I can’t seem to get enough of the savage Darlingtonia californica cuteness! These babies were given to me as tiny seedlings from my friend, Mike Wang last year. They’re growin’ up quick and really putting some fangs out! (Photos from 17 Jul 2012. )
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Tagged californica, Carnivorous Plant, Cobra Lilly, Cobra plant, darlingtonia
Sarracenia purpurea ssp. purpurea AF x “Green Monster”
My oh my, how quickly the children grow. It was only a few moments ago that they were sealed up in their little baggies waiting to germinate. Then sprouting up with a voracious appetite. Man, they grow up so fast…
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Tagged anthocyanin free, CUTE, Green monster, heterophylla, purpurea, Sarracenia
Sarracenia moorei “Orange Glow” x ‘Adrian Slack’
As I was out checking up the plants, one of the seedlings caught my eye. It was kind of like “OH! SOMETHING SHINY!” in a mess of burning-out-toppled-over-older-pitchers. It’s Sarracenia moorei “Orange Glow” x ‘Adrian Slack’ which I crossed back in 2009. I haven’t really noticed it in the past because of all the transitions, and the poor conditions that the plants were in. I mos’ def had a hard time seeing the true potential in the plants at that crappy last spot, but things are turning around here. Now that it’s getting more light, it seems happier and is putting up new pitchers. I hope that it can hold or even intensify that white coloration as it matures. This is one that I’ll be watching for sure!
Sarracenia alata AF F2 seeds. The unfortunate first harvest of 2012.
With all this moving, there was bound to be a casualty or two. One of the plants, I’m sad to report, didn’t quite make it. Anthocyanin free Sarracenia alata. (DAMN IT!) I was pretty upset even when I found this plant reduced to compost. I’ve come to accept that I will lose plants from time to time. I was really upset that it was a good plant. I was doubly PISSED that it was an anthocyanin free plant. If you haven’t figured it out by now, I am totally enamored by anthocyanin free plants. (Or simply”AF” for short. Also see: definition of anthocyanin.) I wanted to use this plant in future crosses pretty badly. But hey, stuff happens to us all. The stress from the division early in the year, poor conditions, energy spent in seed production, combined with another move — heck, all of that could of contributed to the plants demise.
There is a bright spot in this unfortunate loss: earlier in the year she threw up a flower and I self pollinated it. I checked the pod before I threw the plant out and I saw it had seeds. The reason I self pollinated the plant was to preserve the AF genetics for this species. Although the parent plant passed away, there is hope for the next generation of AF S. alatas in those seeds as well as in some other crosses I did using this plant. See, I also used the pollen from this AF Sarracenia alata for a couple of crosses with other forms of Sarracenia alata. My goal was to get that AF gene out there in the species one way or another. I know that the subsequent cross between the AF recessives, other AF recessives, and pure AF plants will unlock that AF gene. (By the way, when I say “recessive”, it’s like saying that AF gene is “hidden” or “silent” – you won’t really know it’s there by looking at it.) How’s all of that for some AF plant breeding nerdiness? Even though the main parent plant is no longer with me, a legacy has been left behind that I hope will grow on in future generations.
Last weekend, Dahlia and I had a little weekend excursion in Sonoma County. It was a much needed time to relax after all the moving that we recently had to do. We’re settling into our new place nicely – but man… moving always sucks! (Thanks again to everyone who helped out!)
So anyway – what would a mini-vacay be without carnivores?! For me, vacations are never complete without carnivorous plant goodness. Since we were in the ‘hood of California Carnivores we decided to stop by to immerse ourselves in the carnivory. If you haven’t been there, I highly recommend stopping by. It’s always a pleasure to visit this magnificent and magical place. Thank you, Cal Carn for what you do. Continue to embolden and equip us to be better growers!
Click here for the full screen slideshow!
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Tagged brocchinia, California Carnivores, Carnivorous Plant, Catopsis, Cephalotus, darlingtonia, Dionaea, drosera, Drosophyllum, Heliamphora, nepenthes, out and about, Peter D'Amato, Pinguicula, Roridula, Sarracenia, visit
Back in May, I wrote about this surprise that popped up. The seed batch it came in was Sarracenia mitchelliana x ‘Leah Wilkerson’. As described in that post, that AF-ness (AF short for Anthocyanin Free, or kind of like an “albino” mutation) could stem from several different factors. Here’s an update on how it’s turning out so far. The nectar roll turned white, and some spots are forming that I hope will fill in more under direct sun. Whatever it is, I enjoy this plants company in the Sarracenia sanctuary.
An anthocyanin free Sarracenia surprise that sprung up from a batch of seeds I received from Wes Buckner.
It was labeled as S. mitchelliana x ‘Leah Wilkerson’.
One of the things that I enjoy about keeping this blog is being able to go back, look at plants and how they progress. It’s kind of fun going through the archives and taking that walk down memory lane.
Back at the beginning of June, I wrote about the greenhouse move that I had to undergo because of the horrid conditions that the plants were growing in. I’m currently in a temporary holding location that offers slightly brighter light and the difference it is making is remarkable.
Below are photos of Sarracenia ‘Black Widow’ x flava v. rubricorpora that I grew from seed from a cross that Dr. Travis H. Wyman did back in 2008. I photographed the same pitcher over the course of several weeks to document the color change.
In the first photo below left – this is what the plant looked like in dim conditions on 27 May 2012. After a couple weeks in the brighter location, the mouth started to color up. (Photo below right, 17 Jun 2012.) The last photo below is a photo that I took yesterday and my hypothesis was correct – the plant is starting to color up. Keep in mind that this isn’t even direct sunlight and I can only imagine what it will be like next year when it gets started at the big location with direct light. Hoping for a deeply colored crimson plant. What a difference lighting makes!
27 May 2012 17 Jun 2012
Sarracenia ‘Black Widow’ x flava v. rubricorpora
6 Jul 2012 – Sarracenia ‘Black Widow’ x flava v. rubricorpora
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Tagged awesome, Black Widow, flava, Lighting Difference, rubricorpora, Sarracenia, Travis, Wyman
