Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2000 23:22:06 -0400 From: "Dave Evans" <dpevans@rci.rutgers.edu> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2391$foo@default> Subject: Re: Drosera intermedia flowers
Dear Kit,
> Assuming the former, is there anything I need to do to pollinate them? I'm
> guessing that in the yard, with at least 11 plants flowering,
> pollination will happen naturally, but being a beginner at this I
> thought I'd ask. Also, does anyone know how long it takes from flower
> to seed for these plants? How do I go about collecting the seed?
Even it there was only flower, you would get seed. All Drosera species
native to North America are self-pollinating (meaning the plant needs no
help from animals). It depends on the temps and how long the stalk is(how
many flowers), but the flowers Drosera open from the bottom and work their
way up to the top of the flower stem, usually one flower per day (if it's
overcast, they tend to skip or day or two). The flowers at the bottom will
often ripen well before the flowers at the top have even opened! What I do
is wait for a couple days *after* the last flower has opened and cut off
most of the flower stalk, keeping it intact above the cut so that as it
dries, more seed can continue to ripen, the seed will pull in nutrient and
water that's still in the stem. Put the drying stems in paper envelopes, in
a cool area. Paper so they don't mold and cool so they have time to
continue ripening before the whole thing dries out.
> An interesting note about how I'm growing these plants: I read that
> they like to grow as semi-aquatics in pure peat,
Well, I think there hundreds, if not thousands, of different kinds of
peat. I have seen D. intermedia floating on water, rooted on dead
Utricularia vulgaris upon which had algae had grown. The algae was pretty
much holding the whole thing together, but the dead Utric kept the Drosera
floating high enough so that it could reach out of the water to flower and
eat. As long as you give D. intermedia the right type of water and keep it
wet--peat moss holds a lot of water(conditions it too) and it's not stagnant
soil the plants will grow. A very non-picky Sundew, rather like a N.
American D. capensis. You can even chop the plant up and grow baby plants
from the pieces (though I wouldn't do this to mine, they look too nice when
they are in full growth! And besides they make plenty of seed).
Dave Evans
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Tue Jan 02 2001 - 17:35:11 PST