Lone flower Scape

[jimscott]

I have a D. lanata that is now sending up a scape. I understand that Petiolaris Complex require another plant to pollinate. I'm hoping that anything in the fishtank will also flower, but so far nothing is inclined to do so. Is it possible to cut the stamens and preserve the pollen?

 

[theyellowdart]

I think I remeber reading somewhere about preserving pollen by freezing it. Check out the ICPS seedbank website.

 

[Not a Number]

My Drosera falconeri is flowering again. Maybe with luck we can do a pollen exchange.

I recall reading somewhere pollen will keep a few weeks dry stored in the refrigerator and maybe a couple months at the longest in the freezer. But then there is talk on the ICPS board that freezing destroys pollen. Maybe a liquid nitrogen bath is what's needed

 

[jimscott]

My Drosera falconeri is flowering again. Maybe with luck we can do a pollen exchange.

I recall reading somewhere pollen will keep a few weeks dry stored in the refrigerator and maybe a couple months at the longest in the freezer. But then there is talk on the ICPS board that freezing destroys pollen. Maybe a liquid nitrogen bath is what's needed

Should I remove the anthers and refigerate or just try to shake off as much pollen as I can? And yeah, I'd be happy to hook up again! If I'm not mistaken, these little guys were the result of an East Coast - West Coast union:

 

[Not a Number]

The anthers are so tiny and the amount of pollen so minuscule it id probably best to just pluck off the anthers. This will be fun since the working time with Drosera flowers is so short. You literally have to keep an eye on the plant the whole day to catch the flowers open

FWIW I've stored Sarracenia pollen for 2 or 3 weeks in the refrigerator and was able to get seed.

 

[Not a Number]

Well it just so happened that one of the Drosera falconeri flowers was open just as I was watering my tank.

I plucked off the anthers, a few I didn't get much of the filament. These things are microscopic so I don't know if this will work long distance. I'll mail them out after Christmas and maybe another flower or two will have opened in the meantime.

What's that status on your flowers?

 

[Not a Number]

Ok, I harvested a second flower today. 16 flowers left to go.

 

[jimscott]

The scape is unfurling, but I'm several days away from the first flower opening.

 

[Not a Number]

Ok, we may not get a reciprocal cross but we still have sixteen more days with mine. The anthers are tiny maybe smaller than the head of a fruitfly. A cotton sweb is probably the best thing to work with. I might send a whole flower minus the petals as that might be easier to work with.

 

[Not a Number]

Well looks like my Drosera ordensis and Drosera petiolaris are flowering too. Unfortunately while the Drosera falconeri still has buds it doesn't look as if they will mature.

 

[jimscott]

I badly underestimated their ETA for blossoming. A new flower has opened each day, for the past 4. Still several buds left.