Date: Wed, 22 Jan 1997 10:20:35 +0900 (JST) From: Fernando Rivadavia <ss69615@ecc-xs09.hongo.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg308$foo@default> Subject: D.uniflora cultivation tips
To all,
I have just received the good news that I will be receiving
(today or tomorrow) live specimens of D.uniflora and would like a few
opinions from anyone who has experience with Drosera dormancy or switching
the seasons of plants from opposite hemispheres.
I doubt any of you have had experience with this species before,
since it is endemic to southernmost Argentina and Chile, in an area called
Tierra del Fuego. It is taxonomically a very interesting species, with
its position in the genus being rather dubious. I am hoping to include
this species in my DNA work with Drosera and thus having leaf material is
essential.
Though I can get leaves from herbaria (which will also be brought
with these live specimens), it would be interesting if we could introduce
this species into cultivation. Although I believe this would be rather
difficult for 99% of CPers due to the difficulty of reproducing the
natural conditions in which this species grows. Its summers probably only
last 2-3 months, with very LONG days.
Hopefully I'll get seeds to spread to in-vitro workers. The plants
I intend to pass on to responsible cultivators here in Japan. Yet the
plants should be at the height of their growing season at the moment,
it being summer in the S Hemisphere. Does anyone have any tips as to
whether we should try and force this species into dormancy now or maybe
keep it inside heated greenhouses for a while longer, maybe a month, and
then put it in the refrigerator (or freezer?). And should we keep them in
the fridge/freezer until summer of '98 or maybe attempt to remove them in
late summer and then let winter come again naturally?
Any suggestions are welcome.
Thanks for the help,
Fernando Rivadavia
Tokyo, Japan
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