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Another curiosity, Epiphyllum guatamalense (monstrose), seed pod

18 years ago

I love jungle cacti(or would it be more PC to say "rainforest cacti"?) and was captivated by E.g. as soon as I laid eyes on it. I missed the flower on this one but the seed pod has been around, getting more and more interesting, for quite some time now.

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Comments (5)

canttype
18 years ago
Wow... that is a neat seed pod! You must have ideal growing conditions!

Good growing
Diane
mingtea
18 years ago
i keep wanting to eat the epi pods i get...thinking maybe they'd be as succulent as a dragon fruit but, alas, i'm too chicken to try!

margaret, when you say you missed the flower, did you just miss the picture or the whole show? i'm wondering what color it is etc. does guatemalense stay pretty compact? i've seen pictures of it, but only as small plants on ebay so i'm curious as to what it looks like when it gets older. you shoud harvest/plant those seeds!

-ming
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Cena
18 years ago
I second Mings assessment that you should harvest that seed pod. If it gives to the touch, like a ripe avacado, it is ripe. One of the things you have to watch epis for, if the pod gets too ripe, it will mold right on the plant.

You just slice it in half, scoop out the pulp and seeds and then seperate the two. I use my hand mixer on low with a little water thrown in. You can do it by hand, but it can be tedious and long winded. The pulp can be slimey WHILE being sticky, but it can be done. Some folks even use blenders, but I figure that would be a bit hard on preserving the seeds. Once you seperate the seeds out, you can strain it right through a paper towel, let them dry, then pull right off the towel, and walah! You have seeds ready to plant!

Mine is still very, very small so I have no idea of color either.
Mentha
18 years ago
An easier way is to let them ferment in water like you do tomatoes, soak the pulp in a cup of water for about two days and the seeds will fall to the bottom of the cup, everything else will go to the top. The slime can be skimmed off, then drain and dry on a paper plate or paper towels.
Do you know what the pollen donor was?
ooojen
18 years ago
I'll make an interesting project for you, won't it? (just what you need...another project!)

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