Re: HYB: Seed Development

Jeff Walters in northern Utah  (USDA Zone 4/5, Sunset Zone 2, AHS Zone
7) said:
<The pollen that is involved in cross pollination of iris flowers by
bees is ... pollen that is brushed on to the bee's back from the anther
[of one] flower ...and the bee becomes a passive carrier of pollen to
the next flower it visits, where ...the pollen on the bee's back is
deposited on the stigmatic lip..of  that flower. Given the size and
structure of bearded iris flowers, this means that it is essentially
only bumblebees that can act as effective pollinators. .... the pollen
gathered on the bee's back from the anther of one flower is mostly going
to be deposited on the stigmatic lip of the next
flower it visits, so the scenario of mixed pollen from a bee cross that
you
hypothesize it probably not typical.  >

Here, there are a lot of small winged insects of all sorts visiting iris
flowers, crawling around all over the anthers and stigmatic lips.
Wasps, various small bees (smaller than honeybees), and other flying
critters that I don't know.  So there should be a good chance of a 'bee'
pod being a self as well as the possibility of multiple fathers.  Also,
I have seen pods develop on stalks where I've been trying to make
crosses - seems like these are usually air pods, but I'm not sure about
that.

Also, seems like I remember that there is a very limited 'window' of
receptiveness of the stigmatic lip once any pollen has 'taken' & started
growing down to the ovary.  Maybe that varies among species and maybe my
memory is faulty - but if it's true, there would be less probability of
multiple fathers.

Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8


 

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