Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 09:59:00 -0500 From: "Mellard, David" <dam7@cdc.gov> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg940$foo@default> Subject: FW: Flowering Carniverous Plants in the UK
>The Sarracenia looked incredibly healthy last year, but some of the
>pitchers, near to the flap and the entrance, have gone brown and
>wrinkly. Is this normal? Should I cut these back to the soil
Hi Paul,
Yes, it's normal for pitchers or a portion of the pitcher to turn brown
in the winter. I cut the brown part off during winter leaving the green
portion to provide some initial photosynthesis in the spring. Once the
spring ptichers come up, I cut off the remaining part of any pitcher
that went brown during dormancy. Brown pitchers are very common for the
upright growing Sarracenia. I've noticed that S. purpurea and S.
psittacina tend to keep more of their pitchers intact and green during
dormancy so I leave them alone. Whether you remove pitchers or not
probably won't matter that much to your plant. They do fine either way.
I definitely would cut them back, though, if you see fungus on them.
>Now the Sarracenia has grown a tall stalk with this alien like thing on
the end
>(a flower in closure or seed pod?) What should I do with it when it
>opens?
Enjoy it for it truely is an unusual flower. You can self pollinate it
by taking a brush or toothpick and gathering the yellow pollen when it
falls on the base of the now upsidedown flower. The flower looks very
much like an unbrella turned upside down with a base inserted partially
into the umbrella dome. The petals will fall through the openings
between the points of the umbrella. The female part of the plant is
part of the base inside the umbrella and are found in another set of
points jutting from that inside base. You'll have to fold the points
back to actually see them You'll notice what is almost like a hook at
the tips of the points. That's where you place the pollen. It's better
to get pollen from another Sarr since you'll get more seed. However, a
Sarr pollen can be self pollinated.
For those of you who found my anology amusing you should how I describe
the anotomical features of the human lung.
Have fun with your flower Paul..
David
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