Deflasking Habenaria Medusa cross

[Tindomul]

Oh, you wrote self-pollinates. Sorry my mistake. Wow, I find that hard to understand, since the pollinia for orchids cannot come into contact with the stigmatic surface unless placed there. But you say that you removed them. Unless something pollinated it with it's own pollen while you were not looking.

[orchidsarefun]

Originally Posted by Tindomul

Oh, you wrote self-pollinates. Sorry my mistake. Wow, I find that hard to understand, since the pollinia for orchids cannot come into contact with the stigmatic surface unless placed there. But you say that you removed them. Unless something pollinated it with it's own pollen while you were not looking.

There are numerous articles on the internet on phrag lindenii and the unique mechanism it has for self-pollination. I'd link but most are fairly lengthy or pdf.

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[estación seca]

Some Datura species pollinate themselves before the buds open. The anthers grow towards the pistil inside the developing flower. By the time the bud opens the anthers have grown far past the pistil and they have dried to the point no pollen is available.

[Tindomul]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Some Datura species pollinate themselves before the buds open. The anthers grow towards the pistil inside the developing flower. By the time the bud opens the anthers have grown far past the pistil and they have dried to the point no pollen is available.

Well, Datura is different, totally different family, we are talking about orchids with a gynandrium. The pollinia have to be removed and taken to the stigmatic surface for fertilization to occur. I admit I don't know what the Habenaria pollen looks like, but I have a hard time picturing how, if it is a pair of pollinia, like other orchids, it can fertilize the stigmatic surface and still be present in its correct location (under the rostellum). Which is why I was thinking it might develope seeds without the need for pollen.

[orchidsarefun]

Apomixis in orchids is not unknown - Aganisia cyanea is a good example and apparently developed this because its natural habitat in the Amazon is subject to seasonal flooding.
In phrag wallisii the orchid self pollinates with pollen prior to the bloom opening. The stamen grows towards the stigma and pollinates. This happens because wallisii doesn't have a pouch. It's unique amongst phrags.
As I said previously, I don't claim to know what happened with my habenaria but I have repeated the cross.

[Tindomul]

Yea, I am thinking Apomixis, but you might have been right. I looked up this article online and found that the pollinia may be granular, I might be reading it wrong though .

Check out the attachment concerning H. parviflora. Not the same species I know, but am hoping that they have the same pollination morphology. Maybe if the pollinia in the pollinaria are granular, pieces of it could end up in the stigma.