Re: Ibicella lutea

From: SCHLAUER@chemie.uni-wuerzburg.de
Date: Tue Apr 08 1997 - 19:04:29 PDT


Date:          Tue, 8 Apr 1997 19:04:29 
From: SCHLAUER@chemie.uni-wuerzburg.de
To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com
Message-Id: <aabcdefg1321$foo@default>
Subject:       Re: Ibicella lutea

Dear Wim,

> A few of the things he told me :
> - the seedpods can kill sheep and even cows

Did anyone test this? How? Anyway, an average tree can also kill all
kinds of animals (if it falls on the head of its victim).

> - he wants to investigate whether Ibicella lutea
> - is a true carnivorous plant or not (I thought it is not)

Let us wait and see...

> - enhances the decay process of the killed animal

How does he want to test this? With sheep and cows? ;-)

> Now he looks for any information regarding this plant as he is in his
> last year and he wants to make his script about it. He has already
> written a part of his script (22 MB ! including photographs). I think
> any scientific project involving the is-it-or-is-it-not a CP question
> and the decay/absorption of the prey will also be very much appreciated.

There is AFAIK only the old Mameli stuff (written very early this
century), which is cited over and over again, rather than any
experiment to be done. Therefore, I am very happy to see that anyone
is eager to perform some science with this plant. First of all, try
the film test described to work with _Pinguicula_ by Heslop-Harrison &
Knox (Planta 96:183- 211, 1971) and proved to give negative results
with _Roridula_ by Ellis & Midgley (Oecologia 106:478-481, 1996).
This will show in a very straightforward way if the plant is able to
digest animal protein.

Is the plant identified correctly? There is a significant danger of
confusion with _Proboscidea_. I think _Proboscidea_ was tested for
proteolytic activity already (it did AFAIK not have any digesting
properties). Approx. 90% of the plants sold as "Ibicella" are in fact
only forms of _Proboscidea louisianica_.

Kind regards
Jan



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