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Phyllodia or not?

Hi all!

A while back, I posted about my 2 S. stevensii's, that I rescued.
I was thinking they only put out phyllodia, but now that theyre a lot taller, and has what looks like undeveloped pitcher openings at the tops.

One of them has started to open, and is still pretty skinny, but getting wider every day... what is this, normal phyllodia do this, or are they pitchers developing?

Im a total n00b when it comes to sarras, so I havent really got a clue :/

Thanks /Quensel
 
Sounds like they are not getting enough light. Can you post any pics?
Tony
 
Well, theyre getting all the light I can give them, as theyre set out on my balcony in full sun. When I got it, the existing pitchers were dying, and still are dying back.

Ive repotted to peat/perlite, and since then growth has increased, and the tips of what growth there is (pitchers or phyllodia) is getting pretty red now.

Ill see if i can get pics up.

Thanks /Quensel
 
The leaves you are describing are etoliated pitchers.  These look much like phyllodia but they are clearly pitchers because of a very narrow tube and hood.

Usually, etoliated pitchers appear on plants in low light.  However, if they were rescued then they are surely stressed very badly, and this, too, can cause etoliated pitchers.

I was in Mississippi recently and there was an empty lot within a small town, full of S. alata.  Most plants were nothing but 10-15 etoliated pitchers.  They were in full sun, but certainly the soil was polluted and there was NO water.  The ground was a very dry sand.

So, the point is - if you are giving them ample light (and keeping them wet, of course), they should recover eventually and resume producing normal pitchers.

- Patrick
 
why didn't you ask the property owner if you could rescue them, ptf?
 
I greatly wanted to, but I didn't have enough time to spend researching who it belonged to and then tracking them down.

Believe me, it pained me to leave them there. The lot was completely empty with no signage or anything, just very very dry dirt and some half-cleared forested area. It looked like the future site of a bank or fast-food joint.

I'm going to have to start programming enough time into my trips to allow for things like that.

- Patrick
 
dont tell anyone, but i would have taken them anyway
 
It was tempting, but I truly feel like my ideals on the methods of preservation (including seeking permission before removing plants - even sick ones - from a property) require that I never make exceptions.

The land was private, so the plants belonged to someone, whether they cared or not.  There's really no way around that.  There's also the trespassing problem.

I really would have liked to have saved the plants, but I knew it wasn't right to do.  It is terrible though, because they will certainly be dead before long.

- Patrick
 
whoo! if anyone gets confused about my post, i meant i would have taken them anyway since they were gonna die and they needed saving. if they weren't in danger i would have taken photos only
smile.gif
 
  • #10
I know what you meant - and they were in clear danger. But they still belonged to someone legally.

I would never take plants that were happy, even with permission. For that matter, I would never seek permission.
 
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