Infertile D. capensis?

[carnivorous23]

I am not sure what is wrong with my D. capensis. I got it at a garden center last summer, and it had a flower stalk, which hadn't formed any seeds. I assumed it was just because the plant wasn't healthy. Recently, it flowered, and produced normal looking seed pods, which I cut open only to find... absolutely nothing. If anyone has any ideas why a sundew would produce empty seed pods, please let me know. I am wondering if the plant is not self-pollinating (I thought capensis was, at least other plants I have grown were), but why would it produce any kind of pods if it wasn't pollinated?

 

[Vagabond]

D. capensis should self fertilise itself when the flowers close up. I can't think why you're not getting any seed, you could have managed to end up with a mutant that is genetically incapable of making seed I guess.

Weird, at least it won't become a weed.

Andrew

 

[ludwig777]

I find it hard to locate seed in capensis but it's definitely there. The best way to propagate capensis is to put the flowering plant in an 18" saucer of water and surround the plant with fresh pots of growing medium. You will end up with dozens of new plants without having to hassle with seed collection.

 

[Darcie]

Um, it does take a long time for the seed to actually form. How soon after the flower goes are you opening the pods?

 

[carnivorous23]

There definitely is no seed in them. I have collected seeds from sundews before, even the albino variety of capensis. My guess would be that the problem might be exactly what Vagabond suggested, that the plant just isn't capable of producing seed. The seed pods are ripe, as they have turned brown, and are about a month old (and even if they weren't, seed that isn't ripe is fairly recognizable). The pods I have cut open have absolutely nothing in them.

 

[Darcie]

cool. I bet their is a market for something like that.