introduction
bob mcmorris (mcmorris@sanctum.com)
Wed, 24 Jul 1996 10:28:21 -0700
Hi my name is Bob McMorris; while I have been a member of this group for
several months now this is my first entry, so I believe an introduction is
in order. My background is in zoological sciences with expirience in Zoo
biology, herpetology, and aviculture. I have been interested in cp for a
very long time, however it has only been the last three years that I have bee
actively growing them. My particular interest is with Drosera but certainly
not limited to them. For the past eighteen months I have been working with
clone of P pumila that regularly grows to about 2-3 inches in size. I call
it "Pasco Giant" I have been trying to set the flower color. Besides the
all yellow ssp bushwellei (sp ?) there are two basic throat colors; yeelow
and purple. The petals can vary from white to lite purple to a very dark
purple some even are white on the dorsal surface and purple below. The
flower size and shape is also some what variable. To date, I have seed that
is generaly true to thraoat color and a little less to petal color. Also
P pumila can produce at least two and very likely three complete cycles
within a year. I have raised two generations and had enough time to do a
third. This species will also bloom intermitenly throughout the year. Most
will bloom in late winter and continue through the spring. they slow down
in the summer and fall. I have plants blooming now.
Another "project" im working on is to beytter understand the common Drosera
capillaris. Here in the TampaBay area of florida there seems to be several
different clones. I believe the type of soil(ie straight sand to sand mixed
with "muck" to straight muck) probably play a major role in the growth
patterns, however I have plants that stay small and open(ie few"arms") to
plants that may have "arms up to 3 inches and aimed in all directions like a
pin cushion. I know this species can hybredize with D intermedia and with
D brevifolia, but what I am seeing produces seed. In several study sites the
flowers dont seem to open. This past spring I realized that capillaris
seems to have a spring dormancy. In our area about Mar-April it gets hot and
usually dry before our summer rain pattern gets going. The plants that in
the early spring may be growing great(beautiful 3-4+ in) seem to slow down
most of the really long "arms" die off and generally go dormant. Many of my
plants(all growing in pots and in standing water-various soil mixes)also go
dormant with a hibernaculun of sorts in evidence. I never heard of this for
this species.
regarding some of the entries during the past weeks: U olivacea; I find it
primarily in marshy areas. During the heat of the summer it seems to raise
to surface in the algal mats. The flowers look like tiny white specks.
Also regarding the mutiple Nepenthes flower spikes, there was somthing in oe
of the earlier issues of ICPN regarding grafting. I have several different
species that produce more than one spike at a time. Someone else was asking
about how to grow N madagascariensis. I have a plant that is planted in
mostly peat with a top dressing of live spagnum that has grown at least 6+
inches just since this spring! It is in a large plastic hanging basket type
of pot. Others in 4 in pots are doing fine but not growing like a rocket.
Sorry to be so verbose. Hope my spelling is ok and I did not talk about God,
so I guess Im done.
regards Bob