# Flowering Anubias, will it seed?



## Tropicana (Feb 15, 2009)

Hey guys just realized this Anubias i have is send a flower to the top of the tank. Heres my question, If it does reach a 1 1/2 foot stalk and flowers will it seed without another flower to pollinate it?. And if so how do i plant the seeds?. Thanks. Maybe its just a really long leaf. lol, but it looks different.


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

Yes, that's an inflorescence. I've got one on my anubias right now too.

The green, leaf-like part (spathe) will unroll partly, exposing a cylindrical structure (spadix) on which the flowers occur. The flowers at the top are male and the ones at the bottom are female. In nature, insects land on the top and crawl toward the bottom, getting pollen on themsleves and spreading it to the female flowers. So you'll have to do that part yourself. If you're in luck, some of the female flowers will develop seeds after a time. The top of the spadix will wither and the bottom will get bigger as the seeds form.

Sometimes in this group of plants (Araceae -- the arum family) male and female flowers are out of synch to encourage cross pollination. I.e. the male and female flowers aren't ready at the same time. Since it can be hard to tell when pollen is ripe and stigmas are receptive, do the pollination repeatedly over a period of days. After pollination, the seeds will likely take weeks to months to mature, and it's possible that there isn't enough light in an aquarium for them to mature properly.

I've never worked with anubias but I have hand-pollinated and collected seed from non-aquatic members of the family. I would guess that the seeds should never be allowed to dry out. I don't know how mature anubias seeds are spread in nature, but my guess is that either the entire inflorescence, seeds and all, breaks off and floats away, or the seeds are released individually. My guess is that they float and wash up in shallow water and debris where they'll sprout. If you get seeds, let's find out what happens. I'll have a go at pollinating mine, too.


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## Tropicana (Feb 15, 2009)

Sweet!, thanks for the info Bae. Will the plant grow another foot to the surface? or should i raise the wood higher so it will reach?.


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

Tropicana said:


> Sweet!, thanks for the info Bae. Will the plant grow another foot to the surface? or should i raise the wood higher so it will reach?.


I don't know. The one I have flowering is in a 10 gallon tank. I suppose you could try it.


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