The second note: Anyone out there growing _D.chrysolepsis_? I've got a
plant that Don Burden sent to me. The plant is very interesting, an erect
habit with petiolate leaves+lanceolate lamina, somewhat similar in total
effect to _D.scorpiodes_ except much larger (total height of plant 4--5 cm).
Anyway the really interesting thing about the plant is that each petiole
is twisted about 20--60 degrees (not bent, but rather spirally twisted
along the petiole axis). As a result, each lamina is not held level w.r.t.
the ground, but tilted. All the leaves are twisted the same way, resulting
in a plant that is slightly spirally contorted as viewed from above, like a
propeller (except not so dramatically). Very interesting. I'm reminded of
a clone of D.capensis which supposedly exhibited this behavior. It was called
`Merry-Go-Round'. I have some seedlings from a plant with this name, but they
are very small and it will take some time to see what's happening with them.
My plant is growing in part shade in the greenhouse, along with all the
other plants. I do not think this is a cultural anomaly, since it is hard
to explain an effect that would cause all the leaves to distort in a
centrosymmetric pattern like this.
Barry