She IS a beauty! Thank you for sharing all these lovely blooms with us!

Doesn't anybody have an opinion on the ringed/striped scape? I thought it was rather oddly beautiful if it is indeed normal/healthy..??

In my opinion, it looks more like the plant is just getting plenty of sunlight, and the red streaking may simply reflect that... as it does on Jade plant leaf tips, as example.

I've had stalks before with the same red, and there didn't seem to be any issues... but I could be mistaken, too.

Perhaps someone with more experience can give another opinion?

Thank you for showing these, and for referring to my older Thread. I am sad to say, I eventually lost all my "Chico" to the Bulb Scale Mite. I have a box of seedlings from self pollination, but these grow slowly. My "Chico" lives FORTH - MAINLY through their crosspollination with H.papilio. I have 18 seedlings from "Chico" x H.papilio, and some of these are OUTSTANDING. Forgive me for showing this specimen, "Nr.7" this will be the only one I shall show HERE. Isn't that a proud example of Progeny from "Chico"?!
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Hans,

Your # 7 is truly outstanding! I have seen several others from your cross of Chico x papilio and they are lovely too. I have a few seedling of this cross (I lost several this summer)and I only have about 4 left and am hoping that they resemble yours in any way possible!
What is your opinion of the banding on my Chico scape and what in your opinion causes this?

Donna

Only NOW do I perceive what you mean. No Virus! This looks rather, like a day-night "Design". Please count these rings and estimate whether their number equals the days of forcing, from the time point when the entire Bud envelope had just emerged.

That you for your vote of No Virus! I haven't a clue how long it took for this scape to reach this size and bloom but I will take this explanation as as plausible reason and enjoy my unique stem on this gorgeous flower..thanks,

Donna

Here is my Chico with no roots at all with 5 seemingly viable seedpods! Hans-Werner was so correct when he said that Chico would set seeds with no roots!
All five of these pods are Chico x PapExStasy=(papilio x Exotic Star) Adding Chico to the mix should totally change the shape and produce something really different!

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Depending on how many I get I may be able to share a few of these...but I may be jumping the gun before they open, who knows what lurks inside...

Last year my President Johnson, with no roots, produced 4 or 5 large healthy seedpods too all of which I gave away. (I may have kept a few) President Johnson is still alive but I doubt there will be any flowers this year...

Donna

Expect around 25 seeds from the each of the 3 bigger seed pods on longer pedicels, and some lesser on the last two. pods. If you receive 80+ seeds then you are close to totally WIN in order to speak in amaryllogene categories. You can build the most promising stock from them.

All five seedpods are coming along very nicely.... ;-)

Looking good Donna!

Wow...five seed pods on a scape! What performance!

Congrats, Donna.

I have a Papillio coming but I don't know what to cross it with :( I'm having either doudbles or minis!

Xuan

Hi Xuan,

If you're unsure that you have something that will take on your papilio, you can always mix a few pollens and make a "cocktail" like I did. With a little bit of luck something will work, you can even add some of it's own pollen.

Of course you can save the papilio pollen for when you do have something that is compatible but, in the meantime maybe something will get through with your "cocktale" as it would be a shame to waste your papilio flowers..that's what I did the first time and as you know it did work for me. I wish you the best of luck..

If you do mix pollens just keep a good record of your mixture so a couple of years down the road you can back in the father... ;-)

Donna

Well, here are the seeds from the first pod of Chico x (papilio x Exotic Star). They are the smallest seeds I have done to date. I'm not so sure they are any good, I can see a tiny enbryo bump in the picture in a few of them but they feel almost flat to the touch. Some are brownish and there was loads of chaff. So, what do you all think? I've never set seeds on Chico before but I would have though they would have been larger or at the very least, plumper with the pap x Exotic Star in the cross. You don't suppose they are selfs after all this do you??..Donna

They've got the embryo bump... I'll bet they'll grow (at least some of them will). Float 'em and see what happens!

Chico is so very gorgeous! I bought 3 bulbs last year and didn't get a single scape. Hopefully this year they will reward me with at least one scape each.

I see beautiful flowers in your future! I am so excited for you. Try to float them and tell us what happens.

AJ

The seeds from my Chico last year were small too, but even some of the smallest sprouted. Give them a try!
mike

I'm soaking them now..I didn't even count them.They were so small I couldn't even pick them up with my fingers!! All 5 pods had the same strange looking seeds. Hopefully I'll get a handful that are viable, I am soaking the off colored seeds too. A few years ago I had some seeds of Apple Blossom x Lady Jane and they were strangely colored too and most of them did germinate! If these don't make it I have another Chico that has roots that is dormant currently so I can try this cross again if need be...Donna

Well I must have way over 100 seeds from the 4 pods. I did the unthinkable and soaked them all thinking that most of them wouldn't germinate. Wrong! But even though most of them did germinate they don't look good. Most of them are turning an angry red, the bulb and root, as you can see.
A few years ago Del suggested that I soak some of my PapExStasy sibling seeds (that were red also and only about 4 of them) in some captan laced water and I did. The four seeds did grow (I labeled them and kept them separated from the others) but they are much smaller and not as vigirous as the others. I would say by the size of them that they would take 4 yrs to bloom if at all.

So, I'm hoping I can salvage a few of these seeds that don't turn red..Oh well, you can't win them all...Donna

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One of the crosses I made last year also had these red roots. Although I got growth after transplanting, most died under the lights and I think I have a single seedling left.

Give them a chance. Do you have Captan?
K

Donna...thanks for the tip re Papillio pollen.

The germinating seeds look good to me. Hope they will come through and you will be rewarded with beautiful seedlings in no time.

Please keep us update.

Xuan