Seeking Drosera Species-Specific Information.

[lizasaur]

So I have a couple dozen various sundew seeds, and have spent all day doing research...and there's some gaps in my required information that I can't fill.
I'm particularly looking for the following information:
-country of origin
-lifespan (perennial/annual)
-family (tropical, temperate, tuberous, etc)
-favored growing conditions
-germination care

on the following species:
Linearis
Peltata ssp. Foliosa
Pauciflora
Cistiflora
Felix

Thanks in advance

[amphirion]

Cistiflora (S. Africa) and Peltata (australia) are similar in growth cycles: bone dry, hot summers, and cool wet winters (no higher than 75F)--this will be more of a hassle if you are receiving them fresh from the souther hemisphere as their seasons are reversed (especially the case with peltata). Cistiflora tends to die after flowering, but it usually takes the plant a couple to a few years to reach flowering maturity. Peltata is tuberous.

dont know about the other species.

[RL7836]

Wow - that's a list of seed that are either famous for not germinating or being tough to grow once they do germinate.

D. linearis has tormented many people but Barry & some others unlocked some of it's secrets and now find it fairly easy to grow. Iirc - bright lights, long days, cool temps & aggressive feeding. There is a thread somewhere on this - probably ICPS forum.

Your best bet is to get Tamlin to chime in ...

[Taliesin-DS]

You got felix seed? it's from one of the tepuis, i've read it likes the same conditions as roraimae.

[Not a Number]

D. linearis - North America, Canada - (Northern States, Great Lakes region). Found growing mostly in marl fens (basic bogs). You may want to experiment by adding some crushed oyster shells or lime to your mix. Stratify for two months. You might try freezing some seed for a week or two during stratification. Ron covered cultivation, see Barry's posts on the ICPS forum for details. These have a very short growing season 2-3 months and it is important to get as much growth as possible in that time.

D. cistiflora - winter growing South African, warm stratification might help
http://carnivorousplants.homestead.c...tivation1.html
http://carnivorousplants.homestead.c...ationPhil.html

See also:
http://www.bestcarnivorousplants.com...ds.htm#Drosera

[mass]

These 2 pages are where I get the majority of my ref.:

http://www.growsundews.com/AZ_Drosera.html

http://www.growsundews.com/

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

The information given here already is good. The seeds you have listed are what I consider to be more challenging subjects.

Drosera linearis is a temperate species requiring a winter dormancy. As mentioned it;s growing season is short, and to get the requisite growth needed for a return from dormancy the plant needs to be fed. Also, since few leaves are produced within the season, you must also do good housekeeping to remove prey corpses before they mold and affect the health of the thin bladed leaf. It's a high maintenance dew. I had best luck over winter dormancy by freezing the entire plant in a block of ice and keeping it in the freezer over the winter months. Good luck with this, this is a very hard subject!

Drosera peltata ssp foliosa is an Aussie endemic, I never grew this ssp., but assume its requirements to be similar to any other member of the genus. Seed always germinated for me best in the cooler autumn months. Seedlings did well under lights but this genus needs a lot of light to grow typically and does best outdoors like all the tuberous species. Substrate mix should be about 70-30 gritty sand and peat/ Plant goes dormant in the summer heat and needs a mostly dry dormancy. Not too difficult if it responds like regular D. peltata.

D. pauciflora and D. cictiflora seed need a long hot stratification and also sprout in the cooler months. I found these species to be very difficult. They both have similar needs and like D. peltata require a dry summer dormancy.

Drosera felix is a Venezuelan endemic seldom seen in cultivation and similar to Drosera katieurensis, so if you have the true species you are very fortunate. I have never grown this species but it's requirements should be as for any of the Brasillian species: a pristine growing medium, cool roots at all times and a night time drop of at least 5 degrees. From my experiences the Brasillian species were always very prone to fungal attack, so good housekeeping and a really clean mix are important. Pure Chilean LFS is a good medium, or milled live LFS. There is no dormancy in this species.

Aaron May's SundewGrower site has excellent advice on sundew growing in general and is recommended.

Good growing to you!



on the following species:
Linearis
Peltata ssp. Foliosa
Pauciflora
Cistiflora
Felix

[lizasaur]

Thank you ALL for the help.
I really appreciate it!

If I'm successful...I shall definitely be posting about it.