. These will go from bud to seed or fruit without ever opening the flower. And there are other scenarios. Pollination Biology is complex and varied. All possibilities exist without the intervention of man. AND then there are the human selected oddities. So do you have a question about a specific tree you are growing?
 

Aiki_Joker

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Great explanation. Not particularly a question. I am just wondering on calamondin. And I saw the anthers growing on to the tip of the stamen and realised that this is the process by which they must do it.

To set the fruit does it require specific conditions?
 

Carol 83

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Great explanation. Not particularly a question. I am just wondering on calamondin. And I saw the anthers growing on to the tip of the stamen and realised that this is the process by which they must do it.

To set the fruit does it require specific conditions?
I have a calamondin and a lemon that bloom and set fruit the most in the winter, while indoors, then randomly during the summer, when out. I don't think they require anything special to do so. But the squirrels steal the lemons.
 

JoeR

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I have a calamondin and a lemon that bloom and set fruit the most in the winter, while indoors, then randomly during the summer, when out. I don't think they require anything special to do so. But the squirrels steal the lemons.
I would never have thought that squirrels would eat lemons, kinda funny


Also, what do you do with the calamondin fruit?
 

Carol 83

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I would never have thought that squirrels would eat lemons, kinda funny


Also, what do you do with the calamondin fruit?
The little bastards don't eat them, they just snip them off to be jerks. The oranges are small, but we eat them, just because they're there. Pretty tart.
 

JoeR

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The little bastards don't eat them, they just snip them off to be jerks. The oranges are small, but we eat them, just because they're there. Pretty tart.
I've only had two oranges off my tree, and they were horrible. So I was just curious what you did with them, maybe the next ones will taste better
 

Carol 83

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I've only had two oranges off my tree, and they were horrible. So I was just curious what you did with them, maybe the next ones will taste better
I think they're kind of a cross between an orange and persimmon, so they're kind of sour. Maybe that's why the squirrels leave them alone;)
 

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I have about 5 on this the calamondin when I brought it. They are really tart. Just need one or two in a smoothie. They are kind or like kumquats to taste, but I think they taste better.

Mine looks to have an iron deffiniency right now. New growth is yellowish with green veins :( going to add a fertiliser with chelated iron and try to make the gravel mix a bit more acidic just repotted and it is still recovering. Back in full sun now finally :0)
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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Try hitting your tree with 1/2 teaspoon per gallon Epsom salts - magnesium sulfate. Do it once every 3 months. In between use a ''regular fertilizer'' and once every 2 or 3 months use a fertilizer that supplements iron. Read the labels for dose rate. That should help with chlorosis.

Flowers of citrus - they have perfect flowers, with both pollen and pistils, and if visited by an insect are self compatible or self fertile or can outcross if the insect brings pollen from a different Citrus in bloom. However, they have a trick, if no insect visits, they can produce fruit - by apomictic seed formation, meaning the seed only has a ''mother'', and no father - essentially they clone themselves. That is why usually Citrus breeds relatively true from seed, because most of the seeds are 100% DNA from the fruiting (mother) parent, but because they also can cross pollinate, with almost any other member of the citrus family, you never know for sure if a seedling is identical to the parent until it is old enough to produce fruit and you can compare. So the same orange or lemon or kumquat fruit will have seed that can be of hybrid, outcross and apomictic origin all in the same fruit. A commercial breeder's nightmare because you never know what you will get.
 

Aiki_Joker

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Try hitting your tree with 1/2 teaspoon per gallon Epsom salts - magnesium sulfate. Do it once every 3 months. In between use a ''regular fertilizer'' and once every 2 or 3 months use a fertilizer that supplements iron. Read the labels for dose rate. That should help with chlorosis.

Flowers of citrus - they have perfect flowers, with both pollen and pistils, and if visited by an insect are self compatible or self fertile or can outcross if the insect brings pollen from a different Citrus in bloom. However, they have a trick, if no insect visits, they can produce fruit - by apomictic seed formation, meaning the seed only has a ''mother'', and no father - essentially they clone themselves. That is why usually Citrus breeds relatively true from seed, because most of the seeds are 100% DNA from the fruiting (mother) parent, but because they also can cross pollinate, with almost any other member of the citrus family, you never know for sure if a seedling is identical to the parent until it is old enough to produce fruit and you can compare. So the same orange or lemon or kumquat fruit will have seed that can be of hybrid, outcross and apomictic origin all in the same fruit. A commercial breeder's nightmare because you never know what you will get.
Can't get MgSO4 here :(
 
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