> > I have been witnessing some pretty strange behavior from my D.
> > adelae. When I first got it the flowers were white, the following
> > year the flowers were red, and remained red for eight years and now
> > the plants have white flowers again, actually it is more a cream
> > color now. Has anyone else had this phenomeon happen to them? This
> > really puts some serious doubt in my mind as to wheather the two are
> > really distinct forms. Can someone tell me what is going on?
>
>
> Hmm, weird I know. My D. rotundifolia did much the same a
> month or two ago - it had been white flowering, all the
> specimens outdoors remain white-flowering, but in one of my
> terrariums... they came out pink. I still can't quite figure
> it; must get the tray water analysed. Seven years seems like a
> long time between colour-switches - have you noticed any
> different circumstances this year? - particularly I suspect
> algal/bacterial action in my own case altering the water
> chemistry in the affected tray - or any noticeable stress from
> irregular water, light, temperature etc.? There certainly
> seems to be a phenomenon of sorts here, and not only in
> cultivation. Any thoughts since last time Fernando?
>
>
> Peter
All I can say is that I grew both D.adelae forms separately for
various years. The red-flowered ones seems to have wider and greener
leaves while the salmon-pink-flowered form had narrower, longer leaves
which were more reddish. I was convinced these 2 were separate varieties
and now this new event has caught me totally by surprise. I don't know
what it could be! Didn't someone publish in CPN a few years ago an
article on D.schizandra, D.prolifera, and the 2 forms of D.adelae,
showing how their flowers were different?
Fernando Rivadavia
Sao Paulo, Brasil