The Pitcher Plant Project

I recently was cleaning and re-potting some of the S. (leucophylla x oreophila) Oudean Clone x ‘Adrian Slack’ babies and wanted to share a few photos of the resilient youngsters. This was a cross I did back in 2009. As with all of my other plants, they were struggling for most of the year due to the low light levels in the last grow area. Things are coming around I am constantly amazed by what I see. The pod parent plant is a richly colored S. leucophylla x oreophila clone that I obtained years ago from Karen Oudean. I used pollen from S. ‘Adrian Slack’ and got a wide range of great looking young plants.  Here are a few that have made an exceptional come back thus far. I am hoping for a great spring flush of pitchers next season. Being that the plants are recovering, who knows what they’ll look like next year with a full season of light? I can only dream.

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Sarracenia (leucophylla x oreophila) Oudean Clone x ‘Adrian Slack’

First up is this one rather subtle yet elegantly tinted clone. It has a slight coppery blush about it. The pitcher recently opened as you may be able to tell as the nectar roll hasn’t quite fully unfurled. I’ll be watching it to see how that color develops. It would be interesting if most of the exterior of the pitcher will copper up, while the interior stays light.

Sarracenia (leucophylla x oreophila) Oudean Clone x ‘Adrian Slack’

Another angle of the same plant above. There’s a few prominent vertical veins at this point in time – not too vieney. I like it. Who knows if more of those veins will fill in and lace the pitcher as it ages? I am also hoping for some of the white coloration to pull through from the leucophylla influences of both parents, even if it’s a quiet expression. With the obvious lack of strong color, I am still impressed by the form and structure of this one. Neat-o.

Sarracenia (leucophylla x oreophila) Oudean Clone x ‘Adrian Slack’

Here’s another one from the batch. More veins are visible on this one. At this point in time, there appears to be some white “frosting” to the nectar roll adding a nice touch of color and depth to the overall look of the plant.

Sarracenia (leucophylla x oreophila) Oudean Clone x ‘Adrian Slack’

Another clone, this one looking a little more rugged than the others. The shape of the nectar roll exhibited by the pitcher in the foreground reminds me a little bit of S. ‘Reptilian Rose’ it has a bit of that angularity mixed in. This is another one of those – eh, who knows?! The parentage of S. ‘Reptilian Rose’ is S. oreophila, Sand Mountain x S. ‘Royal Ruby’. All of the species in S. ‘Reptilian Rose’ (oreophila, leucophylla, flava) have a representation going on in this scenario. The pitcher in the rear has a nice little dip in the lip to it. Too early to tell if that toothy angularity will be consistent though.  Whatever, I’m still likin’ it.

Sarracenia (leucophylla x oreophila) Oudean Clone x ‘Adrian Slack’

This one has a nice radiant brightness about it. It is freshly opened so the coloration will most likely change. Right now, a lot of the white from the Sarracenia leucophylla influence from both sides of the parentage is apparent here. What I like about this one is that the heavy undulating lid that follows most of the Sarracenia leucophylla hybrids has been diluted, and what is left is the leucophylla color without all the frills. As with everything else, it’s too young to tell if all the current characteristics will remain. What I do know is that they are making a good recovery and that I look forward to the surprises they’ll  have in store next season.