Podophyllum

[Maggi Young]

Oh I think we will stick to rhubarb!

 Yes, well..... quite!  Funny old world, isn't it? 

[johnw]

Enough for a pie.
johnw

in any quantity the fruit is as toxic as the root and other parts of the plant! [/font] [/color]
[/quote]

Oh I think we will stick to rhubarb!
[/quote]

Excellent idea.

johnw

[Paul T]

Congratulations Tony.  In the event you ever have too many seeds formed, keep some of us elsewhere in mind!    I'm sure that someone here in Aus is growing them...I've just never seen them.

Actually, it really is fascinating to see the fruits.  So often we just see the leaves and flowers or things but never the fruits themselves.  Really interesting to see them. Thanks.

[johnw]

I had a timely email from Tony Willis today. He mentioned that his Podophyllum delavayi pods had ripened and that he had collected the seeds.  He also said the pods simply dropped off.  As I use bread tags to mark my crosses I was a bit concerned that should the pods drop off I would not be able to tell one cross from the next.  So this prompted me to go out and have a look at my pods, they were not ripe.  I got the brilliant idea of using the labels off bananas and grapes to stick on the pods. While I was sticking them one undeveloped small pod (sitting on the white piece of paper) dropped off.  I almost ignored it but opened it up to find 2 perfectly good seeds - a cross between my best delavayi x another delavayi.  Now the seed may not be viable but they certainly look good and I have Tony to thank for coming to the rescue.

Of note, even completely undeveloped crosses still retain the ovary and the pedicel.  The pleianthum on the other hand has dropped ovary et al where crossings failed.

johnw

[johnw]

Yet another presumed aborted pod from the delavayi plant above. Even tinier than the one the pod above but containing what appears to be one good seed.

johnw

[Tony Willis]

John I did not think to photograph my ripe delavayi pods which where large and deep purple.

I have numbered the plants 1,2 and 3. From no1 there have been two pods and each has contained 40-50 seeds that look good There is a further pod on that one.
Number 3 had one pod that had a dozen seeds. No 2 has two pods that are looking good but not yet ripe.

I have sown the seeds the same day as they have come of the plant.

I will put up pictures as they ripen

[johnw]

Tony - Funny this last little pod was green when it dropped and the other small pod turned purple.  The large normal pods on my delavayi show no signs of dropping. And the same for pleianthum which has 9 very large pods.

johnw

[johnw]

The pods on Podophyllum delavayi are getting close to ripening. There has been a marked change in their coloration over the last few days, compare this shot with Post #93 on the 11th of September.  Probably pickable now but they don't want to break off at the moment.

The Podophyllum pleianthum pods are still green and firm.


johnw

[Tony Willis]

John

have you stuck the seedless label on because you are a pessimist or a realist?

[johnw]

John

have you stuck the seedless label on because you are a pessimist or a realist?

Tony - See post #93.

If I were an optimist I would have used watermelon labels but the local crop was poor this year.  
Of course there will be pecks of seed, perhaps none will be hybrdis! That's okay too as the one in the pic is a very good delavayi.

johnw

[Robin Callens]

Hi all,

Podophyllum delavayi fruits are usually purple-red but some forms produce green-yellow fruits.
P. aurantiocaule always produces red fruits.

[johnw]

Hi all,

Podophyllum delavayi fruits are usually purple-red but some forms produce green-yellow fruits.
P. aurantiocaule always produces red fruits.

Robin - I just picked the above delavayi fruits shown in post #97 this weekend. They were very firey red, much brighter than shown above. And the slimiest seeds I have ever cleaned, worse than slug slime.

There were small seeds and very large ones in the same fruit.  I don't know what the significance of that is, perhaps failed crosses?

You're aurantiocaule fruits are spectacular.

johnw

[Paul T]

Robin,

Fantastic pic of the fruit.  Not only do you guys all show species I've never seen before, but now you show that the seedpods are as brilliant as the rest of the plants!! 

John,

Congratulations on the seedpods coming to fruition!!    Good luck with your hybrids.  I hope you're successful in producing some wonders.  How many seeds did you end up with from those 3 fruit in #97?

[johnw]

Philip MacDougall has been harvesting as well.  I hope these delavayis are not tonight's supper.

johnw

[Paul T]

Cool.