It is very well possible that your plant is producing little no pollen and the bees are attracted by the flower smell/nectar.

Here are some not always very well focused pictures of the flower stalk on my Agave xylonacantha which fortunately did not grow very tall, it is a bendy one that had it gotten bigger probably would have needed to be cut off so as not to hang over the side walk. it shows a progression from flower buds, to open flowers with very yellow anthers, the anthers to the left of the first picture did not have any obvious pollen - ie. they formed a hard surface when looked at closely/touch. Further to the right the pollen starts becoming obvious and readily observable. The progression show the anthers where much or most of the pollen has fallen off/been harvested by bees or me, and showing some stigmas with pollen applied. I got a lot of seed from this plant. Not yet sure if the seed is viable. The nectar is pretty much tasteless just very sweet.

The seed is viable. I will be associating one of those pictures with the database... they are informative.

skopjecollection said:Off topic @ausrpned , but have you ever touched a gympie-gympie plant?

No, in fact never heard of it. Gympie is in Queensland, just checked to be sure, bit more than a cut lunch and a water bag from me. Is it found there?

Will look it up later as my Peter Bindoon book Useful Bush Plants, doesn't mention it.

Cheers

mcvansoest said:It is very well possible that your plant is producing little no pollen and the bees are attracted by the flower smell/nectar.

Pictures shows a progression from flower buds, to open flowers with very yellow anthers, the anthers to the left of the first picture did not have any obvious pollen - ie. they formed a hard surface when looked at closely/touch.

Further to the right the pollen starts becoming obvious and readily observable. The progression show the anthers where much or most of the pollen has fallen off/been harvested by bees or me, and showing some stigmas with pollen applied.

I got a lot of seed from this plant. Not yet sure if the seed is viable. The nectar is pretty much tasteless just very sweet.

Excellent, wasn't able to do anything last night or this morning.

Just had another close look at the easily accessible inflorescence with both bagged and open flowers/flower buds.

Still no pollen especially considering your photos.

Do have some other small, inflorescences coming, too early to tell yet what will happen there. In the meantime will keep a close eye on the flowering quiotes and take photos of anything that may eventually help someone else with an interest.

Cheers

... thats because its pretty far from useful. Its related to nettles....
....and its way more dangerous too....

This shows the result of earlier pollinations of my Kei Apple plants.

Great pity the fruit is only really good for preserving.

First came across the fruit whilst a member of the WA Nut and Tree Crops association. The fruit, David Noel brought in, was quite delicious eaten out of hand. Seedlings unfortunately have not achieved the same heights.

You win some, you lose some, at least I will have a quantity of seed to try again.

Cheers

skopjecollection said:... thats because its pretty far from useful. Its related to nettles....
....and its way more dangerous too....

Not quite.

Looked in my copy of Australian Medicinal Plants, E. V. Lassak & T. McCarthy P130

Dendrocnide excelsa entry mentions Dendrocnide moroides though that plant is not mentioned in the index.

Medicinal uses: Aboriginals used the bark to cure rheumatism; also as a cure for a skin complaint called 'giggle-giggle' and for mange in dogs.
etc.

http://tropical.theferns.info/...

http://capetribresearchstation...

The links, Wikipedia as well, are interesting.

Apparently the leaves may be eaten once boiled and the fruit is edible but the stinging hairs need to be removed first.

Cheers

So, just like the nettles here....

At last some success with looking at pollen production by A. americana.

Have been watching a small inflorescence which is far easier that the lofty heights of the usual quiote.

Noticed yesterday the bees were working the opened flowers and most importantly some had full pollen sacs of a light yellow pollen.

Watched a little longer and realised they appeared to be concentrating on a groove in the anther. Looked longer and finally found what I was looking for.

Will now set about collecting some pollen and try to judge when the stigmas are receptive.

With a little luck I should be able to set at least one seed pod.



See an ant also taking advantage of the food source on the right of the lower photo.

Cheers

Nice, still looking pretty sparse, but definitely there!

The stigmas are supposed to show their receptiveness by having a little nectar at the tip.

mcvansoest said:Nice, still looking pretty sparse, but definitely there!
The stigmas are supposed to show their receptiveness by having a little nectar at the tip.

Thanks, the article I sent a link for just mentioned "moist", have not seen that as yet.

Covered the whole of the inflorescence with netting hoping to see increases in available pollen.

If that doesn't work, will remove anthers, let them dry out, and watch to see what pollen is released.

Cheers

If you check the upper left corner of the 4th picture I posted of my xylonacantha you will see a stigma with a nice big drop of nectar.

Yes, I see a couple drops in there.

To join in the chorus of pollen pics, here is a "Rosa Gorda" flower closeup with some juicy nuggets on the anthers.



This is our native agave (note moist stigmas upper right)


This is a mangave (moist stigmas on bottom flowers)


And finally a different mangave, just oozing pollen

mcvansoest said:If you check the upper left corner of the 4th picture I posted of my xylonacantha you will see a stigma with a nice big drop of nectar.

I see four with a drop of milky fluid.

Mind if I extract a portion of the photo, encircle the stigmas with the exudate and post it up?

Netting the inflorescence gave no positive result.

Will remove the netting and collect anthers this evening, Bees should tell me which ones to collect.

Had a close look with a magnifying glass of the stigmas. The top appears to be composed of three valves.

Further there appears to be three stages of the pistil's growth:

Stage one the pistil has not emerged significantly and is rigid.

Stage two, pistil nearly fully developed and limpid to a degree. At this stage if I squeeze and roll just below the stigma valves(?) they open slightly but close again when squeezing ceases.

Stage three, pistil fully extended, rigid and the valves can no longer be persuaded to open.

Speculating. A reasonable guess maybe stage two is where the stigma is receptive but is not producing an exudate. As an aside, have never seen Bees working the stigma though they make futile attempt at accessing the nectaries.

Once I have collected some pollen will put the guess to the test, squeeze the area below the stigma valves, introduce collected pollen in between the valves then see what happens, if anything.

Cheers

Baja_Costero said:
This is our native agave (note moist stigmas upper right)


And finally a different mangave, just oozing pollen

Baja.
For the first pic, is the moist stigma third from the top right?

The last photo is interesting in that on the right hand side there appears to be a stigma with it's three valves open, the valves appear to have a cushiony area on the inside of each valve which would presumably, produce an exudate.

Any comment?

Cheers

By all means enlarge and post the result.

I added pollen too the stigmas that were moist and got pretty much 100% seed pods. Mostly used pollen from the plant itself, but tried to use some pollen that I had stored from an Agave philipsiana I got some seed pods from that but not 100% it was not mistakenly pollinated with some of the plants own pollen.

mcvansoest said:
By all means enlarge and post the result.

Thanks.

Was the cross seed viable? Anything unusual in the seedlings?
Cheers

ausrpned said:For the first pic, is the moist stigma third from the top right?

The last photo is interesting in that on the right hand side there appears to be a stigma with it's three valves open, the valves appear to have a cushiony area on the inside of each valve which would presumably, produce an exudate.

I'm having trouble seeing the valves, but in that picture of our native agave there is like a glistening or shiny spot on each of the 3 tallest stigmas in the picture (top right, closest to top) and that is a dot of liquid on them.

Baja_Costero said:
I'm having trouble seeing the valves, but in that picture of our native agave there is like a glistening or shiny spot on each of the 3 tallest stigmas in the picture (top right, closest to top) and that is a dot of liquid on them.

Baja. Unfortunately I can only see the one I mentioned, computer getting old?

Have circled the stigma valves(?) in the extract.

Cheers

I see.

Here's a maximum zoom of the glistening stigmas on A. shawii...