Tag Archives: psittacina

Oh Psitt…

Sarracenia psittacniaSarracenia psittacina
A select large and vigorous seed grown plant from Jerry Addington.

Sarracenia psittacnia
Sarracenia psittacina
A select plant from Jerry Addington.
Same plant as in the above photo with my lens cap for scale.
This plant is  currently a little over 1 foot in diameter.

They’re ALIVE!

This year, I started my seeds in the greenhouse without any use of lighting or additional heat. *GASP!* Yeah, really! I normally would start them under lights (like this), but I ended up with about 150 or so different crosses that I’m germinating this year. Germination just took a little longer that I was used to.

I only had about 30 crosses of my own that actually took and set seed last year. Yeah, only 30 because of this >FUGLY-ness< a year ago.  Yo, it’s crazy to think that I was in THAT mess a year ago…  That said, many other friends sent me their own seeds that I’m growing out now. (Thanks again, y’all!)

Under lights, and with the addition of heat I’ve had seeds germinate in little as one week. I didn’t feel like dealing with any lights this year so I decided to germinate the seeds under my existing conditions.  I started the seeds a bit later in the year when it was warmer. It took roughly 5-6 weeks before I saw any signs of life, but I’m glad to report – they’re alive! THEY’RE ALIVE! Muahhaehah!!  There’s a lot more interesting-ness that will be coming out of this 2012-2013 generation, but for now – here are a couple AF crosses I’m excited to grow out! (D’aww, aren’t they cute?!)

Sarracenia luteola x 'Suspicion' Sarracenia leucophylla AF x psittacina AF

Left: Anthocyanin free catesbaei (Sarracenia luteola x flava ‘Supicion’)
Right: Anthocyanin free wrigleyana (Sarracenia leucophylla AF x psittacina AF)

Homecoming

There’s no place like home. Like I mentioned in my last post, I deeply enjoyed my visit up north (thanks again Mark!), but it feels great to be back home and with the plants again. Below are some photos from my first day back in the Asylum. A few traps here and there… as well as a few blooms, and a few buds that I’m really excited to work with! Enjoy!

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Greenhouse
The Asylum. It’s great to be home. 

Pinguicula Planter
Pinguicula doggy-piggy-bank planter, sending up a bloom!

Sarracenia 'Leah Wilkerson' x minor var. okefenokeensis
Sarracenia ‘Leah Wilkerson’ x minor var. okefenokeensis
Sown last year and growing quickly.

Sarracenia alata x rubra ssp. wherryi, MBRS clone
Sarracenia alata x rubra ssp. wherryi, MBRS clone.

Sarracenia ((rubra x oreophila) x flava v. rugelii) x 'Adrian Slack' - Select Clone
Sarracenia ((rubra x oreophila) x flava v. rugelii) x ‘Adrian Slack’
-Select Clone-
The pitchers from very late last season are still holding color well.

Sarracenia (leucophylla "red" x minor var. okefenokeensis) x (leucophylla x psittacina)
Sarracenia (leucophylla “red” x minor var. okefenokeensis) x (leucophylla x psittacina)  – cross by Dr. Travis H. Wyman.

Sarracenia 'Godzuki' x ((rubra x oreophila) x flava v. rugelii)
S. ‘Godzuki’ x ((rubra x oreophila) x flava v. rugelii)

Sarracenia flava "Heavy Veined"Sarracenia flava “Heavy Veined” flower breaking open.

Sarracenia 'Adrian Slack'
Sarracenia ‘Adrian Slack’
FINALLY, a BUD! After 2 years with no bloom, I finally get one this year!

Hope it survives and actually blooms for me though…

Sarracenia 'Smurf'
Ok, I know. It’s a freak. S. purpurea “Smurf” has a bud.
This should be interesting.

Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa var. burkii f. luteolaSarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa var. burkii f. luteola
Got another one with a bud! I wonder if I should cross with the Smurf? Hmm…

Sarracenia 'Reptilian Rose' x leucophylla "Pale" - Clone 1
Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ x leucophylla “Pale” – clone 1
Cross by Dr. Travis H. Wyman

Sarracenia 'Reptilian Rose' x leucophylla "Pale" - Clone 7Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ x leucophylla “Pale” – clone 7
Cross by Dr. Travis H. Wyman

Shooting Around

Just a few random shots from around the ‘house… enjoy!

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S. oreophila x 'Adrian Slack'Sarracenia oreophila x ‘Adrian Slack’

Nepenthes JambanNepenthes jamban

Darlingtonia californiaDarlingtonia californica peeking out over the edge

Pinguicula "John Rizzi"Pinguicula “John Rizzi” in bloom

S. (oreophila x 'Royal Ruby') x 'Adrian Slack'S. (oreophila x ‘Royal Ruby’) x ‘Adrian Slack’ – young pitcher of a cross I did a couple of years ago. I believe that this is a pitcher that was sent up a bit later last season.

S. [(oreophila x minor) x (purpurea x rubra) x leucophylla] x "Green Frog"S. [(oreophila x minor) x (purpurea x rubra) x leucophylla] x “Green Frog”
This is a complex hybrid I did a few years ago. It’s the first time I’ve actually seen some characteristics from this baby.

S. psittacinaSarracenia psittacina
This is a large clone from Jerry Addington. It is still dormant and was recently repotted. It does not look like much now, but hoping it throws out some beast-mode behemoth foliage once it wakes from dormancy.

Sarracena rosea "Big Mama"Sarracenia rosea “Big Mama”
It’s currently dormant and recently repotted. Just like the S. psittacina above, I am hoping it throws out some beast-mode behemoth foliage once it wakes.

Sarracenia venosa, AF CloneSarracenia venosa, anthocyanin free clone

Early Riser: First Bloom

While most plants are dormant, there are a few that are early risers here.  Perhaps it is because a few are still adjusting and out of whack from all of the shuffle last year. Also, the greenhouse I am in now has a couple hot spots. The winner of this year’s first flower goes to a complex hybrid I did a few years ago of Sarracenia moorei – Yellow River, FL x [((purpurea x flava) x flava) x minor]


Sarracenia moorei, Yellow River, FL x [(purpurea x flava) x flava)] x minor

Running not far behind are a few plants, one of which is this anthocyanin free hybrid. Not sure exactly what this one is – perhaps some combo of AF (anthocyanin free) psittacina/rubra cross. I caught this one as the sun was behind the new pitcher. It was really highlighting that glow that I love so much with AF plants. And yeah, there’s still a whole slew of dead pitchers in the background, but I’m making my rounds cleaning up each section as I get to it.

Anthocyanin free hybrid about to bloom. I suspect a psittacina/rubra hybrid.

Seeing the signs of plants breaking dormancy is exciting indeed. Like, I’m freakin’ out inside when I think about all the possibilities this year! SO much to look forward to! Again, most of the plants are dormant and just a pile of elongated crispy leaves. These plants are just a handful that are awake early. This won’t be for long though. In a matter of a few short weeks, there again will be a deluge of growth and color. And yes, it will be awesome.

Out On The Table

September Coverage

You may of remembered that at beginning of this month, I was covering quite a few things up. Now, I’m finding myself laying it all out on the table. Well, tables. This last weekend, Dahlia and I spent the day doing some trimming, pulling the weeds out of the pots, and finally – getting the plants out to the tables. In the photo to the left, you can see a few of the tables covered up, finally. I’ve had the plants just bumbling along in their cement mixing tubs and other trays packed in somewhat tight (to save space.) This is great for moving and saving space. But now, I’m sure that the plants are happy to be moving from cramped quarters onto the water tables. The way they’re packed now leaves them desiring some room for improvement. Literally. See, although it’s brighter now, the plants aren’t getting all the light or air circulation that they could be getting since they’re packed close. Don’t get me wrong though! I’m in an area that’s much better – and now that the plants are getting spread out, they’ll really get hit with the light and air that they desire. What I’m hoping for is that the elongated foliage they developed at the old place would really be put to use now – acting as larger solar panels (for lack of better illustration) and absorb even more light to store in the rhizome for next season. Also, insects do find their way in because of the vents, so that’s more food for them! It isn’t pretty just yet, but next year should be quite a show. (I’m putting this down in this blog entry so that by the time next season comes around – I can test my theory out and see if my hypothesis is right.)

In the meantime, enjoy a few photos of the work in progress below! It’s not pretty as you’ll notice the long and stretched leaves that the plants produced. I was really tempted to cut most of those leaves off for aesthetic reasons/personal taste, but I know that the plants would benefit better if I left the foliage. Like I mentioned before — I’m hoping that those long leaves will be put to good use so I’m keeping a majority of them connected to the plant still. Also,  I won’t be dividing them just yet as I’d hate to disturb/shock them after all the crap they went through this year. I plan on doing some divisions later in the late fall/winter.

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After moving a few plants to the tables, the place really started to look like a nursery! It is truly a joy to see things come this far. That’s Dahlia in the back helping me weed/clean the plants. I grouped the plants together by genus/species/subspecies/variations as well. One of the things I’d like to do in the coming seasons is concentrate more on species and populations from different locations. Doing all of this hybridizing work really makes me appreciate the species so much more and makes me realize that keeping the genetic bloodlines is truly important.

I had species mixed up all over the place before. Now that I have room, it’s good to have things together. Another project in the future that I have in mind will be to do a census. I no longer keep a growlist as there have been too many changes in a short amount of time to even try to keep up with things. Freakin’ intense…

Above I’ve placed all Pinguicula, Dionaea, Drosera, Utricularia, and Darlingtonia together. I’ll be going through and dividing/propagating later, so keep checking back as I’ll make things available every now and then. And yeah, sorry for not updating the shop as often as I should, but — once things settle down and get organized, I hope to change that!

Sarracenia purpureas, psittacinas, and minors all together in this section. In the distance, you can see how friggin beat up the minors are from being in the low light conditions. Behind that are the leucophyllas.

Here’s a shot of the grouping of minors. So SAD! UGH! They are so beat up! The older traps are weak, elongated, and floppy. However, check out a few of the new traps as you can see those are strong and upright.

Here we have the grouping of Sarracenia rubra, and in the back is the Sarracenia leucophylla section. I’m keeping the rubras on the higher end/dryish part of the table. Fellow Sarracenia-phile Mike Wang suggests that S. rubras like things on the dryer side. I’ve been top watering and letting the excess run down to the rest of the table where the S. leucophyllas are sitting. Uneven tables: I guess that’s a good thing for situations like this.

Sarracenia leucophylla - 'Hurricane Creek White' clone D

Sarracenia leucophyllas are making a come back! S. leucophyllas throw pitchers up in the fall anyway – this is their time to shine! It’s nice to see them recovering and looking much happier now!

In this front section of this table are all of the S. ‘Reptilian Rose’ hybrids/seedlings that were created by Dr. Travis H. Wyman. I’m really spacing these out to get as much light and air to the plants as possible. I have great hopes for these babies, and I’m sure Dr. Wyman does too. In the back section are various other hybrids of similar shape/form all mixed in.

Another angle of the Sarracenia ‘Reptilian Rose’ hybrid section. You can see the old lanky growth vs. the stronger upright recent growth on some of these plants.

OH MY! The anthocyanin free section. OF COURSE! Y’all should know me by now. I am an anthocyanin free addict!

Here’s a few of the Sarracenia courtii AF x “Green Monster” crosses I did from 2009. They are on the road to recovery!

The field of screams! The Dionaea group. They’ve really turned around since the move into The Asylum.

Hope you enjoyed this quick update – will be working on putting the rest of the tables together and moving plants over the course of the next few weeks. Good times indeed!

A Fresh Formosa

Sarracenia formosa, anthocyanin free cloneSarracenia formosa, anthocyanin free clone

AF Sarracenia formosa – not just Anthocyanin Free Sarracenia formosa, but A FRESH formosa! (See: “fresh” as defined in the urban dictionary). Sarracenia formosa is a hybrid anthocyanin free forms of minor and psittacina; both anthocyanin free versions are somewhat limited in cultivation (at least for now), and a hybrid between the two plants is pretty interesting! This is a young seedling and  I’m looking forward to growing it out to flowering maturity.