Back in 1988 I was a student of horticulture at New Mexico State University (NMSU). I had a student job working with the Chile breeding program, supporting staff and graduate students. I was permitted to grow a few CP, using my own materials, in small idle areas between benches in the Chile breeding greenhouse. One plant I grew there was Byblis liniflora - it was good at collecting some of the few whitefly that escaped the other IPM. I originally obtained Byblis liniflora as seed from WIP (World Insectivorous Plants), many years before. The plants I grew in a tray at NMSU were started from seed, that was already several generations removed from the seed I originally obtained from WIP. As I grew this tray of Byblis liniflora plants I carefully pollinated a majority of the flowers as they were produced. Then I watched and waited, harvesting the seed as it ripened. I can only estimate, but I guess there were several thousand seed collected in total. Then I was unable to continue growing CP for quite some time. I donated many of these seed to the ICPS seedbank, I traded many more, and even sold a few vials containing one hundred each, of these seed.
It is now, almost twenty-three years later, and even though I had developed a favorite technique for germinating Byblis liniflora seed, I did not use it when I recently sowed ten of these twenty-three year old seed. I simply sowed them on the surface of a 2" pot of media.
It is about six weeks later and, "surprise" - already four of the seed have germinated and those tiny little Byblis liniflora seedlings are now growing in that little pot. I almost didn't expect the seed was still viable after all that time. If only all seed maintained its viability like this Byblis liniflora seed has.
It is now, almost twenty-three years later, and even though I had developed a favorite technique for germinating Byblis liniflora seed, I did not use it when I recently sowed ten of these twenty-three year old seed. I simply sowed them on the surface of a 2" pot of media.
It is about six weeks later and, "surprise" - already four of the seed have germinated and those tiny little Byblis liniflora seedlings are now growing in that little pot. I almost didn't expect the seed was still viable after all that time. If only all seed maintained its viability like this Byblis liniflora seed has.
