Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1999 23:59:14 -0800 From: "Chris Hind" <chind@hotmail.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg284$foo@default> Subject: Ibicella lutea: Carnivorous or not?
>Dear Jan,
>
>First of all, thank you very much for your answer about Ibicella lutea,
>but there is something I want to tell you... I wrote already that I've
>been growing Ibicella for 3 years and I already know a bit about the way
>Ibicella lives. There is something that is strange to me...
>When I'm working in my greenhouse and I'm touching a carnivorous plant
>with enzymes (like Drosera and Pinguicula) than there appears (afer half
>an hour) red spots on my skin. I know for sure that the red spots are
>from the enzymes of my plants. The "strange" thing is that, when I touch
>an Ibicella, there also appears red spots on my skin... Aren't that
>"digesting" enzymes?
>I really believe what you wrote me, but that's something I still don't
>understand.
>Do you know how this is possible?
I was talking this over with Ivan Snyder and he claims he's read about
people with alergic reactions to sundew enzymes. Also Ivan has been recently
doing experiments on Ibicella and Proboscidea and he claims at least
Ibicella is only carnivorous in high humidity settings. He claims the plant
will secrete enzyme around an insect or digestible matter in high humidity
meaning that it probably works in the wild like Byblis where it is actively
carnivorous primarily during the morning hours when the morning dew is out.
Jan, have you grown the plant and tested it yourself yet? 2 or 3 experiments
isnt a good deal of testing to conclusively prove something especially if
humidity is a factor which was unaccounted for. I'm not a 'true believer'
that is plant is carnivorous as I might sound but I do think that other
factors need to be accounted for before we draw a rigid conclusion.
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