Lophophora williamsii: self-fertile?

[LithopsRule]

Dear Folks,

My first ever Lophophora williamsii flower has begun to rear its head on my 2.5-year-old plant (photo in due course) and I would love to get some fruit and seed. However, the seed I started from had no locality information. Am I right in thinking that if it is a Central Mexican, then it is very likely to be self-infertile, but if it is a Texan then it will self-fertilise?

And has Martin Terry published any of his DNA work yet on the North-versus-South populations?

Yours, Euan

[Dennis]

Euan,

All the Lophophoras I have are all self-fertile although I do help by x pollination. The germination rate from these seeds is usually in the region of 20%. But it may take untill the following year for fruits to appear.

I'm hoping to send all my L. williamsii seed to the forum seed pool this year as I am overflowing with Lophophora seedling/ plants. So if you want seeds for this year keep your eye on the Forum Seed Pool.

Dennis

[Mike P]

Mine is self fertile and the seedlings appear periodically in the pot around the main plant.....not sure what % rate would germinate as I have never really been aware of the number of seed produced.

[Arran]

Hi Euan
i believe the williamsii are self fertile where ever they are from.
The diffussa (fricii, kereshii etc) are not and neither will they cross.
If you have other williamsii at the same age they will probably flower shortly, eventually they will flower in unison, and as has been said they produce more seed on crossing out, as well as with age.

[Peter A]

Even quite small L. Williamsii flower constantly from April or May till November or December. It is one of the few cacti I know that is never not in flower. Larger ones have up to four flowers at once...

Does anyone have the forms with white or yellow flowers?

[Arran]

Hi peter
i have the diffussa which has a very whitish flower.

[Peter A]

Do you have a pic?

[LithopsRule]

As promised in original posting:

1 Lophophora williamsii in flower (3cm diameter after two years).JPG (70.84 KiB) Viewed 6447 times

2 Lophophora williamsii in flower (3cm diameter after two years).JPG (70.52 KiB) Viewed 6447 times

[Peter A]

What I'd really like to find is the yellow form that used to be called Lewinii...

Nice picture - and a very different variety from mine. The seedlings seem to grow very quickly when they are young, and then slow down - presumably because the tap-root is developing. Speed of growth varies enormously, in any case, even with seed from the same berry!

Here's my big one in flower. (It's a 10" pot.)

[LithopsRule]

What I'd really like to find is the yellow form that used to be called Lewinii...

Nice picture - and a very different variety from mine...

Dear Peter A,

I think the name "lewinii" as originally published by Hennings in 1888 [sic] on ths basis of re-hydrating desiccated "mescale buttons" in the lab in Germany has been rather comprehensively trashed by Ted Anderson in his book "Peyote" (see also my previous Forum thread on nomeclature of Lophophora: http://www.bcss.org.uk/foruma/viewtopic ... 1&t=135947), but a yellow form of Lophophora williamsii would be a nice addition. Apparently it was Isaac Ochoterena in 1922 who applied the name "lewinii" to mean a yellow-flowered form, despite the fact that this was not part of the original Hennings definition at all!

Have you tried Gerhard Koehres as a source? http://www.koehres-kaktus.de/index1gb.htm

As to the different appearance of your lovely big specimen: I was certainly expecting my plants to be rather hairier than they currently look - i.e. more like yours!

Yours, Euan