Re: 3 Q's: gemmae, seedlings and hybrids

From: Phil Wilson (cp@pwilson.demon.co.uk)
Date: Wed Feb 03 1999 - 12:24:27 PST


Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1999 20:24:27 +0000
From: Phil Wilson <cp@pwilson.demon.co.uk>
To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com
Message-Id: <aabcdefg324$foo@default>
Subject: Re: 3 Q's: gemmae, seedlings and hybrids

John,

>Q1: Can pygmy Drosera gemmae be stored? What is the best method
>and how long can they be kept in storage?
>
Depends on the species. Generally the smaller flatter (fishscale-like)
gemmae can be stored for quite a long time if kept a) wet and b)
chilled. To keep them wet store them between a fold of dampened kitchen
roll and place this in a small ziploc bag. Keep this in the fridge. I
have kept gemmae of D. pulchella this way for up to six months, though
generally the longer the gemmae are stored the lower the percentage that
start into growth successfully. The larger gemmae tend to sprout
regardless of the temperature and will start to grow even when kept in
the fridge. Storage times for this type of gemmae can be little more
than a week at the most.

>Q2: I've had a difficult time growing Sarracenia from seedlings. I
>notice that as the seed sprouts, it produces the cotyledons (sp?)
>about 1 cm above the soil, and then all the pitchers are produced at
>that spot, the same place I assume the rhizome will develop. Should
>I push some of the soil up around the plant to bring it up to that
>level?
>
All that is happening is that as the initial root pushes into the soil
the plant itself gets forced up. You can carefully bury the plant again
once it has formed the first or second pitcher. However, if you bury the
seed to about its own depth when sowing you will find that the tendency
of the seedling to push clear of the soil is greatly reduced.

>Q3: When making a hybrid cross between Sarracenia species, does it
>make a difference in the offspring which plant produces the seed?
>
Not as far as I know. There is probably a convention as to which plant
(the plant bearing the pollen or the plant bearing the seed) is listed
first but I can't remember which way round it is.

Regards,
Phil Wilson
Email: cp@pwilson.demon.co.uk
Web Site: www.pwilson.demon.co.uk



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