My jumbo bulb split just prior to sending out 3 scapes; perhaps that is what is going on. The inner layers are swelling more than the outer layers can accommodate.

I hope you're right! The jumbo bulb you refer to was also mandonii? Here's a slightly closer pic of the bulb. I see something pushing up between the 3rd and 4th leaves on the left, but didn't know for sure if it was a leaf or a a flower. Should I start rehearsing my happy dance?

Rick in CT

No it wasn't, but....I think they all have these limitations. Since new leaves tend to come from the middle, this likely isn't a leaf. Do you see the notch?? I can see the same "thing" in your prior post. You should be able to feel if it's a little thicker than a leaf (and the shape looks more like a bud than a leaf) and the placement by the split is highly suggestive of pending happiness!

It actually didn't look like a leaf, but it was much flatter than the hybrid plants' buds, so I'm getting the dance routine dusted off! I checked my records, and this one was a small bulb from Telos just 2 years ago. This species really grows fast! My only species hippeastrum to flower to date was evansiae last month.

I have often heard that this is one of the few self-fertile hipp species. Has anyone found this to be true?

Thanks,

Rick in CT

It will fatten up when the bud starts to swell!

It's definitely a flower sheath, and it's starting to fill out a little. Are the seeds/seedpods on mandonii about the same as on other large-flowered hipps? I'm guessing the average selfed mandonii seed pod holds up to 35 seeds, or thereabouts?

Thanks,

Rick in CT

happy dance....as promised:

Yay!!!! Post more when it's fully open. Happy for you!

Dancing right along with you, gorgeous!!!☺☺☺

hehe....I don't know if Rick is gorgeous, but the bloom is! CONGRATS RICK!!

<blushing>

Thanks!

Actually, I'm just a cranky old yankee...lol.

I can pick on Donna as her shoulders are broad and she can take it and dish it out too!! I was trying to make a joke; guess it's a writing thing like "Let's eat Grandma!" vs " Let's eat, Grandma!".

No more moving pots for me...I hope. Apparently I tore cartilage in my knee while walking back and forth on the side yard, which is paved with bull rock. Argh. X-rays and a cortisone shot in my knee today!

I do actually have normal sized shoulders physically☺☺☺

Kristi you are too young to have knee problems. That's for the old folks like me.

Maida

Oh no...chrondroplasty (sp?) 5x between 2 knees...running and playing competitive tennis for 10+ years did my knees no favors!

Good luck with the cortisone shot, sometimes it works like a charm...

How's this? Yeah...I left one little anther hanging on, collected the rest. Anyone want some pollen?

--Rick in CT

Wow!!! It's beautiful!!!!! So glad I was right. Even a broken watch is correct twice a day.⌚️

Are you going to self it?? Seeds??

If you do and get some seeds remember a friend on the other side of the globe.

Arif

Hybrids are nice, but I'm definitely into selfing species. I hesitate to promise too many bc I have no idea how many seeds may come of the 2 flowers. (A lot, I hope!) Someone with experience mentioned 25 seeds/pod, which sounds a little low to me since the ovaries look larger than the average hybrid. We'll see!

I like the way these night pictures come out!

Rick in CT

beyond splendid. even my DW is impressed

Brigarif--did you receive my email 2 days ago?

Yes, it's a real hippeastrum mandonii! Congratulations Rick!

Yes, Thank you Rick.

Rick, that's why I usually photograph against black!

Here's one of mine. To date, all are stubbornly self-infertile.

Blanca--I saved pollen from mine, which is in a deep freeze. Let me know if you (or anyone) would like to swap pollen sometime.

I've been pollinating these repeatedly hoping something would stick. The ovaries have not yet fallen, so I'm hopeful!

Rick

Rick,

This is what I've done a few times, probably not recommended by many but for me it has worked. When faced with very high probability that your selfings might fail, why not put another's pollen, papilio, aulicum. or something else you might consider worthy on one or both flowers? At the very least you might get seeds and at the very worst, you might have to wait to see what they are, shouldn't be hard to determine once they bloom.

I did this on my last papilio flower about 5 years ago, mixed several pollens in desperation for seeds and it worked. A few years later when my first seedling bloomed it was determined by many on this forum that it was Exotic Star that had taken. In this particular case I had mixed 5 pollens!!)

I also just did it with my nelsonii, I just had the two flowers and had selfed both even though many on the forum said it was self sterile unless you possibly had a different clone. I put Exotic Star on one and papilio on the other (right over the nelsonii pollen) and they both took !!! I am growing healthy seedlings of both and as I say, if I can bring them to bloom it will be obvious as to whether they were selfed or not. Better than not getting any seeds from such a special plant in my estimation.

Just my way of doing things....☺☺☺Donna

Any luck with seeds? *sigh* I'd love to see a cross between this and a Bukasovii or a nelsonii.

From 2 pods, I got less than 20 seeds total, so, it is self-fertile, but would probably set more seeds if pollen were swapped with a different mandonii line. Germination rate has been ~50%. I do have other mandonii bulbs that should flower next summer, so we'll see what happens then.

Rick in CT

Cool. Sorry to hear about the low seed count. That and the low germination rate do seem to indicate they might have self pollinated. Another line definitely would be good, even when selfing is possible, it really isn't very healthy for the bulb.

It was definitely self-pollination, as there was no other plant in bloom at the time it flowered. I am guessing that one advantage of out-crossing, even within the species, would be related to 'hybrid vigor' and the depth of the gene pool, so to speak. I have just a few seeds left if anyone would like to swap species seed, or possibly a species offset.

Rick in CT

RRedBBeardATyahoo.com