D. adelae sending up a flower stalk

[jimscott]

Last summer I rescued a a VFT/Cobra Lily/D. adelae from a Lowes cube. The VFT & Cobra Lily are currently dormant and the D. adelae, sitting in the bathroom window, is sending up a stalk.

Soon after I got this plant, it was infested with aphids and I drowned them. The plant recovered and during the fall, it feasted on a multitude of fruitflies. Then its leaf development seemed to take off, but no new plantlets. On the weekend I saw a different sort of leaf emerging, with what appeared to be a cluster buds. A magnifying glass confirmed what I saw.

Is this the time of year for flowering? Was this a function of gorging itself on fruitflies? Any other theories?

 

[Anoxos]

Well, it is summer in australia, not that the observation should mean anything to a plant probably TC in the USA... My Lowes cube adelae are still sending plantlets out. I would guess its the reaction to healthy feeding and good conditions, but its just a guess. Congrats on the flower, I started with one and currently have about 12 of the buggers ranging from new sprout to almost 6" diameter, and no sign of a blossom yet! Maybe I should go get some powdered bloodworms or something... (grumble) Or maybe stop transplanting the plantlets to other pots. Maybe if I let one get crowded, it'll bloom, like my utrics did...

 

[Dimka]

You know... I think I'm seeing a stalk too... i've never had one, but I think thats what it is... since its like a few layers below the leafs that are developing and kind on on the side...

 

[Brian_W]

I'm under the assumption that cultivated tropical/subtropical sundews flower whenever they are ready, regardless of their natural patterns in the wild.  It could have been all the nutrients from the fruit flies.  I have some  D. spatulata seedlings that I feed blood worms, and they began to flower even though they were still fairly small.  I've noticed increased flowering with other sundews that either caught a lot of prey, or were fed.  There are a lot of scientific papers out there that show the nutrients derived from insects are used for flowering and setting seed.

Brian