Bill, it is a common thing, but I am not sure why. Maybe lack of energy or maturity; or, it could have something to do with the Meyer being a hybrid.

You may have hit on something, Bill. The only time I have observed this problem is in my rooftop (container) trees. I never thought to check my field trees to see is they exhibit the same thing.

Hello Bill, very good question..I found the only time I get a tree to do that is when it gets cold and then warm during bud development....

Mike - for some reason, the buds started to form very late this year. It was only a few weeks ago that I noticed the smallest ones, and the weather had already started to be chilly and night, with some very warm and then cool days, so you may be right.

John - I'd be interested to read about what you find in your field trees, since there are none in my area of course.

In some varieties, part of the flowers have abortive pistils whose development has been prevented, or interrupted at various stages of growth. It is thought that this is due of competition from other (earlier) flowers for the available food materials. Incomplete flowers are found mostly in Lemon and its hybrids, Limes and Citrons. The pistils are regularly underdeveloped or completely absent in a large part of the flowers that are the latest to bloom. This occurs much less in C. sinensis, C. grandis, C. paradisi, and C. reticulate. The stamens, unlike the pistils show very little tendency to general failure. The "Citrus Industry".

Thanks, Silica. Good information.

Silica - interesting info, although in my case there were no buds, flowers or fruit on the tree when I brought it outside last spring. It grew beautifully right away and throughout the summer. But for some reason the current flush of flowers didn't start until October, much later than it usually does in past years.

Bill,/J

Your tree is maturing; the Sept/Oct bloom is the second crop, which should be ready to harvest about June/July

Billy,

I am not sure if anyone has a direct correct answer..It could be what is mentioned above. But then too, for my trees, this is what keeps some of my blossoms stunted while others fully mature at the same time..

.A sudden change from very cool to very warm and vise versa. Over watering. Then too, if I fertilize with a bit too much Nitrogen, some will fully open while some stunt. Also too a sudden change in location of the tree. Thrips. So many variables, I don't think I will ever figure it out..But I will keep a closer eye on them! Good question and great info)

Bill you wrote in your initial post that your tree had incomplete blooms that were missing the female parts of the flowers (pistil/stigma) later you wrote, that your tree did not have flowers fruit or even buds . One thing is for sure your tree had buds. Every citrus tree always has buds, always., Some buds grow out as foliage, and if the tree is receives care, many of the buds will differentiate, and then grow out to be floral buds. But every citrus tree always has buds. You will find them in the axels. With the exception of out right freezing temperatures, I doubt that cold weather had anything to do with the missing female parts of the flowers, as a citrus tree actually requires/needs cold temperatures in order to differentiate the tree's buds to become floral buds, which then produces flowers. Actually, Bill I don't find anything out of the normal with your Meyer tree.

Silica, I guess what I meant was that it didn't have any VISIBLE flower buds when I put it outside. Of course it had several growing points too, and grew lots of new shoots and leaves soon after I put it outside. But normally I start to see flowers emerging by July, and this year they didn't appear until October. There are more flower buds showing up now in my sun room, and some of them look normal, so I will wait to see how many form fruit.

So I have been searching for an answer. I got my Meyer tree last year for mothers day and it has grown about 3 feet! It had beautiful flowers, I attempted to pollinate the flowers myself, and that is when I realized, all but one of my flowers were incomplete. The one flower that contained a stigma looks to be growing my first lemon! :) I am very excited for this one lemon, but I am nervous that only one flower produced a stigma and I am curious to find out how to ensure more flowers will grow a stigma, or if it is in the trees DNA that maybe it won't...

Complete flowers on your tree will improve each year as the tree grows of age.