Drosera Cross Pollination - Terra Forums Carnivorous Plant Discussions

Tamlin Dawnstar · 01-02-2004, 11:51 AM

After being asked for a good method for cross pollinating Drosera species, I wrote to friend Ivan who kindly provided this reply:

Hi Tamlin,

Here is a piece on Drosera Cross Pollination for the forum. Post it for me as I am not subscribed.
Ivan

Here is my best trick for cross pollinating Drosera. Others might just rub the flowers together and plant the seed and later sort out the seedlings. Using this trick 100% of the seedlings may be hybrids.

First, get both flowers to open on the same day. As soon as they open use a needle point forceps to pluck off the stamens. As most flowers are small, use a magnifying lens, 5 or 10X works well. Then use a spray bottle to wash off pollen. Any water on the flower can be blotted off with tissue paper. Wash off the forceps. You can either use the forceps to pluck of the stamens from the other flower and touch them to the stigmas of the receiver, or just rub the flowers together. Check with your lens for pollen on the stigma. Tie a piece of thread to mark the flower, and make a note. After about a week you will see some swelling of the ovary if you
were successfull.

My latest hybrid is D. capillaris X rotundifolia. I don't think
anyone's made it before. It proved to be sterile as anticipated. I mostly make hybrids just to see what will happen. I'm not really trying to create a nice new cultivar. Sometimes I learn something important to CP science.

Perhaps my best example of this was in crossing D. burmannii
with D. sessilifolia. This cross is completely fertile proving the
close relation of these two.

Ivan Snyder
Hermosa Beach
California
bioexp@juno.com

This provides a good protocol for the process. Many thanks to "The Professor" for this lesson!

01-02-2004, 11:51 AM	#1
Tamlin Dawnstar Moderator Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Oswego, New York, U.S.A. Posts: 5,675	After being asked for a good method for cross pollinating Drosera species, I wrote to friend Ivan who kindly provided this reply: Hi Tamlin, Here is a piece on Drosera Cross Pollination for the forum. Post it for me as I am not subscribed. Ivan Here is my best trick for cross pollinating Drosera. Others might just rub the flowers together and plant the seed and later sort out the seedlings. Using this trick 100% of the seedlings may be hybrids. First, get both flowers to open on the same day. As soon as they open use a needle point forceps to pluck off the stamens. As most flowers are small, use a magnifying lens, 5 or 10X works well. Then use a spray bottle to wash off pollen. Any water on the flower can be blotted off with tissue paper. Wash off the forceps. You can either use the forceps to pluck of the stamens from the other flower and touch them to the stigmas of the receiver, or just rub the flowers together. Check with your lens for pollen on the stigma. Tie a piece of thread to mark the flower, and make a note. After about a week you will see some swelling of the ovary if you were successfull. My latest hybrid is D. capillaris X rotundifolia. I don't think anyone's made it before. It proved to be sterile as anticipated. I mostly make hybrids just to see what will happen. I'm not really trying to create a nice new cultivar. Sometimes I learn something important to CP science. Perhaps my best example of this was in crossing D. burmannii with D. sessilifolia. This cross is completely fertile proving the close relation of these two. Ivan Snyder Hermosa Beach California bioexp@juno.com This provides a good protocol for the process. Many thanks to "The Professor" for this lesson! __________________ "Fasten your seatbelt I want to try something"

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