Zamia Double Header

[GDLWyverex]

One of my many zamia furfuracea which had only one head last month, now is flushing and appears to have 2 heads.Any chance that the heads might be of different sex?

Thanks

 

Richard

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

0% chance.  That is a clone of the original plant.   BTW that Cycas Diannensis pollen I shipped you arrived back in the mail yesterday???????? Said your address was invalid.

[GDLWyverex]

1 hour ago, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

0% chance.  That is a clone of the original plant.   BTW that Cycas Diannensis pollen I shipped you arrived back in the mail yesterday???????? Said your address was invalid.

Typical of the Mexican Postal Service. Thank goodness that my order from RPS DID arrive without incident via the Mex Postal System.

It turns out that the Diananensis never opened as you predicted might be the case, though it did send up a VERY large new flush. Maybe next year

Thanks

 

Richard

[Tracy]

22 hours ago, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

0% chance.  That is a clone of the original plant.

These guys & girls just pup like mad in my experience.  I have one that I keep in a pot which can be moved, so I can use it to hide my gas meter which is in the front entry.  It's never changed sexes although it has asked me a few times if I would pay for the surgery!

[MOlivera]

I’ve read that Cycads will sometimes change sex if they go through some type of stress. That would include separating a pup or division. Doesn’t happen very often though

[Tracy]

2 hours ago, MOlivera said:

I’ve read that Cycads will sometimes change sex if they go through some type of stress. That would include separating a pup or division. Doesn’t happen very often though

At least with some genus/species, the occurrence is infrequent enough as non in over 100 years.  If it could be induced, we would have female Encephalartos woodii.  E woodii have been pupped to get the distribution we have now of this species.  I have heard this speculated, but I don't recall knowing anyone that has first hand experience with a sex change of a cycad.

[MOlivera]

Interesting article

https://rootgorelick.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/osborne-gorelick-2003-palms-cycads-76.pdf 

[Tracy]

46 minutes ago, MOlivera said:

Interesting article

https://rootgorelick.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/osborne-gorelick-2003-palms-cycads-76.pdf 

Key points in the article are that at the time it was written in 2002 they documented 30 cases, as well as refuting some cases.  Some of the cases dated back to the 1930's.  Given that timeline its an extremely unusual event, although apparently not impossible.  I will go back to the point made earlier, which is that even with all the E woodii pups that have been removed and spread throughout the collecting world to date, none have spontaneously turned into females.  

It is rare enough that I will still say to Richard that the probability of his Zamia pup being a different sex than the original plant is extremely low.  I have to wonder if Root and Gorelick ever pursued their further research proposed at the end of the article?

[MOlivera]

Richard, if you don’t mind experimenting with the extra pup you should separate it from the plant, stress the separated division and don’t be scared or be close minded to experiment. Just because other people haven’t been successful doesn’t mean you won’t be. According to the paper this has happened before and will eventually happen again. 

[Tracy]

2 hours ago, MOlivera said:

Richard, if you don’t mind experimenting with the extra pup you should separate it from the plant, stress the separated division and don’t be scared or be close minded to experiment. Just because other people haven’t been successful doesn’t mean you won’t be. According to the paper this has happened before and will eventually happen again. 

Yeah, go for it Richard.  It's only a Z furfuracea.  If you kill it in the stressing process, its not like you have killed an offset of E woodii or something rare!  Stress that thing! 

[GDLWyverex]

2 hours ago, MOlivera said:

Richard, if you don’t mind experimenting with the extra pup you should separate it from the plant, stress the separated division and don’t be scared or be close minded to experiment. Just because other people haven’t been successful doesn’t mean you won’t be. According to the paper this has happened before and will eventually happen again. 

I actually have male and female z. furfuraceaes up the ying yang and do not really find myself titillated on the prospect of a bit of B&D and S&M with my charges, so I think that I will pass on this opportunity and continue pursuing my vanilla plant interests.