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Very interesting...another CP?

Yes indeed! If the rumors of this latest research showing that Stylidium absorb the nutrients from their prey are true (which we'll find out soon!), the number of true carnivorous plant species jumps from 625 to some 925. You can read more about the genus here.

You can see some of the amazing diversity of flower shapes and sizes here.
 
Hmmm...I thought everyone knew about these. Well it's pretty boring to me and while I am hesitant to call it carnivorous, if it is proven to absorb the nutrients it digests I'll consider it to be legit. A CP that's only captures insects on a flower stalk is boring to me.

the structure of some of the plants is interesting, and the flowers are kind of neat, too.
 
This plant has been grown by some cp'ers for a while as just another novelty plant, but was recently (2006) shown to produce digestive enzymes. So we're almost there! I agree that having glandular trichomes covering the whole plant would be more exciting, but in my eyes the trigger flowers make up for that "shortcoming". :)
 
I think the research going on with this plant is very exciting. Hopefully we'll know soon if there are more CPs than we thought.

As for boring...look at Utricularia. You can't really see the carnivorous action of the plant the way you can a flytrap or a nep pitcher, but they are quite a popular plant for the flowers. So here we have a neat sticky flower with a quick trigger. Pretty cool.

I'm surprised more people don't think this is interesting research.
 
Utricularia are pretty boring except for large-stoloned species.

I equate this genus to T. peltatum. Only difference is Stylidium isn't an unobtainable monotypic genus.
 
Does anyone here grow this species? What kind of conditions does it require?

xvart.
 
I had some seeds of Stylidium graminifolium but they never took off. They grow in sort of hot conditions in grass land type areas? I know they need smoke stratification to germinate.. which is probably where I went wrong... anyways.. I wouldn't call them carnivorous since they just whack insects, not eat them. :p

When an insect lands on the flower, that thing that sticks out (i dunno the proper term for it) whacks em on the head, depositing pollen in the process. It's so neat, that's why I wanted one. :/

Sorry if I just said something that EVERYONE knows... sleepy...

*crawls into bed*
 
Sorry if I just said something that EVERYONE knows... sleepy...

*crawls into bed*

I didn't know that! So thank you for that tidbit. Smoke stratification? That's pretty neat.

xvart.
 
  • #10
I don't think all of them need that.
 
  • #12
I grow 2 species. One takes forever to grow while another grows pretty darn fast. I don't know about their carnivory. Why kill your pollinators. I've triggered the flowers many times, the mechanism doesn't appear strong enough to kill, so maybe it's the sticky part that kills.
 
  • #13
Because insects they catch and insects that pollinate them are different sizes. The "trigger" is for pollination only.
 
  • #14
Yeah, I know. Would be cool if it had leaves with triggers that could spear a bug :alien:
 
  • #15
Man I still wish Cook had some of those seeds. >_<

I'd love to try again. :/
 
  • #16
So I emailed Cook to ask if he would have any more seeds soon and he said that soon he's going to try germinating them himself and just selling the plants since they're difficult to germinate without a smoke disc.

Also, just a couple minutes ago I was looking for some P. lusitanica seeds in the envelope that I keep all my seeds in for fridge storage and I found the Stylidium graminifolium seeds that I had leftover! Now... I will have to formulate a plan as to HOW I will germinate them... I was thinking if I can't get my hands on a smoke disc then I will just have to improvise and use a method I read about a couple years ago.. which is to just set a small fire on top of the pot, then blow it out and cover it up so the smoke seeps into the soil. I'm not sure if that is a very effective way but that's pretty much how it's done in its natural habitat so it'll have to do if I can't find a smoke disc.

Wish me luck!
 
  • #17
You can get liquid smoke at the grocery store.
 
  • #18
idn't liquid smoke for flavoring? I'm not entirely sure that would work.

Orrrrr you could just use GA3 which is cheap and works the same if not better
 
  • #19
It's for flaving but it's from smoke (creosote? lmao)

I'd go with GA3, too.

EDIT: 3 months later and my B. filifolia may have sprouted. Maybe the liquid smoke helped. Maybe not. Maybe the things I see aren't B. filifolia but instead debris from the trees (which are trying to slowly choke me out with their sperm). Too small to tell. Wish me luck.
 
  • #20
Yeah I just ordered smoke discs and a vial of GA3 from....THIS site. The smoke discs were pretty expensive. X_x
 
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