> I got the new June issue of CPN yesterday. Here's a synopsis:
>
> On the cover is a photo of Genlisea violacea growing in a clear
> container. The traps can be easily seen. One the back cover is a
> flowering Aldrovanda.
It takes a while for CPN to arrive here in Brazil (I just got my
March issue!) and I'm curious about the G.violacea on the front cover.
Who's picture or plant is it? Hey Barry, is that yours again? I've
already told Barry about a thousand times and have probably also told
everyone else on this list, but for those of you who don't know,
G.violacea is a species found in SE Brazil and I've seen it often in the
wild. Curiously, at every place I've seen them, they always have a
characteristic color and shape to their flowers. Thus when I saw Barry's
article in CPN on G.violacea (last year, I believe) with that beautiful
picture, I knew he was growing the form from Caraca (pronounced Karassah,
since the last 'c' has that little leg below it), a mountain range in
central Minas Gerais state.
I plan to write an article on this species in the future for CPN
and show all the color variations I've seen and photographed in the
wild. Like those article on the Sarracenia variations which came out a
few years ago. Now in July I'll be traveling to many places where I know
G.violacea grows in Minas Gerais.
I'll also be going to the state of Bahia where I'll be searching
for 2 G.violacea-like species from Section Tayloria. One is a new species
which I found 2 years ago in a small site by a beautiful waterfall (420m
high!). I should get them in flower in July, which would help me find
more sites. I'll also be going to search for G.uncinata, which is like a
large version of G.violacea and is only known from a small area in Bahia.
After this trip, I'll be preparing an article on these G.violacea-like
species, including G.lobata, a possible new species from N M.Gerais, and
2 possible new species from SW Minas Gerais.
By the way, the correct spelling was asked for my country,
'Brazil' or 'Brasil'. The latter is how we write it in portuguese, while
the former is how you write it in the english language. I feel better
using the 's', though I know it would be a mess if everybody decided to,
in english, spell words how they're normally written it in their native
tongues. Use whichever you prefer, with a 'z' to be correct (in
english), or with an 's' just to humor me.
Jan,
> > how about a joint article reuniting our conclusions and speculations?
>
> OK, but let us omit the dinosaur/meteorite stuff for the moment.
Yes, by all means!! Thanks for replying to Chuck's message on my
behalf too. And talk about eloquence!! You sure know how to write well! I
just wanted to make a short comment though. Chuck, what I meant by "lots
of mutations" was that for a 'normal' Drosera to evolve into a tuberous
species, it doesn't take a single mutation. Obviously it's a series of
new genes which led to this, and not a single 'tuber gene'. Jan, you
mentioned that there is no selection of genotype, but I remember studying
that this does exist. Like when a genotype is hybrid between similar
taxons, the chromosomes may not separate well in meiosis, resulting in
inviable gametes with different numbers of chromosomes. Depending on the
situation, 1/2, or 1/3, or 2/3, etc., of the gametes will be inviable. I
think there were a few other similar cases where certain genotypes could
be more advantageous.
FERNANDO RIVADAVIA
Sao Paulo, Bras(z)il