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|  » Stats |
Members: 50,182
Threads: 82,417
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Top Poster: glsammy (15,069)
| | Welcome to our newest member, Rudie | |  | 
15-12-2008, 10:34 AM
| | Active Member | | Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 40
| | | Mistletoe seeds.
A couple of years ago I wiped the mistletoe seeds onto our apple trees, a couple have taken. I saw on a programme yesterday a grower saying there are male and female plants. As the seeds must have come from a female plant then they must be female? But on this premise, where do male plants come from and am I going to get seeds for the birds eventually? ? ? ? Cheers, Tony. |
15-12-2008, 12:25 PM
|  | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Brighton
Posts: 413
| | | Re: Mistletoe seeds.
The seeds will be both male and female, but only formed on female plants. Holly and numerous otherr plants are the same. Male plants produce flowers with pollen, female plants produce flowers which are fertilised by the pollen, producing seeds that are either male or female but all having genes from both parent plants.
The idea of female plants only producing female seeds would be a bit like saying that all human children are female as they are born to women. It doesn't work like that 
Will you get seeds? You say a couple of plants have taken, so there is a 75% chance you have a female plant, but if you have two females (25% chance) and there are no other male plants around, you probably still won't get seeds. If you have one of each (50% chance), then you may well get berries. I hope the plants are on different hosts, as two plants on a tree might finish it off!
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The best things in life aren't things. |
15-12-2008, 06:57 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: West Molesey, Surrey
Posts: 5,537
| | | Re: Mistletoe seeds.
Quote:
Originally Posted by svenrufus  I hope the plants are on different hosts, as two plants on a tree might finish it off! | Highly unlikely. There are trees around where I live that have double-figure numbers of mistletoe plants on individual trees and they are fine.
Cheers,
Adam |
15-12-2008, 08:02 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 3,421
| | | Re: Mistletoe seeds.
Likewise. It is surprising how many mistletoe plants one tree can support. |
15-12-2008, 09:42 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Watford, Hertfordshire.
Posts: 4,869
| | | Re: Mistletoe seeds.
I understand that they're a hemiparasite and only take water and minerals coming up the tree from the roots. They photosynthesise their own carbohydrates, so consequently they're not a great burden on the tree, though I have seen branches break at Virginia Water under the weight of large mistletoes.
Here's a good site for mistletoe: The Mistletoe Pages
Jim | | |
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