Courgettes - a silly question !

First time in many years and I started growing courgettes again.

I notice that a large yellow flower appears and immediately behind it a baby courgette.......sometimes !

What is the difference between a courgette yielding flower and a non courgette yielding flower ?

My botany is nearly non existent so forgive my basic lack of knowledge.

Any ideas anyone ?



Tim

 

Hi Tim,
The one without the small courgette is the male. The one with is the female. It is normal to pinch out then male after flowering or as soon as they flower.
Cheers,
John

 

photos

 

Presumably its important for the courgette to have male flowers , is ir needed for pollination or something ?

So if you are saving seeds you need them ?

Many many thanks for the reply !



Tim

 

You need the male to pollinate the females, so leave them alone.

No males no corgettes, simple.

 

Leave the flowers alone. The male flowers are needed to fertilize the female flowers. Simples.

 

Whoah, more flower porn :lollol:

 

A courgette was forming before the second flower emereged !

So I'm confused !

:(

Tim

 

She lay panting in her flowerbed her stigma throbbing at the thought of receiving his pollen, as his anthers gently probed her style her receptical opened ready to accept the enevitable; "Be gentle with me" she sighed, "I'm only a young cucurbit"

"I know it's your first time" he said. "It's O.K. I'm wearing a bannana skin I stole from the hot house"

Birds and the bees mate, work it out :wink:

 

No male flower = virgin birth.

Candidly don't believe that male flowers are needed

I'm not a botanist, I am ignorant, but not an idiot.

Plain English will do a lot better for me than 'flowery' language..

I really appreciate the constructive responses I've received.

But I've witnesses a cougette growing without a male flower being available.

Some posts imply thats not possible. But the cucumber thread, the seed was a F1 hybrid yielding femail flowers only.

So I'm confused from the conflicting information I've been offered.

:( :(

Tim

 

Sorry Tim, only having a giggle there, not suggesting anything else. The fruit needs to be fertilised otherwise it will wither and die thats all

 

How do the Cucumbers some of which hybrids only have female flowers cope ?

A curious,

Tim

 

Thats a good point, don't know anything about cucumbers as I consider them the devils vegetable. Someone on here will know though.

 

ok

 

It's in the breeding Tim. They have been bred to be self fertile.
There is a self fertile courgette called Parthenon. I've grown it and it was really reliable but I thought the courgettes had a funny smell.
The courgette you saw that appeared before there was a male flower will probably be a runt that will just wither and die - unless some busy bee brought pollen from a neighbouring garden.
Hens will lay eggs without a cockerel - but there won't be any chickens.
We're not trying to confuse you - just tell you what we know.