What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Sarracenia Size Chart?

Is there a commonly used size chart for sarracenia? I'm thinking probably not, because everyone has such widely different views on the sizes of their plants. I've been buying a lot of them lately. One place I bought from that advertised large plants were really big, what I call large, with rhizomes nearly the size of my fist and multiple growth points. Two other sellers who came recommended sold me "large" plants that I would have classified as a seedling - smaller than what I would call a small! I was very mad, and wouldn't have paid that money for the plant if I knew how small it would actually be. Another person I'm talking to is calling a "large" plant with a rhizome the diameter of a pencil. Sounds small to me. So how do you rate the size of a sarracenia?
 
Personally I refer to the number of growing points and if it is of flowering size. IMO a 3 growth point Sarr is considered large, 2 medium, 1 small. Of course just like everything else; there are exceptions...
 
How do you know growth points without digging it up and looking at the rhizome? There's got to be a better way.

---------- Post added at 04:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:19 PM ----------

I'm going by the general rule that anything that fits into a 4 inch pot or smaller is a size small, and 6-8 inch pot medium, and gallon or larger is a large. But that can be difficult to fit all sars into that size category, because some are faster growers and some get larger than others. So 2 different plants could be the same age yet vary greatly in size because of the growth habits of the 2 plants.
 
I've been purchasing a lot of Sarracenia lately as well. I have receiving very large rhizomes with just 1 growth point and i have received small rhizomes with 3 growth points. I think the best way to classify them is simply are they at flowering maturity or not.

I know what you mean though... "Large" seems to be very relative in the carnivorous plant world.
 
Oh well. It makes it hard when I'm trying to decide if a price seems fair or not. But when I'm trading or selling anything, I guess I can just keep making my size classification as clear as possible for the recipient of the plants.
 
I think $20-25 is a fair price for a flowering Sarracenia. But it also depends on the variety. Sarracenia 'Leah Wilkerson' will be quite a bit more than that unless you get lucky in a trade.
 
One adult sarracenia variety will be different than another. An adult S. psittacina rhizome will be considerably smaller than an adult flava rhizome. Something to consider.
 
I have paid 20 bucks for what was labeled LARGE and what I got was barely big enough to plant in a 3 inch pot. And then from another seller what they labeled LARGE was almost too big for a gallon. Big discrepancy in size.

How do you tell growth point without digging up the plant to look at the rhizome?
 
Growth points are usually not under ground. They break out of the ground and show buds. That's a grow point.
 
  • #10
Maybe look closely at the surface where the growth points come out of the rhizome and count them?
 
  • #11
Describing size is a tricky business. I like this thread!

Brokken has a point about rhizome size. Rhizome of flava var. rugelii is twice the size of flava var. flava for instance.
 
  • #12
personally, i don't really look at size when ordering plants. if i want it, i'll get it. for the most part, when you order a plant, you know it's going to be at least a few years old, unless it's specifically labelled a seedling. therefore, if it doesn't flower for you the first year, you know it will only be another year or so till flowering. i know most people would prefer to buy a large flowering-size plant rather than waiting a couple of years, but most people selling are selling the divisions off large mother plants, rather than the mother plant itself.

as far as a size chart, i don't know of any universally acceptable criteria. what's large to one person maybe medium sized to another, and so on. It never hurts to ask someone prior to ordering exactly how large/old the plant you want actually is.
 
  • #13
Brokken has a point about rhizome size. Rhizome of flava var. rugelii is twice the size of flava var. flava for instance.

So what would be the difference in pitcher height in these two plants of the same age? Would you be able to look at the plant and tell by pitcher height or size?

A division is still considered a mature plant, isn't it? A division would be listed different from a younger plant right?
 
  • #14
Brokken has a point about rhizome size. Rhizome of flava var. rugelii is twice the size of flava var. flava for instance.

So what would be the difference in pitcher height in these two plants of the same age? Would you be able to look at the plant and tell by pitcher height or size?

A division is still considered a mature plant, isn't it? A division would be listed different from a younger plant right?

I have a short-growing clone of var. flava that tops out at 1.5ft. I grow a var. rugelii that is twice that tall. I think that's about average for that variety.

A division is just a piece of a plant. It could be a piece of a small plant.

I usually try to tell people how many growth points, how tall the pitchers are and what size pot it should go in so they don't need to repot in 1-2yrs. I often email pictures as well. That's one approach. I know someone who tells you they're small or medium when he knows they won't ever get bigger. That's another approach!
 
  • #15
It definitely depends on the species or cultivar as brokken mentioned. The photo below shows all flowering size rhizomes with the exception of the small one on the far right. You can see the differences and each one is of a different species or cultivar. I currently have a flowering size hybrid where 'Leah Wilkerson' was the seed donor and this rhizome is HUGE. A single crown could not be planted in anything smaller than a gallon pot. Classifying them as flowering size and number of crowns is the way to go IMO.
shipment639x850.jpg
 
  • #16
bottom left rubra ssp. alabamensis from TC
middle left S. minor
top right S. flava var. rugelii
bottom right (2) rubra ssp. rubra or primary hybrid

I kid!!! I don't know what they are but they look great. I hope to see pics of them planted out.
 
  • #17
Those rhizomes look very, very healthy and you can tell the leaves had nice coloring. Whoever grew those before took very good care of them.

I agree with Fred P and would say the most important indicator of age is whether or not the plant is of flowering maturity.
 
  • #18
Thanks BG, I'm the one who grew them. These were plants I recently sent to someone in the forum.
 
  • #19
That's because Fred grew those rhizomes lol
Fred is a very talented grower, his plants are nothing short of exceptional.

Edit: LOL beat me to it :-D
 
  • #20
Thanks french! :)
 
Back
Top