Last winter I decided to try to pollinate my S. cynlindrica. I wanted berries, and seeds. The prior year it had bloomed, but did not make berries, probably because there are so few insects in my bathroom! So I did it myself with a toothpick. I was interesting how the pistil was so much longer than the stamens, I guess so the insect would be likely to brush against it on it's way in, and thus pollinate it with pollen from a different plant. I used a magnifying glass. It worked! I can't now find my photo of the beautiful flowers, but here is one with the drooping spent flower (in March) and the developing fruit at a very early stage (in April), then another just before they turned orange-red like a holly or pyracantha.
When the berries looked a bit shriveled on the plant in July, I picked them, washed off the flesh. Each had a single seed inside, and I planted them by using the "Deno Method" on the kitchen counter. Most sprouted in just over a week, and I planted them in this pot.
They are growing great and look very healthy.
But...
They are not cylindrical!
Has anybody here done this? Will they become that way only when mature?
Could they have cross pollinated from another species that was also blooming about 8 feet away (which did not happen last year)?
pistil
