Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2000 21:46:20 -0300 From: "Fernando Rivadavia-Lopes" <fe_riva@uol.com.br> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2275$foo@default> Subject: re: Utricularia Hybrids
Ivan and all,
>>The large form of U.reniformis has thrown out another spike quite late on
in the year (perhaps due to the poor summer we are having in the UK) which
may offer the opportunity to generate U.reniformis X nelumbifolia hybrids.
>Brilliant! Good to hear someone is working on creating Utricularia
>hybrids. I have not read about anything done in this area. I have heard
>mention of a hybrid between U. humboltii and U. alpina, can you tell us
>anything about this? Does such a hybrid exist? I think these two species
>would make a fine hybrid. U. humboltii is interesting with its unusual
>runner formation, while U. alpina is the most showy plant. What other
>hybrids have you attempted?
The U.humboldtii X U.alpina hybrid was made by thomas Carow in
Germany (Hi Tom!) a few years ago. I saw the plants when they were about to
bloom, but never did see what the flowers looked like. I'm still
tremendously curious! Any pictures for CPN Thomas??? I was really shocked to
learn he'd been successful at crossing these two species, considering
they're not even from the same subgenus. I guess I only believed it because
I saw them with my own eyes (the leaves were really cool!). I tried
hybridizing Utrics several years back -- without any success. I guess I
tried stuff that was too distantly related. Also, at around that time I
began seeing tons of Utric species in the wild around here and no hybrids
anywhere. Only years later I identified a natural hybrid: U.hispida X
U.praelonga. Well, nowadays I have little doubt that a U.reniformis X
U.nelumbifolia cross would be successful, so good luck Loyd! What a beauty
this cross would be, but where would you grow it?? In a bromeliad or in
soil.....
BTW, I saw "wild" U.nelumbifolia again in the heart of Sao Paulo
this week. The fad for large beautiful bromeliads in landscaping is still in
full swing down here. A few months ago I discovered they were all (sadly)
illegally collected from the wild when I stumbled upon a group of large
Vriesia loaded with U.nelumbifolia planted in front of a bank at one of the
busiest crossings in Sao Paulo. Well it happened again this week, near
Avenida Paulista, which is the economic center of the city, our "Wall
Street", the biggest symbol this city has. I was working at a large hospital
and went out for lunch on Av.Paulista.
I passed by a nearly-finished new skyscraper and stopped to point
out the large Vriesia imperialis(?) (which had obviously just been planted
recently) to the people I was with, telling them how those beautiful plants
were unfortunately all illegally stripped off mountainsides in the states of
Rio de Janeiro or nearby Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo states. Just as I
was telling them how I'd discovered they were wild collected, I spotted the
proof: more U.nelumbifolia!!
Man is it frustrating to see this beautiful pair (Vriesia &
U.nelumbifolia) popping up around the city, knowing where they came from and
how they got there! It's sickening to know that not much can be done about
it unfortunately. And in a way it hurts to see this amazing Utricularia
"vulgarly" growing as a weed in the middle of a 16-million person
metropolis!!! 8-P (Ok, ok, I admit I'm somewhat possesive about this one
particular species! After all, it took me so many years and strenuous
mountain climbing before I finally found it in the wild for the first time
and was able to bring it into cultivation!)
Best Wishes to all,
Fernando Rivadavia
Sao Paulo, Brazil
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