Re: D. auriculata dormancy

Barry Meyers-Rice (barry@as.arizona.edu)
Mon, 4 May 92 19:38:35 MST

>Is D. p. a. the new classification for D. auriculata? Ours haven't surfaced

Yep, according to Schlauer's list. Incidentally, I mention this list from time
to time. It is a compendium (about 90 pages) of information on what the
current dogma is regarding the species names of plants. This information is
a list of what the plants are published as, using botanical law. So while there
are D. peltata and "D. auriculata" in common usage, in terms of what has
been published in the appropriate literature it is D. peltata ssp. auriculata.

>How does it compare in size with the auriculatas? The ones I've seen in the
>wild are only about 4-5" tall, at most, whereas auric. is often double this

>Also, saw the Japanimation flick Akira last night. VERY good if you like
>animation. I think it's the #1 movie in Japan (non-animation included). Good
>stuff.

The missus and I enjoy animation. It's worth the rental? A lot of
japanese animation is sore of Speed-racerish in appearance. Yuch. How's this?

>How does it compare in size with the auriculatas? The ones I've seen in the
>wild are only about 4-5" tall, at most, whereas auric. is often double this

>I'm surprised that barry said his have flowered, since my seedlings are
>growing VERY slowly.

A few of you have acted surprised my plants have flowered. Well this ties into
Mister Taylor's size question. I don't trust size stuff w.r.t. these plants
because it is starting to get warm here. I have a working hypothesis that when
it starts to get warm, the tuberous plants dash into dormancy, sometimes making
a little erect growth first. Last summer my D. peltata germinated during the
heat and responded to the high temperatures (which said, "dormancy dormancy")
by making diminutive rosettes and erect stems. Then this fall others hatched
and all winter grew into luscious big rosettes and tall stems. The aurics are
smaller then the peltatas but again it's the summer sequence. It may also be
relevant that my plants are in bright (but not full) sun, and get doused once
a week with a foliar spray of label strength miracid. They love the miracid
and the first miracid-treated tuberous drosera (a menziesii menziesii) produced
a nice big tuber.

Mike: You're the Nepenthes person, not me. But it sounds like you're light
situation is pretty low. Considered adding reflectors? Mylar?

>On a better note, my tuberous Drosera (mostly from seed) seem to have success-
>fully gone dormant and set tubers!

:)

Also, I have a botanical question for you. I've been looking through this
cool book called "Plant Form," and I've been trying to figure out just
what do the thorns of citrus fruit represent. They aren't clearly stipules
or petioles. WHAT ARE THEY? Driving me crazy