The evolution of an intangible concept into something tactile is fascinating. Sarracenia provide a wonderful canvas to observe the growth and advancement of something that may have started out in reverie. This is an update on one of those daydreams.
I had this strange notion and in 2016 was able to take the first successful steps on this journey. I did a cross between S. purpurea ssp. venosa var. montana and S. flava var. ornata – lidless. I would wonder -what would a lidless catesbaei look like? This was back when lidless plants were starting to get attention. Most types I’ve seen were upright such as flava and leuco. I haven’t seen a lidless semi upright or squat type. At least, not yet.
That first cross yielded plants that were not lidless. It was a step in the right direction though. The plants from that first cross still have an interesting unique form. Hoods formed upright and pinched. The veining patterns, strong in both parents, added some nice visual texture in the progeny. (An example of one of those is to the left.) The fun thing is that these carry a hidden gem waiting to be unlocked! Hidden “sleeper” lidless genes. To unlock – a cross containing a lidless or lidless recessive gene is needed. A percentage of the resulting offspring will have that characteristic expressed. A few photos of that first cross can be found here and here.
In 2022, the first flower to bloom for the season was one from this lidless recessive catesbaei group. The bloom was self-pollinated. The cross was successful and seeds were harvested then stratified. After a few weeks, the seeds were placed under lights and seedlings emerged.
Some of the seedlings looked very catesbaei-esque in this F2 generation. But some seedlings appeared to develop shorter than usual hoods. Totally stoked. As seedlings matured, the lidless characteristic became more apparent on some of them. This season, the lidless seedlings were separated and moved outdoors. They’re adjusting to life outside. One of the seedlings adjusted quickly and has shown surprising vigor; it’s growth outpacing the rest of the siblings. That one is photographed below. Others seedlings are still adjusting and have similar overall appearance. Some are slightly different. More photos on those later.
So here it is. It took a few years and a couple of crosses but that idea has been made manifest. What was once a curious concept has been embodied in the form of this strange Sarracenia. Where it goes from here? Who knows. Stay curious my friends!
