I am a grad student (medicinal chemistry) at UCSF. While on a
wine-tasting trip in Sonoma three years ago I stumbled across California
Carnivores, Peter D'Amato's nursery at the Mark West vineyard. I bought
a Venus Flytrap there, and it has been a slow but steady decline for me
ever since.
The flytrap, after several divisions, is now 15 plants growing in
a rectangular tray in my windowsill. Accompanying it are: Droseras (binata,
dichotoma, multifida,capensis, filiformis, dichrosepala, and esmeraldae)
Nepenthes (ventricosa and mirabilis) and a Sarracenia leucophylla. I live in
an apartment just south of Golden gate Park (in the foggy part of the Sunset)
so I have neither a lot of space nor a lot of light.(I thought these were
difficult growing conditions until I read the letters from the people in
Arizona !) I therefore have acquired an interest in pygmy Drosera - I can
probably fit quite a few of them, and Drosera seem to do well in my window.
I recently transplanted my D. multifida, and (inadvertently) acquired
a few root cuttings, which I am trying to propagate. Any tips would be
appreciated - I have put some of them in distilled water, and the others in
a wet peat/sand mixture about 1/2" below the surface. I would also like to
try propagating the Drosera from leaf cuttings - any suggestions/warnings?
Dennis Benjamin
benjamin@picasso.ucsf.edu