D.meristocaulis growing very fast!

[Fernando Rivadavia]

To all,

My friend Ivan Snyder in Los Angeles is having enviable success with his D.meristocaulis seedlings -- which almost don't look like seedlings anymore! Take a look at how big his plants are, at only 6 months of age (scroll down the page):

http://www.geocities.com/lacps//Dmeristocaulis.html


Good luck to all,

Fernando Rivadavia
Sao Paulo, Brazil

 

[Fernando Rivadavia]

To all,

On the CP listserv, Ivan began a thread about the ancient origin of D.meristocaulis...


Ivan wrote: Notice the sessile glands all over the leaves front and back. These are quite dewy and reminiscent of Drosophylum. Consider that Drosophylum also has cryptocotylar germination. Could these sessile glands on D. meristocaulis be carnivorous, and if so, what does this all mean? I'll let you ponder this and see if you come to the same conclusion.


Fernando wrote: If I remember well, there are lots of rosetted Drosera species (S.African?) with sessile glands on the backs of their leaves, but I have a feeling they're more numerous and smaller than the ones visible on D.meristocaulis. They could well be carnivorous, but I think it's more likely that they serve for protection from aphids and such.

The funny thing is that this mucilage appears to be somewhat resinous since it can be seen on herbarium specimens as tiny pellets covering the backsides of the leaves... I wonder if this is also true for other Drosera species with sessile glands on the backs of their leaves or if those of
D.meristocaulis are truly unique...



Take Care,
Fernando Rivadavia
Sao Paulo, Brazil

 

[PlantAKiss]

Very interesting. And good job on the germination and growth. The close ups are great. Sure would be wonderful to see this plant get into cultivation and commonly accessible.

Thanks for sharing the photos and information.

 

[Fernando Rivadavia]

Hey everyone,

Apparently Ivan's secret for ultra-fast growth is to hand feed fruitfly to his young plants...

Take Care,
Fernando Rivadavia