My first Zamia to cone!

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 6:11 pm

Zamia vazquezii, just noticed a cone emerging today

Steve

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 7:08 pm

Right-On!

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 10:40 pm

Thanks, between the winter temps & being container bound, wasn't sure I would ever see any!

Kansas · Post by **Kansas** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 3:36 pm

AHHHHHH STEVE. Dangit!!! I had 3 Vazquez cones last fall. Dangit we could of had baby Vazies.
I will tell you if I get another one and if I do, I will give it to you for some breeding.

oppalm · Post by **oppalm** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 7:08 pm

nice. I like the hanging baskets. the wife wants something similar and they were $80 at the garden center.

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 7:13 pm

The baskets came from Dollar General, end of the season sale at $3.00 ea, the smaller ones were $1.00

oppalm · Post by **oppalm** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 5:35 am

The Zamia may be very pleased about your $3 purchase price and has decided to cone to show its appreciation for your thrifty shopping efforts. Either that or you have provided perfect growing conditions.

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Sat Aug 01, 2009 7:56 am

Wes, Good work with yours! Let me know next time, would be great to have seed set

Kent, If you're looking, Lowes carries those planters too.

Either that or you have provided perfect growing conditions.

Not sure about that, I think the plant has just adapted to my bad habits

Things still moving along,

Steve

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Fri Sep 11, 2009 5:28 pm

Still moving along for a total of three, going to collect & store the pollen.

Steve

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 8:14 am

Steve

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 8:11 am

The largest cone is just starting to open up now,

Once it starts shedding pollen, I will be attempting to collect & store.

Here is a good article that covers that: http://cycadjungle.8m.com/cycadjungle/C ... ollen.html

Steve

virtualpalm · Post by **virtualpalm** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 9:18 am

Steve, if your plant is on a similar schedule to mine, it should be dropping pollen soon. Here is a photo of my male:

And here is my female right next to it:

This species often gets open-pollinated in my yard (you can see some volunteer seedlings behind the female cone). So far I haven't seen any beetles on any of the cones, so I may have to hand pollinate this year.

Jody

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 1:51 pm

Jody, Looks close enough to be the same schedule

Luck with yours and thanks for the photos, nice to see what a female cone looks like!

Steve

macario · Post by **macario** » Fri Nov 13, 2009 8:07 pm

Hello wow thats great. Ive loved looking at the pics. Im learning every days as I read on. Its just a coincidence that I went to water my dioon edule angustifolia I saw a cone starting to emerge. I wonder what sex it will be.

virtualpalm · Post by **virtualpalm** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 6:01 am

macario wrote:Hello wow thats great. Ive loved looking at the pics. Im learning every days as I read on. Its just a coincidence that I went to water my dioon edule angustifolia I saw a cone starting to emerge. I wonder what sex it will be.

Post a photo and we can probably help you out with the sex ID.

Jody

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 8:54 am

Mike, Congrats!

Steve

macario · Post by **macario** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 9:14 am

Thanks steve just luck i guess. Heres the pics it has about a 13" across caudex. I hope its clear its from my phone. The lower pic is where it lives in my yard 9 months out of the year. What sex do you think it might be?

<img src="http://inlinethumb53.webshots.com/46132 ... 500Q85.jpg" alt="dioon">

<img src="http://inlinethumb32.webshots.com/38687 ... 500Q85.jpg" alt="DSCI0030">

virtualpalm · Post by **virtualpalm** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 2:30 pm

From that photo, I am pretty sure it is a male. Here is a photo of my receptive female cone from a couple months ago:

Jody

macario · Post by **macario** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 2:47 pm

thanx alot. Should I let the cone form or should I remove it ? Will it help it save any energy by being removed?

Did yours get pollinated?

virtualpalm · Post by **virtualpalm** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 3:24 pm

If the plant was outside in a warm climate, I would say let the cone go to completion. However, if you have it indoors now it might not be a bad idea to remove the cone early.

I did pollinate my cone. Since I didn't have any D. angustifolium pollen at the time, and since I have long had an interest in learning more about cross-pollination in Dioon, I actually pollinated it with D. spinulosum pollen from my large male plant (below; you can actually see a couple leaves from the female D. angustifolium at the bottom right of the first photo). I don't really expect the seeds to be viable, but it will be interesting to see what happens either way.

I might add that I posted photos of this very pollination event under "wet pollination" in the Illustrated Glossary of Cycad Terms on the Cycad Society's website:

http://www.cycad.org/publications/illus ... ossary.htm

Jody

macario · Post by **macario** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 3:34 pm

I hope your pollinating works. Thanks for the info you very nice plants in your yard. I wish I could do the same

virtualpalm · Post by **virtualpalm** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 3:36 pm

Here are two more cones that I pollinated this year:

Encephalartos ferox (pollinated with E. whitelockii pollen):

Zamia inermis

Jody

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 6:37 pm

Thanks for the photos & info!

Mine started dropping pollen today,

A little closer look and you can see the pollen sacs.

Removed the cone & collecting the pollen as long as it sheds.

Here's a video that shows the complete cone progression: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgtAGhr4Giw

Steve

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sun Nov 15, 2009 11:32 am

Holy cow, this is getting exciting!

First of all, Mike, congrats on Dioon coning. Gorgeous plant. Would it take too much energy out of the plant to leave the cone intact, even indoors? 13 inches across? Wow. Looks very cool.

Steve, congrats on the video.
Thanks especially for the pollen close-up, have never seen that before.
Spectacular.

Jody, those specimens are beautiful. Is that a salamander or newt on the cone? great shot.
Do the beetles only show up around the time cycads are coning?

Is it correct to assume that ANY Dioon can/may crosspollinate with another Dioon?
Zamia and Zamia?

If true, all the more reason to keep plants in groups so as to not miss the opportunity.

I'm living vicariously through all you guys.
Barb

macario · Post by **macario** » Sun Nov 15, 2009 2:50 pm

I know barb its fun isnt it!! Watching everyone else do well with there plants. You know barb I may just leave the cone and using the method in one of the links keep it in the refridgerator. Maybe someone on this board will need it at some point.

steve ill do just as you did with my pollen.

virtualpalm · Post by **virtualpalm** » Sun Nov 15, 2009 6:07 pm

lucky1 wrote:Jody, those specimens are beautiful. Is that a salamander or newt on the cone? great shot.

Barb, that is a Caribbean anole (Anolis segrei) lizard, which is an introduced species here in south Florida. I have literally hundreds of them in my yard.

lucky1 wrote:Do the beetles only show up around the time cycads are coning?

Yes. But even so, I rare see them at all. I posted a couple photos of the Mexican pollinator (Rhopalotria mollis) on a male cone in my yard last year. Here is a repeat of the photos:

lucky1 wrote:Is it correct to assume that ANY Dioon can/may crosspollinate with another Dioon?
Zamia and Zamia?

Many hybrids have been created in Zamia and Encephalartos, but very little is known about the ability of Dioon species to cross-pollinate and produce viable offspring. I will report back here when the cone breaks apart and I can check the seeds for embros.

Jody

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sun Nov 15, 2009 8:21 pm

Jody,
I remember seeing that beetle/cone pic when you first posted it.
Stunning even the second time.

So the lizard isn't a second to the beetle for pollinating? Perhaps there's more than one species that can.

We'll watch your Dioon work with interest, Jody.

BTW Steve, I think we all agree that the close-up of the pollen sacs is top-notch photography.

Barb

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Sun Nov 15, 2009 11:24 pm

Thanks Barb, was just good luck with that photo.
(The camera used is an old Ricoh 3.2 mp that cost me all of $20 from eBay

Mike, It's great to see yours coning, gives me hope that mine will someday!
This is the first opportunity I've had to collect & store pollen, just following the procedures in the article.

(Here's the link again for anyone who might have missed it: http://cycadjungle.8m.com/cycadjungle/C ... ollen.html )

Here's today's pollen harvest,

I had to improvise on the desiccant, been saving those little packets that come with most everything these days. Cut them open, then cooked in the oven for a couple hours to dry them out

From here, a couple days in the refrigerator while the moisture level drops , then into the freezer for long term storage.

Steve

oppalm · Post by **oppalm** » Mon Nov 16, 2009 6:20 am

Excellent pics here ..... and great information ..... and way over my head.

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 1:52 pm

Here is a short video I made that shows the collection & storage process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oemOJNTAcEI

Steve

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Dec 29, 2009 1:17 pm

Bravo!

Outstanding video.
Beautiful close-ups of a mysterious (to me) process.

Barb

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 8:12 pm

The start of this year's cones,

Steve

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Fri Nov 19, 2010 2:32 pm

Collecting more this season,

Cone is ready,

.
.

Pollen sacs visible between the scales,

.
.

Pollen still mostly contained (just shook out of the cone)

.
.

Stored in a paper envelope with a desiccant for a few days in the refrigerator,( to drop moisture levels), then into the freezer for long term storage

Thanks to Tom Broome for the indicating desiccant!

Steve

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Fri Nov 19, 2010 6:26 pm

Has that Zamia ever gotten huge.
You had the right trick by putting it up so high in the GH.
And the sun didn't fry it (I thought they hated direct sun).

I love those pollen pics. very nicely done.

I should have sent you this guy in September:
<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4112/499 ... 44138e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="DSC03903" />
Had never seen one in my life!
Probably blew here on a storm.

Barb

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Sat Nov 20, 2010 8:49 am

Barb,

The Zamia is somewhat shaded, most of the light reaching it is through tinted polycarbonate panels.
(I've plenty of pollen now, need to find a female Z. vasquezii

Any idea what that bug is?

Steve

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Nov 20, 2010 10:45 am

Steve,
Tinted panels were a good idea since you knew you could only go UP in your GH

The bug is definitely a weevil, from the distinctive "snout" that only weevils possess.

I've lived here for 33 years and have never seen one until now.

My research showed this "coloring" confirms it to be a Spruce Weevil, which is bad news for the balance of our forest industry in this area.
By bad news I mean that the Mountain Pine Beetle has virtually decimated marketable pine stands, leaving Fir and Spruce trees mostly untouched.
And now this guy comes along, presumably with an appetite for Spruce.

So I did my civic duty and sent him to bug heaven

Barb

PS--meant to tell you my Z.vasquezii isn't a likely candidate, even if it's a female.
Hasn't grown in ~2 years, looks sick and pale, so if your male is looking for a female, my specimen will be the ugly wallflower at the dance.

PalmsNorth.com

My first Zamia to cone!

My first Zamia to cone!

10-1-2009

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