Devil Claws Question

[Winter Flurry]

How many seed pods does a Devil Claw Plant have on them? I have read somewhere 50 or more seed pods and Just curious.

 

[joossa]

How many seed pods does a Devil Claw Plant have on them? I have read somewhere 50 or more seed pods and Just curious.

It depends on how many flowers you and/or your local pollinators successfully pollinate.

Also, "a Devil Claw Plant" isn't specific... Do you mean a Proboscidea species, an Ibicella species, or something else?



Potentially, a healthy Proboscidea plant that is given a lengthy growing season, ideal growing conditions, and pollinated correctly should be able to produce at least 15-20 pods. See my last entry in my P. parviflora growing journal... I made a data table (that's at the bottom of the post) that included rough final counts for number of fruit (pods) produced per plant. Some even made more than 30....

Here is the link:
http://terraforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=904162&postcount=89

 

[Winter Flurry]

I meant a a Proboscidea species and thanks. Do I pollinate them or let the bees dio it?

 

[joossa]

I meant a a Proboscidea species and thanks. Do I pollinate them or let the bees dio it?

If you want to maximize fruit and seed yield, I would hand pollinate. Hand pollination also allows you to cross-pollinate between two individual plants, which may result in stronger progeny than those that may be produced via self pollination within an individual plant.


Good luck!

 

[Winter Flurry]

Thank you and I will hand pollenate them. Do you cook or eat the seeds raw? Just curious because the Indians used to eat the seeds. Should I put a link to where I saw that about the 50 or more seed pods?

 

[joossa]

Do you cook or eat the seeds raw? Just curious because the Indians used to eat the seeds.

I personally don't. Last year I treated all of my plants with a systemic insecticide to kill off caterpillars.

I too have also read that certain tribes use the seed and young tender fruit as food. There's some reading material about this in some ethnobotany papers and textbooks I found while researching these plants. While I can see how the seeds would be edible, I would think that the young fruit would be unpalatable if eaten directly off the plant. I remember they were sooo sticky and had an awful, rancid smell to them... Yuck! Maybe there is a certain way to cook them.

Should I put a link to where I saw that about the 50 or more seed pods?

Yes, please do. 50 claws seems from one plant seems like a lot....

 

[Winter Flurry]

Here is the website where I found that at: http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ww0801.htm
They shelled the seeds and ate them. I hope to get some Seedlings soon here from the Black Seeded Devil Claws and the White Seeded kind.