Day 216: Finally, the Akebias are sporting both male and female flowers on each vine! But with SNOW coming down in the rain yesterday and decidedly un-springlike temperatures, they are not producing pollen. I'm not worried. The next several days are supposed to see a dramatic rise in temps and pollen will soon be plentiful. I'll be out there with my little paintbrush tickling plant 'nads!
How do you tell boys from girls? The upper left white flower is female, as are the two large purple flowers. Look closely at the different structures. The male flower is smaller and has stamens, two-part organs consisting of a filament (thread-like stalk) and a pollen-bearing anther. The pollen must be transferred to the female stigma in order for fertilization to take place. Some plants are self-fertile, i.e., either their flowers consist of both male and female parts, or male and female flowers both appear on the same plant. In the case of Akebia, the flowers require being fertilized by another Akebia. In their natural habitat, this job is done by bees and wasps, but in the Pacific Northwest, Akebias bloom too early in the year, before the natural pollinators have emerged. Just for fun, I'm engaging in a little horticultural experiment, playing the role of matchmaker between my two vines.
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