Tag Archives: Addiction

Reptile Crossing!

Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’  is definately one of my all time favorite plants.  S. ‘Reptilian Rose’ was created by a good friend and breeding mentor, the legend: Phil Faulisi. (DUDE!) More information on the plant can be found here: http://www.carnivorousplants.org/cpn/Species/v38n1p12_22.html#Reptilian The following photo is an example of what S. ‘Reptilian Rose’ looks like. (Same plant as in my gravitar, to the right) 😉

Sarracenia 'Reptilian Rose'

[Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’]

The following photos are seed grown crosses of S. ‘Reptilian Rose’ that were created by fellow carnivorous cohort, Dr. Travis Wyman. (Thanks Travis!) These photos were taken in June/July of this year (2010) and seedlings are just a little under 2 years old.  I began to germinate them indoors back during the December of 2008.  You can see some variation and some similarities.  Keep in mind that these plants are still young and still have a lot of growing up to do. Some are showing tell-tale signs of the angular nectar roll, but we won’t really know how pronounced that characteristic will be until these pitchers are fully mature.  And I haven’t noticed any scents just yet… but I’ll keep you posted on my findings and I’ll post photos now and then as the plants mature.  😉


S. 'Reptilian Rose' x leucophylla "Pale"

[Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ x leucophylla “pale”]

S. 'Reptilian Rose' x leucophylla "Pale"

[Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ x leucophylla “pale”]

S. 'Reptilian Rose' x leucophylla "Pale"

[Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ x leucophylla “pale”]

S. 'Reptilian Rose' x Leucophylla "Pale"

[Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ x leucophylla “pale”]

S. 'Reptilian Rose' x Leucophylla "Pale"

[Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ x leucophylla “pale”]

S. 'Reptilian Rose' x (flava var. rubricorpora x leucophylla)

[Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ x (flava var. rubricorpora x leucophylla)]

S. 'Reptilian Rose' x (flava var. rubricorpora x leucophylla)

[Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ x (flava var. rubricorpora x leucophylla)]

S. 'Reptilian Rose' x (flava var. rubricorpora x leucophylla)

[Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ x (flava var. rubricorpora x leucophylla)]

S. 'Reptilian Rose' x (flava var. rubricorpora x leucophylla)

[Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ x (flava var. rubricorpora x leucophylla)]

My First Pitcher Plant

I’ve always been fascinated with carnivores. Ever since I was a child, I was involved in gardening with my grandparents. When I learned that carnivorous plant existed, I was determined to obtain and grow them.  I first learned of carnivores when I saw them on TV, watching Nature on PBS. I also remember seeing a segment on carnivorous plants on the kids science show Mr. Wizards World back when it used to be aired on Nickelodeon.

Back then I only had access to the pale and wilted moldy venus fly traps at the local hardware store. The plants were located on the bottom shelf of course. In the dark. Behind the paints.  Directions to care for these things instructed me to “feed hamburger”, allow only “4-6 hours of sunlight a day”, “plant in rich loamy soil” that “included leaf mold” and “keep under 60F.”  Horrid I tell you. Pretty much, for us carnivore-heads, we’ve all been there.

When I first saw the pitcher plant on TV, I was just going nuts.  I HAD TO HAVE ONE. JUST ONE. I must of been about  6 or 7 years old at the time. I didn’t have access to any pitcher plants so I made my own.  How you ask? Forced evolution. Kinda.

My grandfather had onions growing in the garden. The large kinds that were as tall if not taller than me at the time. I noticed their tubular leaf structure and in my childhood wisdom and creativity figured out that Sarracenia must of evolved from these plants.

Now the photos I took today were of some green onions I have growing in the yard, so these aren’t as large and magnificent as the pitcher plants I created before… but for illustrative purposes, it will do.

[Onions. Where “Sarracenia must of evolved from.”]

So what did I do? I selected large onions leaves to create the pitcher. I took my scissors and cut the tube at the desired length and angle. Viola! There’s my pitcher!  To help it evolve faster, I used a spray bottle to fill it with water.  Ok. Now how about digestive fluid?

[Pitcher plant in creation.]

Uh… so again, my childhood creativity kicked in and I spat into the pitcher. Yeah. That’s right. I spat. I spitted. Yumm-O! My idea was that the saliva would help digest the insects that it would catch. That onion smelled enough anyway, and I figured bugs would be drawn to the scent. I helped to feed the plant by finding bugs and placing it into the watery-spit filled abyss… Oh those were good times indeed.  My addiction in its early stages yielding some really creative results…

Addiction Starter

Sarracenia 'Leah Wilkerson'

[Photo: Sarracenia ‘Leah Wilkerson’, top of hood view – from 2008]

In this “hobby”- a few of us could look back and see where it had really set foot and cemented itself into our life.  For me, I have always been into plants, always into gardening. As a child I grew up with my grandparents, helping them out in the garden.  The garden has always been a part of me and my life. [More on this and how I got into the carnivores later…]

That one plant that really cemented my addiction to Sarracenia and creating new hybrids was S. ‘Leah Wilkerson’.  (Thanks Brooks!)  This was my addiction.  A truly fantastic and spectacular plant indeed. It was in December of 2006 when I first received this plant; I knew then that my addiction was forever interwoven in the fiber of my being.  December 2006 – the winter of my discontent. I wanted more.  I was hungry to learn so much more.

At this point in 2006, I had been growing carnivores for about oh, 2 or 3 years or so. I had a small yet rapidly growing  collection at this time, mostly of plants that were pretty available.  I visited a couple carnivorous plant nurseries already within the past couple years and was just getting into this carnivore thing. One of the places I visited in 2005 was Karen Oudean’s nursery in Washington State.  Later on she told me that  she could already see it in me and already knew that I would be in this deep. Ha! 🙂

Anyway, at this time, I had plants like those Venus fly traps, sundews,  and quite a few pitcher plants.  I definately was not too knowledgeable about all of the different cultivars out there, but when I saw S. ‘Leah Wilkerson’ – that REALLY did it. Floodgates opened.  I remember feeling how much I wanted to know. How much I wanted to learn so much more about Sarracenia and hybridization.  From this point on I began to seek out and talk more with people who have been growing, learning as much as I could.  More importantly – I was learning and being inspired by their wisdom.  I am forever thankful for those of you who took the time to teach and inspire me (you know who you are!)

So for me, yeah, you could say it was S. ‘Leah Wilkerson’  that really sparked the insanity.

Sarracenia 'Leah Wilkerson'

[Photo: Sarracenia ‘Leah Wilkerson’, from 2008]

One. [Lost and … found?]

one

Photo: [Sarracenia courtii AF x leucophylla AF]

Hey everyone, hope you’re having a good week so far!

Yesterday I harvested a seed pod in where I thought there would be no seed at all. Turns out there was only ONE seed. The pod parent was a recent acquisition this year – another clone of an anthocyanin free courtii. Being that it was a recent division and I let it flower this year, it was too stressed to actually properly set seed. The pollen I used was already a few months old as well. It was worth the shot anyway to cross the two plants. I decided it would be a worthwhile photograph to capture the ONE seed in the entire pod.

How much more value I place on that one seed, and the high hopes I have for it. Undoubtedly I will cross the two plants again next year if the opportunity arises. For now, this is what I have to work with for this cross. Just one.  There is a high percentage that it could also of been selfed, which would still yield an anthocyanin free plant, but anyway — I am hopeful. I want that leuco represented in this cross.

So – whats up with the “lost and found” that I referenced in the title??

After I photographed this pod on one desk I moved it back to another desk to prepare to take the seed. When I arrived at the other desk, >DOH!!!< the seed was GONE! I frantically began to scour the floor in between the two desks with a flashlight knowing full well it would be close to impossible to locate the one seed.  I then managed to find a seed under my keyboard.  Is the seed I found the seed? I won’t know until a few months from now. That’s another project to pursue that I am sure you will be reading about in the future.

I wouldn’t have a problem say if 2 or 3 seeds formed of this cross this year, but ONE?  Egads!  Oh well, there’s always next year…

myPod.


Sarracenia Seed Pod

Originally uploaded by RCO911

The pod.

I took this photo of a Sarracenia seed pod last year (2009) and thought it would be fitting to share during this “beginning” of this blog. Contained in the pod are the little seeds of the beautiful tubular death leaves. Encapsulated in each seed is beauty. The Sarracenia’s beauty for me lies in both it’s aesthetic form and deadly function.

The pod is a milestone in hybridizing that I strive for. For me, this is where the perception and interpretations are made manifest. This is where the hypothesis begins to solidify.  In the pod are the seeds of vision that will be tried in period of cold stratification and then brought to life later in warmth and light.

The Pitcher Plant Project

Hello everyone! Simply summed up: I’m Sarracenia addicted so I decided to put up this blog about the plants I grow to give everyone a little window into this corner of my world. I love to garden, I love to grow things – but the plants that I obsess over are the Sarracenia. I am captivated and intrigued by these cylindrical savages – and most of all, I love to create hybrids from the plants that I have.  I’m pretty new to this art, but OH what a wonderful addiction this is.

I guess that’s why I call it “the project” since in my mind there are so many ideas and images of Sarracenia that have yet to be made manifest. I am always striving, imagining, and working on some sort of project with these plants. It will be a few years before I see some of the ideas I have become tangible, but I hope this blog would help document this journey.

I’ve met and connected with so many wonderful individuals in the few years that I’ve been growing that have been teaching and inspiring me in this Sarracenia/carnivorous journey, and I am forever thankful to them. (You know who you are). This blog would not be here if it wasn’t for your guidance, your care, your friendship and your love.  So, thank you!

And to the other other readers out there that may just be happening to stumble upon this humble blog, Welcome! I hope this blog will inspire you to get out there and plant something 😉