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My Confederate Jasmine has SEEDS
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Posted by moccasinlanding z8B AL/ z5b MA (My Page) on Wed, Feb 25, 09 at 16:09
| Well, this is a first for me. I did not know the plant, sometimes called "star jasmine", produced seed pods. And skinny inch-long seeds with fluffy silky heads which come out of the bean-like dried pods to fly away on a puff of wind.
But that is what I found this morning when I took the bubblewrap off my 4x4"x8' post where the plant has climbed
thickly to the top and looks gorgeous. At first I thought a bird was intent on nesting in the plant, but the breeze lifted the plant stem and exposed the hard open pod and I saw the silky white topknot was attached to the brownish seed itself. I had to document this with a couple of jpgs, in case anyone else was as surprised as I was.
Has anyone else seen seeds on their confederate jasmine?
Hope you enjoy these pictures, which I have loaded to my tinypic account with a link to the entire Gardening Alabama album below.
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Here is a link that might be useful: TinyPicGardeningAlabamaAlbum
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: My Confederate Jasmine has SEEDS
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yes, mine makes the seedpods. did not notice them until the plant had grown large enough to need cutting back so maybe they do this after a certain age.
i have never tried to germinate them but assume they are viable. actually, this plant has overgrown the site and i am thinking about removing it but it smells great during its long bloom cycle and repeats sparingly after the initial flush.
curious about the bubblewrap. they are perfectly hardy here so surely even more so in your area. |
RE: My Confederate Jasmine has SEEDS
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| This plant is not up against anything, just climbing a post in the middle of the yard. It is totally exposed to the elements, and I was afraid it might die. So I spiralled some bubblewrap around the post, securing it with clothes pins. We got down to 20 or 21 degrees and it did brown/bronze some of the outer leaves. However, it seems to be budding out new ones already. Next year, I won't cover it since it will be an oldtimer by then. When we were in Italy, this star jasmine was everywhere! In the towns, it was in big pots beside entryways, clambering luxuriously across balconies and arbors. Around the pool in the villa where we stayed, it formed a trimmed line of 2' hedge terraced up the side of the hill--something I never imagined as a use for this plant. I looked closely at the hedge, and it was supported by a wire frame, maybe low fencing. PERFECT way to hide a chainlink I think, since this plant keeps its leaves down low, unlike the carolina jessamine which forms a topknot. If I were you, I'd trim it back but not take it out. I have plans to put in MORE, and will try to grow my own from these seeds. One source I read said propagation was by cuttings, and did not mention seeds, but I will look further into it. Note: I took about 2000 photos of the gardens at Borgo Tre Querce and these 3 are only a sample. :) 
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RE: My Confederate Jasmine has SEEDS
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well, mine has reached the stage of the coverage in your second pic, even topping the roof and going across the shingles. i don't need anything that big and vigorous on my wood house, fearing damage from the holdfasts. it surely surprised me when it settled in and became so big after not doing much for several years.
i will either cut it way back and grow as a "shrub" or move it and let it run up into a tree somewhere.
on a side note, i have noticed some type of wasp or fly (maybe hoverfly or sweat bee) with its proboscis lodged in the center of the flowers going continuously with the buzzing, trying to free itself. it seemed to me that the opening must have closed on it after it tried to feed on the nectar. i wonder if this plant does this in order to ensure pollination? the insects were not released and died on the flowers. maybe it was those particular flowers that produced the beans on my plant. a deadly last meal? |
RE: My Confederate Jasmine has SEEDS
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- Posted by idig 7b (My Page) on
Wed, Mar 18, 09 at 22:18
| Gorgeous pictures. Jeff, you have me curious about the bee now. I googled it and didn't come up with anything, hmm, have to look into that more. |
RE: My Confederate Jasmine has SEEDS
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IDIG and Jeff, it won't be long now until the confederate jasmine blooms. I will keep an eye on my tall plant to see if it catches any bees in its lovely flowers.
As Michael Pollan says, plants evolve to assure their propagation. With the scarcity of bees as pollenators, maybe we are observing the start of an adaptive process, whereby the plant captures the pollenator. Not quite a carnivorous plant, I think, but a dominatrix? I also found that the long tendrils of the jasmine lying on the ground in the mulch had fine roots beginning to grow at each joint. Although I bought 8 plants from the nursery to set out along my chainlink back fence, I took many cuttings now rooting in a Wardian container. |
RE: My Confederate Jasmine has SEEDS
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| interesting! let us know what happens with the seed pods. I have NEVER managed to successfully root this one...don't know what i have done wrong... |
RE: My Confederate Jasmine has SEEDS
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| Roseyp, if my cuttings manage to root, I will post back here. One of the two pots of cuttings is in a Wardian container, the other one is just out in a tray. Both pots have the rooting hormone on them. |
RE: My Confederate Jasmine has SEEDS
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| Speaking of Michael Pollan, in case anyone missed the PBS special The Botany of Desire which premiered Wednesday, October 28, 2009, you can still watch the entire program online. It's incredible. BOTANY OF DESIRE is a documentary which tells the utterly original story of everyday plants and the way they have domesticated humankind. An interpretation of the relationship between plants and people. This two-hour documentary explores plant evolution and takes viewers from the potato fields of Peru and Idaho, the apple forests of Kazakhstan, and the tulip markets of Amsterdam. View online in it's entirety: here This is another related program by the same presenter on LINK TV (a cable access channel) which is timely: Deep Agriculture
Traditional methods of agriculture in most developed nations have long ignored environmental concerns. Factors such as soil erosion, water shortage and the impact of chemicals on bio-systems have been overlooked in favour of massive crop yields and cheaper food. But what impact does this have on our health and our environment? View online in it's entirety: here __________________________ Sit down with a cup of tea or coffee and witness the evolution of an Organic Kitchen Garden. |
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