Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ x ‘Adrian Slack’
Earlier in June I wrote an update about this cross I did between two very special plants in 2010 – Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ x ‘Adrian Slack‘. (Parents photographed in the first photo above.) The photos in that June post were kind of colorless as they were just moved to the brighter holding area. They began to color up there and things are starting to look better now.
Photographed above is only one of the FOUR survivors from that cross. Both young pitchers are a result of the autumn flush of growth. The pitcher on the right has a very subtle irregular and slightly angular flavor to the nectar roll. I’m hoping that the angles from S. ‘Reptilian Rose’ will express themselves even more so as this plant and it’s siblings mature. The others may express it more so, but I honestly can’t tell right now. Time will reveal all. The others don’t have much to show right now. They’re still looking like sorry floppy skinny looking things, but they’re serving a function by absorbing light, and saving the energy in the rhizome for next season’s growth. I hope to be able to see more defining characteristics from both parents next year.
What’s pretty fascinating about the offspring is that it contains a recessive, or as some others say – a “hidden” AF (anthocyanin free) gene. You can see the influence of both parents on the shape of the offspring. The colors are not accurate at this point in time as it has not received a spring or summer with strong light. As with everything else, it’s recovering and kinda lanky right now. Time will tell what this plant’s true colors and form will be like. What I really want to do is use the plants from this cross in future anthocyanin free breeding projects. When crossed with other AF recessive plants, or another AF plant, the anthocyanin free trait is unlocked and a certain percentage of the plants will exhibit the AF trait. Sweet! I know. This breeding stuff takes time, but it’s definitely worth it.
