HYB: TB: OK, I see the parts

Before looking at the "picture that tells a thousand words,"  and
after reading several helpful emails,  I went out this morning
and mangled a new bloom trying to have a look at the important
bits  :-)  What I'd mistakenly thought was the female part, was
indeed the male; and I found the style crests, complete with
ruffles, and looked between the "slit" but did not see anything
moist or glistening -- but then again, it's been raining so 
EVERYTHING was wet.  I couldn't see anything special about this
area when I examined it.

I take it you  pollinize from the FRONT of the bloom (that is,
you don't reach DOWN through the falls, but between then?

I also examined an anther and it did not look fluffy in the
slightest.  I've hardly EVER seen them fluffy.  I'll have
to try to catch one in the act of fluffing.

I like hibiscus.  They are easy.  The stigma are five pads,
sticky, with a tube that runs from them down to the base of
the flower (I've not taken biology since grade nine and NO
botany, but shame on me for not knowing more).  The "anthers"
are little fuzzy projections off the side of this tube, below
the pads, and QUITE yellow.  When you pull a bunch off and
rub betwixt your fingers, you get yellow stuff all over your
fingers, which you can then rub onto the almost-always willing
sticky pads.  But remember:  hibiscus flowers only last a day,
and the "take" rate of seeds obtained is still very low because
of lots of factors including variations in temps, light and
water causing fertilization to fail, an empty pod, etc.

--Amy


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