Droseras

Clarke Brunt (CLARKE@lsl.co.uk)
Mon, 17 May 1993 15:21:35 +0000

For the last few years, I have been trying all the Drosera seed offered
by Chiltern Seeds in the UK. In addition to a 'mixed' packet, the
species are cistiflora, erythrorhiza, glanduligera, peltata, planchonii,
rotundifolia, and whittakeri.

Some queries:

Last year, glanduligera germinated in about 50 days, made little
progress, and then died. In his book, Slack says that he has not been
able to raise it to maturity. So has anyone out there had any greater
success with it, and if so how? I've sown more of the same packet this
year, and if anything germination seems better, but how long will they
live?

I have some plants which I believe came from the 'erythrorhiza' packet,
unless they were among the 'mixed'. For two years or so, I had them in
peat, continuously in the water tray. They produced sporadic growth at
unexpected times, soon dying down, and also being attacked by vine
weevil grubs. Eventually realising that this probably wasn't the correct
treatment for this plant, I dug them up last year, finding several red
tubers with a point at one end. I planted these in a more sandy soil,
kept them dry, and they came into growth in October. I have just dried
them off again (May). The growth consisted of an initial rosette, which
then produced a somewhat prostrate stem with leaf pairs or triples
arranged along it. No flowers were produced. Does this seem like
erythrorhiza to people, or if not, what might it be? From Slack's book,
I did not expect a stem to grow at all.

Of the other species, peltata germinated in July after 140 days. It has
produced upright wiry stems about 4 inches (100mm) long.

Planchonii (sown in spring) germinated after 50 days, very soon died
down, but re-emerged in October, producing upright wiry stem, but no
more than about 1 inch (25mm). The leaves were cup shaped but with the
inner, sticky, surface pointing downwards.

Whittakeri germinated in November after 240 days. Has produced small
rosettes (reminding me of the erythrorhiza when they were small).

What treatment does anyone recommend for the latter three?

Cistiflora has only recently germinated (40 days), while rotundifolia
is happy growing outside in the U.K.