TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk
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Parasuco,
I would bet thet you probably have a D. spatulata as this is one of the big commercial Drosera.
You can only really acquire pygmies through big nam CP nurseries or private growers. Size can help identify a pygmy but it only works if you know that your plant is mature. Mature pygmies are (for the most part) now bigger than a penny. Their roots can offer a clue (pygmy roots are super fine, almost like hair) but you probably don't want to up-root your plant.
I would recommend you grow your Drosera as a sub-tropical, 55-90 degrees, 50% humidity minimum. If, come fall, the plants start forming gennae (small scale like growths) they you have a pygmy. If the plant does not form gemmae or if the plant grows larger that a penny then you don't have a pygmy.
You might want to check out the CP FAQs (www.sarracenia.org) of the book 'The Savage Garden.' Check out some of the pictures and you might be able to identify your plant that way.
Hope all this helps and welcome to the forums
Pyro
I would bet thet you probably have a D. spatulata as this is one of the big commercial Drosera.
You can only really acquire pygmies through big nam CP nurseries or private growers. Size can help identify a pygmy but it only works if you know that your plant is mature. Mature pygmies are (for the most part) now bigger than a penny. Their roots can offer a clue (pygmy roots are super fine, almost like hair) but you probably don't want to up-root your plant.
I would recommend you grow your Drosera as a sub-tropical, 55-90 degrees, 50% humidity minimum. If, come fall, the plants start forming gennae (small scale like growths) they you have a pygmy. If the plant does not form gemmae or if the plant grows larger that a penny then you don't have a pygmy.
You might want to check out the CP FAQs (www.sarracenia.org) of the book 'The Savage Garden.' Check out some of the pictures and you might be able to identify your plant that way.
Hope all this helps and welcome to the forums
Pyro
An easy way to tell, is it really tiny? Most Pygmys are. Like fulgrown they are the size of dime, that small. Some are bigger, but really pygmy just means small I think. Small for it's whole life though, not just when it is a gemmae. If it stays really tiny for a year it's a pygmy, or you could just get a book and look up pictures till you find one that matches yours.
Pygmies vary in size but all are usually very small. Most (but not all) produce little buds called gemmae during there dormant season. These are capable of growing into aldult plants in a matter of weeks. The following picture is of D.Carbarup. This is a fairly typical pygmie sundew. The plants are all mature and are growing in a 3 INCH pot! Most of the commoner pygmies such as pygmaea, nitidula and sp 'lake badgerup' look similar to this.
Drosera Carbarup
Drosera Carbarup
Ok, my description there was from what i remembered when i was at teh store, my mom picked it up for me, and now i can tell you what it exactly looks like...
Imagine a nepenthes, now, switch the leaves to be long and thing (very), with a hairy circle on the end. That is what it looks like. If/When if produces a flower do i cut it off just like the VFT? Same question for sarracenia purpurea... I know the S. purpurea is not a drosera question, but i thought i'd save room, and do it in just one post... Thanks!
Imagine a nepenthes, now, switch the leaves to be long and thing (very), with a hairy circle on the end. That is what it looks like. If/When if produces a flower do i cut it off just like the VFT? Same question for sarracenia purpurea... I know the S. purpurea is not a drosera question, but i thought i'd save room, and do it in just one post... Thanks!
Well I am stumped. I would almost say it sounds like a petiolaris but if you found one of those in your average run of the mill green house than you are the luckiest person on the face of the planet.
I would suggest you grow it like any sub-tropical and go picture hunting till you find something that matches it.
I wish I could be more help but like I said, I'm stumped.
As to cutting off the flowers, that is all your call. a lot of people will tell you that it weakens the plants but just as many will say it doesn't. If you feel like cutting them off then do it, if you want the plant to flower then let it flower.
Pyro
I would suggest you grow it like any sub-tropical and go picture hunting till you find something that matches it.
I wish I could be more help but like I said, I'm stumped.
As to cutting off the flowers, that is all your call. a lot of people will tell you that it weakens the plants but just as many will say it doesn't. If you feel like cutting them off then do it, if you want the plant to flower then let it flower.
Pyro
Hi Parasuco, Welcome to The forums!
Not entirely sure of what species of sundew you have, from your discription it sounds like one of the Petiolaris sundews but this is unlikely as the plant is quite rare. I would probably think it is a Spathulata or natalensis or similar as these are probably the most commonly available at garden centres and such. Does it look similar to this?
Drosera Natalensis.
It is ok to let both this and the Sarracenia Purpurea flower. The sundew will produce lots of seed wich you can grow into more plants by scattering it on the surface of a 3 parts peat and 1 part sand compost.
Hope this helps!
Happy growing!
Not entirely sure of what species of sundew you have, from your discription it sounds like one of the Petiolaris sundews but this is unlikely as the plant is quite rare. I would probably think it is a Spathulata or natalensis or similar as these are probably the most commonly available at garden centres and such. Does it look similar to this?
Drosera Natalensis.
It is ok to let both this and the Sarracenia Purpurea flower. The sundew will produce lots of seed wich you can grow into more plants by scattering it on the surface of a 3 parts peat and 1 part sand compost.
Hope this helps!
Happy growing!
PlantAKiss
Moderator Schmoderator Fluorescent fluorite, Engl
I LOVE my pygmies! And they do grow fast...fascinating! Within days of sowing the gemmae, you can see the plants forming. Very gratifying if you like "instant plants." One day I'm going to figure out how to post a pic. I have a "before and after" pic of my gemmae when just starting to grow and then when more mature.
Suzanne
Suzanne
It misght be a climbing one... that would be soooo kewl!
From your description combined with the fact that it came from a local store makes me think it is mos likely d. rotundifolia. I very much doubt it is a climbing tuberous drosera. Most drosera leaves will somwhat curl around prey. This one needs winter dormancy, you can let if flower without killing the plant.
Noah
Noah
I think u may have misunderstoud my curling point. The petiole, that is hairless, has a loop in it. Its growing tall, the leaves are perfectly round, and attached at the rim by a thin petiold, that does NOT slowly expand out into a circle... it goes..... spaghetiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMEATBALL!!! Know what i mean? If anyone can find a picture of what my plant looks like, and i confirm it, that would be awsum, kuz i've been trying for a LOOONG time, and i cant... i'll keep trying though.
Edit: OK, heres a page of pictures of what it looks like: http://www.sunysb.edu/doit/icte/Plants/WildFlowers/sundew.html only difference is that mine had rounder leaves... but the second picture shows from about, how mine is tall. Same size too... But the leaves are round... Does this help?
(Edited by Parasuco at 8:23 am on Mar. 11, 2002)
Edit: OK, heres a page of pictures of what it looks like: http://www.sunysb.edu/doit/icte/Plants/WildFlowers/sundew.html only difference is that mine had rounder leaves... but the second picture shows from about, how mine is tall. Same size too... But the leaves are round... Does this help?
(Edited by Parasuco at 8:23 am on Mar. 11, 2002)
