Sacramento and Utrics

Barry Meyers-Rice (barry@as.arizona.edu)
Wed, 16 Mar 94 09:10:05 MST

Hey everyone, I'm back from a quick trip to Sacramento. While I
was there I took a trip up to see some _Darlingtonia_. I assembled a
small but intrepid band of explorers: my brother---a botanist, his
wife---an invertebrate zoologist, and a friend---a groundskeeper who
specializes in topiary, so we were ready for anything. <<With this group,
we could study the plants, their prey, and then shape them into an
attractive hedge to make a nice border around your walkway :) >> At about
4000' elevation we met snow, at about 5200 feet the road closed, and by the
time we reached our destination point, after trudging through snow for
4 miles, the ground was unbroken snow drifts. So, the _Darlingtonia_
were not quite yet at their prime, I think! :)

Dave B. and Gary D., sorry I didn't have time to meet up with you.

Saw lots of 1917--1944 dried specimens of _Ibicella lutea_ at the UCDavis
Herbarium, which verified that all the ``_Ibicella_'' I've seen is
incorrectly ID'd. Also took a trip to see some ``vernal pools'' which are
a big thing in conservation lately.

Californians take note---my sister-in-law does water analysis for your
state, and is starting to find lots of Diazinon in your rain water! Yum!

Anyone know where the Santa Ana Botanical Garden is? Perhaps near LA?
I have to give them a call...

I'm pleased to see that G.Wong has joined the group? A very notable CPer
with distinguished career! :)

Some mail I didn't repond to, before racing out to seek my grisly death
near Donner pass...

>U. monanthos
> pubescens
> hispida ?
>Where do they come from and eventually what do I have to expect (flowers)?
>Any special care needed compared to the ones below ?

U. monanthos---S.W. Australia, N.Z.
U. pubescens---India, S.America, Africa.
U. hispida---Central/S. America, Mexico

U. monanthos has scapes 4--8cm tall, single flowered, that look like
_U.dichotoma_. U.pubescens has flowers which sort of look like
_U.sandersonii_ without the bunny-ears or the very long spur (doesn't
leave much, I know). U.hispida has smallish yellow flowers. My specimen
of the latter has not yet flowered for me, so I haven't seen it. All
will respond to standard Utric culture, although I've read some accounts
claiming that _U.monanthos_ is very hard to grow. I haven't told my plants
this, and they grow very well in ignorance.

_U.pubescens_ has a strange range. I'm intrigued by these old world species
that also occur in South America or Mexico. I wonder about evolution of
the genus and plate tectonics. When Africa separated from S.America, were
_Utrics_ around and spreading?

>same member reports P. caerulea with flowers ranging from white through pale
>blue and into purple. This far south I though he had probably seen P. pumila

The white-flowered variant of _P.caerulea_ has been described by Don Schnell
and is called _P.caerulea f. leucantha_. Colour variants of N.American
_Pings_ do not surprise me. For example, I have a _P.primuliflora_ which
produces nearly pure white flowers. Very little of the _Primula_ colour
pattern.

Barry