CP

drosera@gnu.ai.mit.edu
Tue, 2 Nov 93 19:39:07 -0500

>Does Drosera capensis require dormancy, or can it go dormant?

A letter in CPN says D. capensis has overwintered in Connecticut under a
mulch of leaves one foot thick. I'm trying the same thing. Last night
the temperature went down to 25F here so the growing season is over for this
year. This species shouldn't have any trouble growing outside in Southern
California year-round. Dormancy isn't required but this species is noted
for surviving a wide range of conditions.

>
>Don,
> How do things stand with the group order from Andreas?
>I recall that a preliminary list of desired plants was to have been
>sent about a month ago, and that we were allowing until mid November
>for a first response.
>
> Nepenthes Edwardsiana, Dicksoniana, Lowii, and Villosa seem
>to be as hard to find as N. Rajah. No one on the net answered my
>search for these. I surmise the reasons might be (from most
>probable to least probable) 1) No one has these plants, 2) The
>plants are too small to be propagated just yet, 3) The plants are
>being jealously hoarded :).
>
> Andreas offers Dicksoniana (probably Dyeriana) and Lowii.
>Uwe Westphal offered Edwardsiana. Both offered Rajah, and neither
>offered Villosa.
>
>Does anybody know where I can locate an N.villosa?

About Andreas; in the letter I sent to him, I requested that he reply by
November 14th. I also added that there were lots of people in this group
wanting to buy plants and are depending on him to reply soon. I'll write
another e-mail to the group when Andreas replies. I never did hear from Uwe
Westphal. I also wrote to Thomas Alt six weeks ago.

Longwood Gardens outside Philadelphia has N. villosa. There are photos in
the CPN from last year showing some of Longwood's Nepenthes including N.
villosa. This species probably isn't on public display and you'll have to
ask if you want to see them. Dow Airen of Queensland was the one who first
donated a few N. villosa seedlings to Longwood about 10 years ago. I doubt
if Longwood would be interested in trading or selling their N. villosa unless
you had another species of the same rarity. Seems Nepenthes collectors are
highly stratified - those having the rare species only trade with others who
have species of similar rarity.

I wonder why those in charge of the Mt. Kinabalu National Park don't sell
seeds of the unique species that grow there? Nepenthes can produce a few
hundred seeds in each seed pod, and there are dozens of seed pods per
inflorescence. Seems like a few flowering plants can supply enough seeds for
the world!

N. * Dicksoniana is said to be extinct in cultivation. The plant usually
named N. * Dicksoniana is actually N. * Dyeriana. This hybrid is fairly
common. I have N. * Dyeriana, originally named N. * Dicksoniana that was
taken as a cutting (with permission) from a plant at a Los Angeles arboretum.
I believe Glasshouse Works sells N. * Dyeriana. I'd wait until next year
to buy the plant because of the cold weather now.

>On to the questions. Are some plants "bigger eaters" than others? Or perhaps
>I should ask does it vary much from species to species? Within a species? Do
>some plants prefer (and therefore attract) different kinds of insects? For
>instance, my wife has a pair of insectivorous lizards. Would the crickets I
>buy at the pet store for them be a good diet for some species of plants and
>not for others?

Live grub worms (beetle larvae) are considered to be good food for nearly all
CP. To pick the best species of CP for eating the most bugs, you just need
to pick the larger plants. Drosera capensis is good for mosquitoes and
gnats. Pinguicula moranensis may be a good natural control for "white fly"
in greenhouses. Sarracenia is good for the larger bugs - Japanese beetles,
yellow jackets, and lots of others - I'd suggest Sarracenia flava if you live
in a cold area of the country, or Sarracenia leucophylla for the warmer
areas.

---
Don Burden
New Albany, Indiana
drosera@gnu.ai.mit.edu