Date: Thu, 06 Aug 98 17:24 EDT From: dave evans <T442119@RUTADMIN.RUTGERS.EDU> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2623$foo@default> Subject: Re: N.rajah flowering
> My Nepenthes rajah is going to flower, the unopened buds
> are
> definitely round, and this usually indicates to me that it will be a
> male. With confidence!!!!, I would like to tentatively :-) offer
> pollen to anyone who will have a female (anything) flowering in about
> a months time, I believe I should be entitled to some of the seed if
> it is successful!!!!!.
> I have sent and received Nep pollen in the past, usually it is a
> mass of
> fungus, anyone know of a reliable method of transporting it?.
Dear Eric,
Yes, I used my refridgerator to dry out the pollen. First, I
simply cut off the male flowers, avoiding the sticky nectar, with the
pollen intact and still on the flower. Every couple days more flowers
openned and I would collect them into seperate batches. Each batch
goes into a small paper envelope, just like seed. That way, if one
bunch turned to mold, the whole lot wouldn't be lost! Every day I
checked on the flowers, but it seems to take about three or four days
for them to completely dry out. It is easy to tell when they are dry,
since they start to resemble a raisin--all shrunken and shrivelled.
If you think this will not work, or the first couple flowers to
mature don't dry in the fridge, use a small tupperware type container.
Inside the container, keep some packets of a drying agent to use so
these will can dry out the flowers, and pollen. Once again, place the
packets of pollen into the container as they ripen, and keep the con-
tainer in the fridge, the pollen has to be kept cold while drying and
probably frozen for storage longer than a couple weeks. If you intend
to try and keep some long term, freeze it in it's own tupperware-like
container as soon as it is dry.
Tips: Don't take the cold or frozen packets of pollen out of the
cold when you are ready to mail them. They will absorb water from the
warmer and wetter air. Instead, let them warm up for ten or fifteen
minutes before openning the container. Protect the pollen just like
they are seeds or the post office will crush them! Also, you do not
want to completely and utterly dry the pollen out, this may kill it.
It just to has to be dried to a little past the same point that raisins
are, they are too dry to mold, yet they still have some moisture in
them.
If you have some to spare (I'm sure others can also do this), I
would like some of this pollen for longterm storage, I'll be able to
send some pollen from the plant below or will have it on hand (err,
I mean in the freezer) for some time to come. I would like to set up
Nepenthes Pollen Bank, if it is possible (and the only way to find out
is to try!!!) So far, the only pollen in the "Bank" is from the plant
below. Does anyone else have extra pollen they can send in??? Pollen
donated would be available to anyone, on the condition the pollen
provider is given access to a nice portion of any resulting seeds,
seedlings, TC flasks, ect.
Good Luck,
Dave Evans
P.S. I now have an in flower male _N. ventricosa_. Are there any
receptive females out there??
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