Pollinating a fasciated dendrobium for seed pod and flasking
 

So I have this weird fasciated orchid that I'm wondering if I can reproduce. It consists of a four anther caps, three in a row across the top, and one at the bottom (pic 1). All orignated from the same bud/sepals (pic 2). Upon closer inspection, what appears to have happened is that the bottom one is the primary bloom, while three other secondary blooms emerged under the main bloom's dorsal sepal; you cans see the stemp of the secondary blooms in pic 3.

This is a such a cool phenomenon that I'm hoping to reproduce it. I am a complete novice at orchid propogation, but I've read on Reddit that "Each set of petals and sepals is controlled by its own set of genetic blueprints."

My novice assumption is that if I can get a seed pod from this fasciated bloom, I can send it in to seed flasking at a lab, and then have "stable" versions of this bloom. I've successfully produced seed pods on phals before (out of pure curiosity), I just never tried to reproduce the pods.

Several questions for the experts out there:
- any fatal flaws in my novice assumptions above? I know nothing about plant genetics.

- which bloom's pollinia needs to be inserted into which bloom's stigma? Pollen from secondary bloom into stigma or primary bloom? Vice versa? Between this fasciated bloom and a regular bloom on the same flower spike?

- It's been about a week since the bloom opened. Is now the right time to pollinated?

- whick flasking services do you recommends? There are many out there and I have no idea which one is "better". I'm in U.S. Midwest if that's relevant.

- If everything goes as planned and I receive the flask, are baby dendrobiums hard to care for? Or are they not so different from adult dendrobiums?


Some other relevant notes:
- No idea regarding ID, this was a supermarket find from back in 2020. I suspect Dendrobium burana from color and shape, and the fact that at least one seller out there has a D. burana fasciated variety (D. burana Sunshine Peony)

- Looks like 1 seed pod/1 flask is about $35 at a lab, which I think it's reasonable. I'm assuming it's normal to only ask for one flask?

- I have no interest in making money or competing or whatever with this. It just looks cool and if with a bit of time and money I can keep enjoying this mutation, then it's a fun experiment.

- Posted this on Reddit, and folks there said Orchid Board might have more experts, so here I am! Thanks in advance!

hey there,

!! warning-total speculation ahead !!


well, since nobody has come along i'll ill least reply something and hopefully someone with specific knowledge may chime in.

with pollinating, im new to pollinating orchids, but falling back on rose pollination knolwedge and what i have read about orchids, i would thinkg that your highest chance of success would be to take the pollen from the mutated parts of the flower and try to get seed to form on the main flower.

i only think this because the seed growing mechanisms, mainly the ovaries and such, are more likely to be intact on the main flower. i would also speculate that the pollinia may contain the genetic mutation for this flower type, or may not, but either way if there isn't the necessary ova you won't get seed anyway.

i have read that peloric flowers, and other mutations can be difficult or impossible to accurately predict in crossing and if you want peloric mutations the best way is cloning. but, again, this is armchair general stuff and not actual experience.

amyway that's what i would try. good luck, and for sure if you try and get anything keep us posted!!

So it turns out the primary bloom didn't produce any pollen, even though it did indeed have the most intact ovary. The stigmas on all four blooms are a bit warped, but the middle secondary bloom did have pollen, so I took it that pollinated the primary bloom.

For shits and giggles, I took pollen from one of normal blooms on the same spike and pollinated the two secondary blooms that didn't produce pollen. Don't image it would do anything though since they don't even appear to have ovaries.

Worth a try. It's an experiment!