My Cyp. Andrewsii just finished bloom, I saved the pollinia; and my reginae has one flower and one bud on one stem so I removed a pollinium (the flower is fine). Yesterday I selected 4 Cyp. acaule blooms just opening. With a pair of fine scissors I carefully cut off the pouch from the back and the tepals, and then cut off the 2 pollinia to prevent cross pollination.

On two stigma I smeared the Andrewsii pollen and the other two received reginae pollen. Soon I will see if the pollinations were successful. Green pods are collected at about 90 days. This technique has worked in the past. I have remade Cyp. Promises seedlings (on acaule) and also have Ulla Silkens x acaule seedlings planted out of flask too.

While there are buds still unfurling (a few acaules here are already in full bloom) I would like to try something really funky like a trigonopedia such as fargesii or lichiangense or margaritaceum; or maybe even arietinum.

Does anyone have any pollen to spare soon? Can you send some in a crush-proof package or envelope marked "hand-stamp only"? This would be much appreciated. I would be willing to share resultant seedlings.

I also collect mature acaule seed and spread most of around in suitable non-populated habitats. At present there is an abundance of acaule blooming but time is limited for making crosses.

Thank you,

Bonaventure Magrys
130 Hilltop Blvd.
Cliffwood Beach, NJ 07735-6001
USA

Well I took more reginae pollen out to another location with many vigorous clones. I crossed many of them like the first photo shown with the removed pollen of an exceptional acaule there too. There's a photo of its pouch in my hand. This plant was marked, and as its swelling pod (hopefully) reacts to the introduced reginae pollen it will be easy to distiguish as it bears nowithered floral segments.

Bonaventure Magrys
Cliffwood Beach, NJ

very very nice:Party:

Very interesting. Good luck.

Keep us updated! I look forward to seeing the results!

Good luck with your project!

Keep us updated!

Super cool...:cool:

Very exciting and please keep us posted!

thats very nice! good luck!!!

Very nice! Keep us posted!

I went out this weekend and checked reginae on acaule at one location crossed May 5 and found a deer or someting had chewed the plant down to the ground. Very bummed out, lots of deer are in this area. It doesn't look like people had picked them even though they are near a path (some try to grow in the pathway outright!) because even though many plants in the area had their blooms clipped the height of the cut varied, it seemed uneven, and a major proportion of the leaves seemed sheared off also and they did not look like the occasionally trampled plants in the footpath.

At the other large healthy colony I know of locally, of crosses I made May 10on very select plants, here is a photo of one of the 2 x Andrewsii I did, and one of x reginae. The x Andrewsii looks like its taking, both x reginae, not so sure.
Also made with pollen brought from my garden plant, 1 x Phillip on a select acaule. Its pollen was brought back and put on the Phillip.

My 2 blooming acaule at home I do not want to stress out more. A nice plant that bloomed last year is only leaves now and 2 other seedlings are only slowly increasing in size. They are happiest growing in hummocks of pure sand overlain on the garden soil (woodland leafmold) with their roots right on pure sand with more sand over them and half day of sun. Suprisingly the sand stays moist very well beneath the surface. The 3rd picture shows 2 acaule seedlings behind the pubescens in their little patch of white sand.

Bonaventure

Your plants look very nice in your garden.

They look nice!! I am hoping the reginae x's take!

They look quite lovely and good luck!:fcrossed:

Very nice!

Thank you to all who donated pollen to me. But deer and the recently crappy weather here in New Jersey have taken their toll on pods that had formed and on my morale also. I have to go back & check again, I think one of the acaule x Phillip may still be holding.
Under a japanese maple in the garden a cultivated acaule appears to be holding a pod x pubescens. Is this a remake of January Sunshine - has it been made with acaule as the mother?

Bonaventure

Bonaventure

I hope they make it and thanks for the update! Do keep us posted on the remaining ones.