The brighter side of Devils claw

[CopcarFC]

I must admit, Devils claws have become my favorite non-CP. All I heard prior to owning some is that they stink. The fact is they only stink if you mess with them. They grow and mature incredibly fast. My first seedling has a flower and it still has it's starter leaves. And what a flower... I can see how they get the "Devil" part of their name. The flower bud looks just like a demon, complete with horns and everything. But when it opens, it is just beautiful. I put it next to an open window and now the whole house smells great. And it still has 3 more buds on it. Here are a few cell phone pics of it's first flower.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a158/Copcarfc/devilsclaw1.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a158/Copcarfc/devilsclaw2.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a158/Copcarfc/devilsclaw3.jpg

[chloroplast]

I like the shape and coloration of the flowers. Do you have them growing under fluorescents or under natural lighting?

Still waiting for my seed to germinate.....stubborn little buggers!

[CopcarFC]

At first I had them under about 130w of florescent lights and they did fine. But then one day as I was rearanging my plants I stuck them in a south window. They exploded with growth, I was shocked.

I took a loooooong time for my seeds to germinate also. In fact I threw out some of the pots they were in because I was impatient. The ONE pot I left alone had three seeds in it and they all germinated the next day. I think they somehow saw what I did to the others and decided they better grow NOW http://www.**********.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/new/smile.gif

[chloroplast]

Thanks.


Quote[/b] ]I took a loooooong time for my seeds to germinate also.

How long is "loooooong"? http://www.**********.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/new/smile.gif Mine have been sowed for 6 weeks now.

[glider14]

i have heard seeds can take up to a year to germinate. http://www.**********.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/new/smile_h_32.gif i would love to grow these just because they are so unique! but i dont know if ill have the room. i might be able to grow it outside and close it off becase i have a golden retriever http://www.**********.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/new/smile_n_32.gif . he dosent need to be a sticky retriever http://www.**********.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/new/smile_n_32.gif

[prizmbatch]

i wish mine would have been able to get to that point! i had some outside and they began to bud then some darn animal pulled them up and toted them off http://www.**********.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/new/smile_h_32.gif

[CopcarFC]

I now have two open flowers and about 6 more on the way. One of the flowers fell off and now the thing in the middle is swelling so I guess the bugs did their job.

glider: The plants are not sticky at all. They look like they are but they arent. The more you touch them, the worse the smell gets. Your retriever would end up stinky instead of sticky.

prizmbatch: I figure in a few months I will have a ton of seeds. If you want some send me a PM and I will send you some when they are ready.

[glider14]

Quote[/b] ]glider: The plants are not sticky at all. They look like they are but they arent. The more you touch them, the worse the smell gets. Your retriever would end up stinky instead of sticky.
well considering he roles in cow poo that wouldnt be to bad. if they arnt sticky then what makes them quasi-carnivorous? i thought bugs decompose on the sticky leaves

[CopcarFC]

I have no idea, absolutly nothing about them seems quasi carnivorus. The only sticky part is deep in the flower where the nector is. the whole plant is covered in hair with little droplets on the ends like sundews but the liquid is like water. Not sticky at all.

[carnivorkid]

yes some do take a year. As i stuck a few in the ground directly and one grew and then one grew from one of the seeds that i planted the year before. I was surprised because the plant the year before didnt grow any viable seeds. but luckily i got a few this year

[slide]

Quote[/b] (CopcarFC @ Feb. 26 2006,2:27)]*And what a flower... *I can see how they get the "Devil" part of their name. *The flower bud looks just like a demon, complete with horns and everything.
The name actually comes from the seed pod rather than the flower pod, search for devils claw on google and you can find some good pics of the seed pods.

Also, they've been not-so-extensively (maybe moreso than I am aware of) tested for enzymes and such and nothing was found. Some are supposed to be sticky and trap bugs but not very impressively. The stigmatic surface is supposed to move if you touch it in this species, however, which is quite interesting...

[CopcarFC]

^ I kinda figured thats where the name came from. But if you look at a developing flower bud it looks exactly like a demons face. You can make out the nose, teeth, and it's got two red horns sticking up on top.

Anyway I now have bunch of fruit, so I'm waiting for it to dry and open. I also had to stick them all in the ground b/c they were to big for the pots. So all is well.

[nepenthes_ak]

How did this turn out?

And you probably should have broke open the seed pod and released the seeds... Dunno

Cool plant!

[CopcarFC]

Sadly, short after I planted them in the ground the plants were dug up and ripped to shreds by squirrels. But I did get a bunch of seed before the massacre. Right now the seeds are planted and I'm waiting germination. Who would have thought Devils Claws were squirrel favorites.

[VTFlover]

what is a deveils claw?

[xvart]

Searching through the "Carnivorous/Quasi-Carnivrous" forum you will see this thread (http://www.terraforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=108565). It has some nice pictures.

Using the search function not only has the great benefit of finding what you are looking for, but you will often get tons of results of interesting stuff related to what you are searching for. I have spent more hours looking at the results that were returned from a search after I found the answer to which I was searching for. It truly is amazing.

xvart.