Pelecyphora hybrids

[BarryRice]

Hello,

I have a few Pelecyphora (=Encephalocarpus) strobiliformis plants, but only one is flowering size. This spring I pollinated it, but with Pelecyphora aselliformis pollen.

I've just harvested what appears to be normal seed from the cross. Of course, just having seed, doesn't mean they are viable....

I'm unable to find online references to this hybrid being possible, although I'm sure others must have tried it. I've only had this Pelecyphora strobiliformis in my collection for two years....maybe this is a normal cross from before my time with the plant? I'll certainly try to reconstruct the hybrid in the future!

[TimN]

I can only offer my own experience. I have two P. strobiliformis that flowered at the same time this summer. I pollinated by hand and never got anything that looked like fruit.

I don't know if the pollen and ovary are ready at different times. My plants had flowers open on the same day but they were different ages. I.e flower A opened on day 1, flower B opened on day 2. This is the first time they've flowered within the same time span.

What does pelecyphora fruit look like? So should probably ask the internet, but I don't often see what I consider informed commentary. Maybe I haven't looked well enough.

[BarryRice]

In P. aselliformis, the fruit are, for the most part, barely visible if visible at all. You'll just see a spot between the tubercles where little brown seeds, about 0.5 mm in diameter can be seen. They tumble, one after another, out of a pore in the body of the plant. I remove them with my finest dissection tweezers, trying to cause as little damage to the parent plant as possible.. Similarly, on P. strobiliformis, the seeds suddenly appear from behind the flattened tubercles. I've never seen the fruit...just the seeds being expelled.