How to pollinate double Hepatica?

[yijiawang]

Hello, my Japenses Hepatica is bloom now, I want to pollination for it but I can not find any pistil in these flower, they all become to petals?

[Gunilla]

What a lovely flower.  There are no pistil or anthers in full double hepaticas so the only way to propagate them is by division.  That is also why they often are very expensive 

[yijiawang]

Thank you for your reply, I bought some Japanese Hepatica double flower last year, and I will post them when bloom

[Rodger Whitlock]

Hello, my Japenses Hepatica is bloom now, I want to pollination for it but I can not find any pistil in these flower, they all become to petals?

In her book "Gardening and Beyond", Florence Bellis, the originator of the Barnhaven strains of primula, described how she bred double primroses. She found that some double blossoms would have a few grains of pollen and these could be used to pollinate mother plants. IIRC (if I recall correctly), she had to search each blossom with a magnifier, so scarce was the pollen.

Presumably, even in a full double, there is sometimes a little functional staminoidal tissue remaining here and there.

I think you have to use pollen from the doubles to fertilize single mothers as doubles rarely have any trace of a pistil.

[Hjalmar]

There was a short note by Severin Schlyter (legendary Swedish Hepatica grower who passed away in 2006), where he discusses this specifically fo hepatica. It is in the journal Trädgårdsamatören 1 (2007), in Swedish language. He found in the wild a semiplenous blue Hepatica nobilis that he wanted to cross with a red flowered form. The stamens were replaced by what he calls "strange outgrowths", and there was no visible pollen. He removed these outgrowths and dried them. In the microscope he could then find a few very small grains of pollens. These turned out to be fertile, and after a few generations he had produced several amazing forms. He claims it is necessary to let the flower dry before you remove the stamens, since there will be no pollen at all on a fresh flower.

[Paul T]

I have no idea with Hepatica or not, but for many other double plants the year after division they can produce single or semi-double flowers that contain pollen (or styles for accepting pollen).  I think it is a reaction to stress so they try to increase the chances of reproduction.  I do not know whether this applies with Hepaticas or not, as I do not have any doubles.

[gote]

This is a really unnecessary post I say nothing new    but I agree. It happens that way. You sometimes find pollen on double snowdrops. Semidoubles somtimes get double progeny. These are the reasons why there are so many different double japanese Hepaticas. It is sheer preservance by the growers so GOOD LUCK
Göte

[Joakim B]

Have anyone actually seen a hepatica nobilis of European origein go from double to singel (due to what ever reason) and then back to double? Especially interesting if it during it single stage was fertile.

I have understood that this happens for some nobilis of Japanese origin and this helps in the breeding program. Maybe this is a treat that has been bread in from an unusual double so that it is not a "normal" feature for doubles of nobilis?
It would be interesting to hear what people have seen.
Kind regards
Joakim

[gote]

Yes Joakim,
The Stockholm double blue once did that for me. It did ot revert to "normal" but there was a kind of sepal-anthers in a ring. I did not check but I believe there was pollen on it.
Göte

[Joakim B]

Göte thanks for the information.
Was is due to anythnig You can think of like moving or anything like that?
I bet the children of that form would have been interesting.
I hope anyone seeing something similar things on their doubles tries to pollinate it and see if there will be some offspring.
Kind regards
Joakim

[gote]

You are right Joakim,
I should have mentioned it it was after moving and dividing.
Göte

[Joakim B]

Göte if You ever move and divide it again (or do something else) so that this happen, test if it set seeds. It would be very interesting to see what You get as offspring.
Kind regards
Joakim

[gote]

Johan
Art is long and life is short. I would have done if I had had the energy and time - and the same is true for the future 
Göte