Hello Karyn,

For the most part, I would say to keep going with your plan of "cross whatever is open". However, here are a few things I have learned over the years:

- Generally speaking, most species will only cross one way. This is not true for hybrids, however. Your P. loefgrenii pollinated by P. caerulea is likely selfed, (especially if it is loefgrenii Corupa), but you never know.
- P. loefgrenii is a stallion of a pollen parent, but not a very good mother. I would love to try it on P. miersii, but ours has yet to open.
- Check the registrar list to see what has been done before, and you will start to get a good feel for what will and will not work. But just because someone hasn't done it, doesn't mean I wouldn't try... that's even more of an incentive! It's a great place to start: http://www.passionflow.co.uk/downloads1.htm
- Pretty unlikely on the Decalobas. I have yet to hear of a Decaloba / Stipulata crossover.

Good luck, and let us know how things come out. I am excited to hear that you are working on hybridizing. It gets very addicting...

Eric

Thanks for the info. In all the years I've had caerulea I've never had a fruit that contains seeds regardless of what pollen I use. Is that common when it selfs? What about the fruit on my loefgrenii that I'd used the caerulea pollen on? Do you think that also selfed?

I get so few that open at the same time and am making a consiuos effort to remember to collect and store pollen so I have something to work with. BTW loefgrenii does produce an amazing amount of pollen.

I've been playing around for years but am terrible about keeping a record of what I use. It was mainly amethystina crosses and I lost almost everything a few years ago when we lost power for several days during a period of sub-freezing temps. I think I'd sent Crystal pics of many of them. They were pretty but nothing was really a stand out.

Besides asking you a million questions I use Passiflora UK for info. Myles even has one of my photos posted on his site : )

Hi Karyn,

Just the opposite of the way you are looking at it. The caerulea fruit IS likely to be a hybrid with loefgrenii pollen. It's the loefgrenii fruit that is likely selfed. When I say "selfed" here, I am referring to a triggering mechanism that happens in some plants that when introduced to foreign pollen will cause a fruit with seeds that have none of the pollen donor's genetics.

I wish we never had caerulea fruit. We have hundreds to pluck off weekly this time of year... miss just one and you have a bunch of new plants next year!

As for keeping track of what pollen you use, the easiest method I have found is 3/4" masking tape. You probably have some lying around your house somewhere. Just cut into thinner strips,or keep the normal size if you prefer. Write the parentage on a 4-5 inch piece and the date, and fold the tape to stick to itself around the peduncle, (flower stem). The ink will usually last as least long enough for the fruit to mature, and the tag will fall off with the fruit, so you can't lose track of what you have. For caerulea, you are looking at about 60-80 days.

Myles site is great, a wealth of information. You know he and I are both on almost daily on the Facebook Passiflora Online Group, right? Over 750 members now, and daily posts by people all over the world, some who just bought their first Passiflora. It is quite an exciting group. Come check it out...

Eric

Hi,

I thought you were saying that the caerulea had selfed and I am aware of what it is. I think I do have loefgrenii corupa because it's a lavender/purple color, not reddish. So far there's just the one fruit on the loefgrenii. I did try some miersii pollen on it and visa versa this am so we'll see what happens. I think I'm the only one that always gets all hollow fruit on my caerulea. Everyone else gets loads of fruit with seeds.

I use the green tape that's used for grafting to label my brugs but rarely label my passies. It's honestly just laziness.

I actually do belong to Myles facebook passiflora page but just look occasionally and don't post often. I think you posted a pic for me trying to get an ID.