Re: Pollination of Drosera Capensis
Clarke Brunt (clarke@brunt.demon.co.uk)
Fri, 30 Jun 1995 21:32:07 +0100
> [Drosera capensis...]
> My question is on how to propagate the plant through seeds. It has
> sent up a flower stalk, and although most of the blooming has occured
> while I have been away from my apartment, this last weekend I had a
> chance to see one of the blooms open up fully. I tried (using a
> toothpick) to pollinate the flower, but it seemed as though none of
> the pollen would come off of the stamen. I am curious as to whether
> this plant is self pollinating (will I get viable seeds from the
> flowers that I did not see blossom and wither), and if there is a
> special technique required to pollinate the flowers if it is not self
> pollinating.
The flowers normally seem to self set lots of seed without any
external interference (except perhaps from insects, but I haven't
seen any on the flowers). The bottom flowers on the stem are
sometimes ripening their seed while the top ones are still flowering.
Once the capsules are browning, try tapping them near a sheet of
white paper to see if any of the small dark elongated seeds fall out.
The normal problem is stopping the seed from falling in all your
other pots and infesting them. At least you won't have this problem
with a collection consisting of a single D. capensis :-)
--
Clarke Brunt (clarke@brunt.demon.co.uk)