Hey all; Megan's friend here.
I grew up on and around Mt Ruapehu, home of many alpine species of Arcturi, Spatulata, some Binata and illegally introduced Pinguicula. I'm currently in the process of writing up some information on the true environment these plants grow in, as it's something I've studied for long before I got into CPs. This information that follows is about Alpine Arcturi.
I can't really comment on the Australian species of Arcturi or Murfetii, having never visited where they come from. The distinctions between the two are so blurred to me, in the same way that distinctions between D. Peltata and D. Auriculata are blurred to many, and in the same way there are no distinctions between D. Spatulata forms, even though they have varying sizes, flowers and environments. I do wonder if these people are trying to get their names in a paper by just bombarding us with numbers and nonsensical graphs; I digress.
To cut it short, alpine Arcturis don't spend 3 months of the year under snow, they are almost always in hot sun with cold roots and cold ambient temperature. Putting them in a fridge, freezer or block of ice will just make them rot. From experience they don't like to be indoors or in warm water, I've lost many to that mistake. They certainly do curl backwards and send out non-carnivorous leaves, interesting to see success in leaf cuttings, not something I've tried yet! They love the sun and lots of food. Both are necessary if you want gorgeous healthy plants, but you have to keep the roots cool, the ambient temperature cool, and the plant nice and snug from hot sun, that's the golden, but very tricky, rule!
It's my birthday today so I'm off to find more plants for my collection, but I'll let y'all know when I've finished the much longer version of this
I grew up on and around Mt Ruapehu, home of many alpine species of Arcturi, Spatulata, some Binata and illegally introduced Pinguicula. I'm currently in the process of writing up some information on the true environment these plants grow in, as it's something I've studied for long before I got into CPs. This information that follows is about Alpine Arcturi.
I can't really comment on the Australian species of Arcturi or Murfetii, having never visited where they come from. The distinctions between the two are so blurred to me, in the same way that distinctions between D. Peltata and D. Auriculata are blurred to many, and in the same way there are no distinctions between D. Spatulata forms, even though they have varying sizes, flowers and environments. I do wonder if these people are trying to get their names in a paper by just bombarding us with numbers and nonsensical graphs; I digress.
To cut it short, alpine Arcturis don't spend 3 months of the year under snow, they are almost always in hot sun with cold roots and cold ambient temperature. Putting them in a fridge, freezer or block of ice will just make them rot. From experience they don't like to be indoors or in warm water, I've lost many to that mistake. They certainly do curl backwards and send out non-carnivorous leaves, interesting to see success in leaf cuttings, not something I've tried yet! They love the sun and lots of food. Both are necessary if you want gorgeous healthy plants, but you have to keep the roots cool, the ambient temperature cool, and the plant nice and snug from hot sun, that's the golden, but very tricky, rule!
It's my birthday today so I'm off to find more plants for my collection, but I'll let y'all know when I've finished the much longer version of this