Thanks Chris...hmmm interesting BUT the 2 I have arent going to make much of an tamarillo crumble now are they!..OK if we are talking percentages then obviously I need to 'up' the whole flower business altogether..so how do I get it to flower more prolifically?
This might help Juanita ..... you may be asking a little much of your 'tams' to set every flower ;-)))
Flowering and fruiting
Tamarillo flowers are produced in successive trusses or inflorescences like tomatoes. Flowers are functionally male and female and are self-fertile, thus only one tree is required in a garden. Pollination is carried out by honey and bumble bees. Lewis & Considine (1999) have studied flowering of tamarillos in some detail (1999) and the following is a summary of their findings.
The flowering season in tamarillos begins in November. From then on, inflorescences are present until the following May. Each inflorescence may produce up to 50 flowers that open sequentially along the axis of the inflorescence at two to three day intervals. This means that fruitlet, flowers and flower buds will be present on the same inflorescence (Figure 2). On average, 12.3% of the flowers in an inflorescence set fruit, but only 3.3% develop to maturity. Inflorescences produced earlier in the season and located lower on branches tend to produce more fruit than those at successive positions along a branch. After pollination, the fruit generally takes 21 weeks to develop to maturity.
The production of excessive amounts of flowers may offer the tamarillo some advantages in its native habitat. This strategy may ensure some fruit sets if pollinators are not present at specific times, or if fruit set early in the season do not develop.
Replies
Flowering and fruiting
Tamarillo flowers are produced in successive trusses or inflorescences like tomatoes. Flowers are functionally male and female and are self-fertile, thus only one tree is required in a garden. Pollination is carried out by honey and bumble bees. Lewis & Considine (1999) have studied flowering of tamarillos in some detail (1999) and the following is a summary of their findings.
The flowering season in tamarillos begins in November. From then on, inflorescences are present until the following May. Each inflorescence may produce up to 50 flowers that open sequentially along the axis of the inflorescence at two to three day intervals. This means that fruitlet, flowers and flower buds will be present on the same inflorescence (Figure 2). On average, 12.3% of the flowers in an inflorescence set fruit, but only 3.3% develop to maturity. Inflorescences produced earlier in the season and located lower on branches tend to produce more fruit than those at successive positions along a branch. After pollination, the fruit generally takes 21 weeks to develop to maturity.
The production of excessive amounts of flowers may offer the tamarillo some advantages in its native habitat. This strategy may ensure some fruit sets if pollinators are not present at specific times, or if fruit set early in the season do not develop.
http://www.gardenscience.co.nz/fruit/TGuides/tamarillo.htm
C