Male date palm sets dates?

[Joannad]

My date palm is a  100 percent for sure male. We have used it to pollinate other trees and my neighbor also cuts and uses its pollination. This is on the tree this year. What is it? Why did the tree do this? Are these going to ripen and be edible? A few male racemes remnants are there, too, and ill include picks if those also. Help!

[aztropic]

Sometimes,they just switch teams for no reason.🤷‍♂️ I have a Chamaerops humilis that had been male for years. Same as you,I used it's pollen to produce seeds on a female tree. Lately, it has produced both male and female flower clusters on the same tree - self pollinating...

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

[Fusca]

8 minutes ago, aztropic said:

Sometimes,they just switch teams for no reason.🤷‍♂️ I have a Chamaerops humilis that had been male for years. Same as you,I used it's pollen to produce seeds on a female tree. Lately, it has produced both male and female flower clusters on the same tree - self pollinating...

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

Interesting.  I've heard of fish doing this but not palms!  :)

[aztropic]

Here's a good example of a med fan palm planted at our local shopping center. These are supposed to be either male or female trees, but sometimes they exhibit both sexes.😀

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

[Johnny Palmseed]

Sign of the times? LGBTQIA and now…..DM

Dioecious/monoecious

[tinman10101]

On 8/13/2024 at 2:01 PM, aztropic said:

Here's a good example of a med fan palm planted at our local shopping center. These are supposed to be either male or female trees, but sometimes they exhibit both sexes.😀

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

thats super cool!!! never seen both sexes of inflorescence on one palm.  thanks for sharing!!

[kinzyjr]

It happens with Needle Palms and Trachycarpus once in a while too:

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/57071-needle-palm-gender-reveal/?do=findComment&comment=858359

 

[Phoenikakias]

On 8/13/2024 at 11:45 PM, aztropic said:

Sometimes,they just switch teams for no reason.🤷‍♂️ I have a Chamaerops humilis that had been male for years. Same as you,I used it's pollen to produce seeds on a female tree. Lately, it has produced both male and female flower clusters on the same tree - self pollinating...

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

Chamaerops (and Trachycarpus, Rhapidophyllon as well) are polygamous, they can even  bear some bisexual flowers on an otherwise unisexual inflorescence. But this switching in Phoenix is very uncommon. I wonder whether this specimen has experienced some externaly originating hormonic influence.

[Phoenikakias]

On 8/13/2024 at 5:26 PM, Joannad said:

My date palm is a  100 percent for sure male. We have used it to pollinate other trees and my neighbor also cuts and uses its pollination. This is on the tree this year. What is it? Why did the tree do this? Are these going to ripen and be edible? 

 

 

 

Extremely interesting case, keep us apprised. I would like only to gather more information about the mother plant. Has it been naturally created (sexually from seed or asexually from an offshoot) or meristomatically produced in lab? Has it been recently exposed to some chemical (e.g. insecticidal or fungicidal treatment) or hormonical externally originating influence? Was this female inflorescence produced during the season dactylifera usually blooms in your region, or was it entirely unseasonal?

Thosr dates look unpollinated but you can easily check it by looking inside of a sample for the well shaped seeds.

[Phoenikakias]

[tim_brissy_13]

Great topic. I’d never heard of this happening, thanks for sharing. 

[Phoenikakias]

No intention of hijacking the thread, I like only to complete the show of date curiosities. An offshoot with or  turned itself to female inflorescence. Main plant has never bloomed before or after.

[tim_brissy_13]

5 minutes ago, Phoenikakias said:

No intention of hijacking the thread, I like only to complete the show of date curiosities. An offshoot with or  turned itself to female inflorescence. Main plant has never bloomed before or after.

I’ve had this happen on a couple of clumping Chamaedorea species, C brachypoda and C hooperiana. It’s like the new growth can’t figure out whether to become a new growing point or inflorescence!

[Phoenikakias]

2 hours ago, tim_brissy_13 said:

I’ve had this happen on a couple of clumping Chamaedorea species, C brachypoda and C hooperiana. It’s like the new growth can’t figure out whether to become a new growing point or inflorescence!

Identical experience with C hooperiana

[Yort]

Very interesting indeed. Last year in the Netherlands many male Trachycarpus produced female flowers. I noticed it on two fortunei and one manipur, all in different gardens. Later other Dutch people were mentioning they observed the same phenomonon. This year every one of them flowered normally again. There must be some environmental/climatic influence. Keep your eyes out for more Phoenix species in that area! Trachycarpus, Phoenix and the others mentioned here are all Coryphoid so it might be the same internal pathway at work here.