Ok, the reason for including as much of the leaf and petiole (the
part of leaf which attaches to the stem) as possible is there
are nutrients and food (starches) in the thicker parts of the
leaf. These are what keep the cutting going after being removed
from the parent and feed the new planlets. Also, that's why the
tips of the leaves died (no food).
> The other Drosera cuttings exhibit quite a range. D
Intermedia seems to grow little plantlets at the end away from
the stalk. With D Linearis they seem to erupt out of the middle
of the leaf. With Drosera sp 'Floating, RSA' (Lowrie seed) the
plantlets grow at the stalk end. By the way, has the latter
been formally named or identified yet?
>>>>>>>>
Nearly all Drosera will grow foliar embyros which, like the name
indicates, start as little bumps (the embyros) on surface of the
leaf. The next thing they should do is grow some leaves and
stem. The roots will have to grow from the stem and at this
point nearly all the food the parent leaf had will be in the new
plantlets so this can be the easiest time for them to die. If
they run out of food before they develop roots... Anyway, you
can see why it is important to get as much of the leaf as possible,
and why SuperThive helps (it will help the plants grow roots sooner
as well as boost the number of plantlets). Petiolaris plants are
different from other Drosera in that they don't grow foliar
embyros but need a tiny bit of the stem attached to the leaf
from which they grow. Perhaps some hormone can be used which
will promote foliar growth in these plants?
Dave Evans