Anthurium pollination
If you are here, it is probably because you are looking to reproduce your Anthurium ! In this article, I will share with you the information that I have collected as well as my experience on the pollination of Anthurium .
ANTHURIUM FLOWERS
Anthurium flowers have both active female and male parts. However, the receptive female phase for pollination occurs before the male parts produce pollen. This chronology allows in nature to ensure cross-pollination and genetic mixing. This is true for the majority of Anthurium , but some like the A. Gracile and the A. Bakeri are self-fertile, and their flowers pollinate themselves.
However, this particularity can be a slight constraint when trying to reproduce the same plant with itself. To succeed in such reproduction, it will then be necessary to collect the pollen from a first flower and apply it to a subsequent one.
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HARVEST THE POLLEN
You can collect pollen from your flowers when you see a fine powder on them. To check that the pollen is present and ready to be collected, you can touch the flower with your finger and if there is any left on your skin, you are good to go!
To collect pollen, I use a delicate makeup brush (like this one ) and I come and rub the flower with the brush. If I directly pollinate a flower afterwards, then I apply the pollen right after collecting it. If I'm saving the pollen for later, then I drop it into a small container, like a small clean jam jar or a freshness sachet.
POLLEN CONSERVATION
You can store the pollen for a few days in a small container in a cool room or in the refrigerator, and for several months in the freezer. This will allow you to wait for a specific plant to flower and make the cross you desire.
POLLINATE A FLOWER
To pollinate a flower you have to wait until drops of nectar appear on it. When these drops are present, you can apply your pollen, fresh or just out of the refrigerator or freezer, with a brush, from the bottom to the top of the flower. Small particularity, it seems that the flowers are receptive in the morning, and that the best taffy window is between 6:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. (Franz, 2007). Repeat this operation several mornings in a row, as long as you have nectar on your flower and pollen available. Don’t forget to note the crossing you made :)
RESULTS
After a few days or even weeks, you will know if your pollination has worked or not. If your flower turns yellow and becomes limp, it has not been fruitful. On the other hand, if your flower remains very green and hard, it is a good sign. You will soon see humps appear on the flower, these are the berries which are forming!
The berries usually contain one or two seeds, depending on the species and health of the plant. The berries are ripe when they fall off the flower on their own or without you having to force them to remove them. They can all be ripe at the same time, or become ripe over a period of several days.
As soon as you pick your berries, squeeze out the seeds by pressing on the fruit. Clean them with water or on a clean damp cloth and sow them directly in the substrate of your choice (chunky mix, or sphagnum moss for example - see video ).
REFERENCES
Franz, N.M. (2007). Pollination of Anthurium (Araceae) by derelomine flower weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Revista de Biologia Tropical , 55 (1), 269–277. https://doi.org/10.15517/rbt.v55i1.6079
The pollination of Anthurium Flowers by Neil Carroll – http://www.aroid.org/TAP/Articles/anthpollination.php