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Drosera stenopetala and drosera spatulata

I have fresh seeds from a recent trip to Stewart Island, New Zealand that I am keen to trade for fresh fertile seeds of Drosera regia.

Seeds of D. stenopetala and D. spatulata were collected at 47 degrees latitude on a track between Doughboy Bay and Mason Bay. Quite possibly the most southernly collected seeds of these species in cultivation. Most seeds of these species come from areas further north in the South Is and North Is of New Zealand.

I only have a few pods and am looking to trade for D. regia seeds, but failing that I can easily be persuaded to part with them.

Regards
Brian
Auckland, New Zealand
 
I'm interested. I am totally unfamiliar with D. stenopetala. Is that a petiolaris complex plant, like D. peltata?
 
Isn't it illegal to take seeds/plants from the wild?*Niki*
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Trapper7 @ April 16 2005,4:46)]Isn't it illegal to take seeds/plants from the wild?*Niki*
Not necessarily.
 
Oh,ok.*Niki*
 
Only if they're protected right, or if the law says you *just* shouldn't...
 
Hi guys,

I can certainly vouche for Quinn's integrity, this man has botanized with some of the best in his country. He is very capable of judging collection impact and very aware of and compliant with all legalities. He also loves the dickens out of CP and would never hurt a population.

Drosera stenopetala is a New Zealand endemic species, as well as having some real individual distinction in its taxonomic placement - a very old species indeed in Drosera.

It is probably best treated as a temperate species, and is quite difficult in cultivation even with adequate equipment or ideal habitat to mantain its specific demands. It has a dormancy just below freezing for its winter rest, returning in the spring in the Southern hemisphere. I have never gotten seed to germinate, although it was fresh. I tried a few times with flash freezing the seed, but had no luck. Growers I have spoken with say it is probably the most difficult Drosera to maintain in cultivation. Takers will need to do their homework!

Brian, thanks for the offer. I doubt you will get many takers as flowering specimens of D. regia seem few and far between here in the States, although I am sure they are out there somewhere.
(One certain Mod on this forum has a Drosera 'Big Easy' that is setting a scape, pretty much a unique event around here! Maybe he will come forward later and nab some of your seed!)

Nice seeing you around Brian!
 
Thanks for the replies.

Collection of small amounts of seed from wild populations depends on many variables. Legality definitely comes into it, for example, collection of protected species or collection on private lands / national parks etc without permisson or permits.

Ethics are also a concern. No respected botanist or field collector would jeopardise a population of plants just to get them into cultivation. Sure there are no doubt unscrupulous collectors out there that would collect every available seedpod from a population and sell the seeds on ebay or to the highest bidder - but this is not the case here. To give you an idea, the population of Drosera stenopetala in this case is neither threatened nor rare. Along the track I walked, I would have passed literally thousands and thousands of plants and this is just along the track edge and doesn't take into account the swamp itself. Also, I only collected some 40 seedpods in total. Hardly an issue. I think sometimes on these forums people forget that the plants we all love to grow didn't evolve down at the local garden centre - they have their origins in the swamps, bogs and forests and them or their predecessors were all field collected at some stage. Field collection is not a black and white issue. Obviously I would have issues with someone that went to a Sarracenia flava bog with limited individuals and collected every seedpod available - as I would hope so would most others. That is unacceptable behaviour.

Thanks for the kind words Tamlin. Drosera stenopetala is a somewhat tricky grower and without an adequate dormancy period will quickly succumb. Those with a bit of experience with other temperate species are more likely to grow this plant well. It is a beautiful, truly unique plant that deserves to be more widely grown.

Regards
Brian
brianquinn@woosh.co.nz
 
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