Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2000 08:32:33 -0700 From: chamb@u.arizona.edu To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg1207$foo@default> Subject: Re: collecting wild plants
At 10:50 AM 4/20/2000 -0700, you wrote:
>I'm curious where this would leave CP's that were collected as a
preservational
>measure? For instance, here in Florida, we're experiencing our third
>year of drought...not that we haven't had any rain, but rainfall amounts have
>been consistently below normal for three years. As a result, some of the
>barely-wet-but-normally-ok places where some Sarracenia (and some Cleistes
>orchids) grow have nearly dried up and the sand turned to powder. I could
>not stand to watch those poor little Sar's wilt by the roadside and have
>removed plants in the driest of places in that area last year and
>established them in cultivation (many of those plants are about to
>flower)...hopefully, once conditions return to normal, rainfall-wise, I
>can return them to their original homes.
I believe the Sarracenia would be better able to survive the drought than
the disturbance of digging and later replanting. Sarracenia have grown in
Florida for many thousands of years. They have withstood many drought
events in habitat. Possibly the leaves would have died back, but could
regrow again from the rhizome when the rains return. Possibly some weaker
plants or those in marginal habitat would die. Cycles of drought and
flood are natural and some (other) plants may only do well in the drought
periods; may depend on the loss of wet-cycle plants for their success.
Digging damages roots, and destroys the archetecture these roots had within
the soil/moss, and when replanting from cultivation you must worry about
other factors. Did any Drosera capensis seed fall in the pots? Did any
Utricularia livida, U. sandersonii, or others grow up into the drain-holes
into the soil? Are any greenhouse pests settled on the plants? Any of
these could be detrimental if set loose in the wild when replanting.
I don't think we need to "protect" plants from natural stresses in habitat.
Global warming/climate change may prove to be a problem but that'll have
to be addressed at the source (namely, us; vehicle emissions, etc.)
Michael
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