Well Donna, NOW I KNOW I SHOULD HAVE PLANTED MY SEEDS I SHARED lolololololol next spring for sure, or maybe this winter hmmmmmmmmm too many projects going on
Bow Tie Vine
Assuming you can find them...HARHARHAR
Day 9!
Can clearly see the stamens now. Bottom of the flower is starting to show signs of wear, where it rubs against the leaves. Oh, and it is even a bit bigger today. I should measure it.
Beautiful. I noticed that some flowers had the stamens, and some did not, but I didn't realize that they were just in different growth stages. Then, instead of male and female flowers, may the flowers are bisexual, if that is the right word, having both male and female parts? I'm sure it takes a pollinator to pollinate the flower because I only have two pods on my whole vine.
Well if it IS self pollinating, maybe I will get a seed, since the ants are all over it! They are even stuck to the ball where it exudes the clear sticky stuff. I think you can even see them on there in the pic.
LOL, maybe the ants will pollinate it for you. I'll keep my fingers crossed that you get a seedpod.
If anyone has a couple of extra seed I would like to trade for them. I was sent some dried flowers and told the seed was the center of the flower. Wrong, nothing ever happened when they were planted.
Day 13 & still going! Bottom petal (or actually leaf) is pretty bad from rubbing against the thunbergia leaves, but the top is just as fresh as before & it continues to get bigger. More things are protruding and I am waiting to see just how long this flower will go! LOL
Sorry about your experience, Busybee. You should let that trader know that they still owe you some seeds! The two seeds that I have on my vine have been promised to a friend of mine whom I traded with for them. Sorry!
LOL, PudgyMudpies! I never stopped to figure out how long they last! That is good to know that they last a long time. Is your flower in the shade? I think the ones in the shade last longer.
It gets morning shade & afternoon full sun. I cannot imagine it will last much longer, but then I did not think it would last THIS long. LOL
Day 17 and I would say that it is over. The wind ripped off the top leaf which surprised me because it did not look that bad. I thought the pathetic bottom one would go first. Hmm. But I will now watch & see if a seed forms although I am 99% sure it won't. LOL
Donna
That was a really long run for one flower! Mine is still putting out flowers thankfully. I harvested the two pods I had when they turned brown. They are very, very hard. I broke one open with a letter opener by putting pressure on the very center of the pod. There was only one seed inside. I put the other one in an envelope. I think eventually the seedpods burst apart to scatter the seed. I don't know what could have pollinated the flower on those two occasions. Bees don't really visit this one.
I sure am glad you posted the info about the seedpod before, otherwise I would have been watching for that ball to do something & would not have known to keep watching. Thank you for all the info! This will prove valuable to someone else down the line too.
Donna
My pleasure! I hope you get some seeds, Donna.
Thanks Clare, I do too. But if I don't, I won't feel too bad. At least I got to see this unusual flower first hand. :~)