Re: Pollinating D.rotundifolia

Clarke Brunt (clarke@brunt.demon.co.uk)
Thu, 4 Apr 1996 13:59:23 +0100

On 2 Apr 96 at 10:17, Chris Teichreb wrote:

> My Drosera rotundifolia are sending up flower stalks :-). I was
> wondering how to pollinate them, to make sure they produce seed. Will
> they self pollinate or should I use the paintbrush insertion/reinsertion
> technique? Also, does it matter if I cross pollinate between plants ie:
> will this give a higher seed yield? Thanks!

I think that just like D. capensis, they wil produce copious seed all
by themselves. A bit of artificial pollination never did any harm
though. I'd imagine that cross-pollination between different
specimens of the same species is a good idea, to get a bit of
diversity in the seedlings. It's up to you whether you want to ensure
that the parents originate in the same population of Drosera (so what
are are doing could have happened naturally), or whether you don't
mind a bit of hybridisation between plants which could never have
grown near each other (Drosera rotundifolia in widespread, and I
think differs a bit from place to place).

-- 
Clarke Brunt (clarke@brunt.demon.co.uk)