First of all, I'm still not convinced it's a mutation. Second of all...
Evolution is caused mutations!
uuh....mutant infected gene pool?? thats evolution my friend.... mutants have led to selection...selection has led to the wonderful diversity...the bical's teeth, the linguata (or whatever's
) elephant tongue.
Thanks for the lessons on evolution, guys. I understand how evolution works. My point is that there is no evolutionary advantage to
these mutants. Most likely, this "mutation," if it is actually a mutation, is because of hormones from TC, not because this
N. ramispina is adapting to the standard conditions of typical grow rooms across the country.
Would you distroy a car with a dent if it made it look good?
No, I wouldn't destroy a car with a dent in it; but, it's a little more difficult to correct a small error on a plant than it is on a car; thus, making the space on a shelf infinitely more valuable.
The point about mutant
Nepenthes and crossing them and "infecting" the gene pool was more in regards to other monstrous mutants, like the one shown in
this thread. You want that crossed with your
N. rajah's?
From the biological perspective and coservation perspective it should be allowed to live because without mutation the plants wouldn't exist or any other eukaryotic(spelling?) thing.
This plant isn't in nature my friend. This plant will have nothing to do with the evolutionary development of the
Nepenthes species. Yes, mutation in the wild and natural selection helped shape and form the variety of
Nepenthes species; but unfortunately, this
N. ramispina will not. This plant will never be reintroduced into the wild. It will never have an impact on the family of
Nepenthes. If the mutation was worse, as in the case of the link above, the only thing it will ever do it be a novelty in some growers collection; OR, it will annoy others who happen to get seed that may have been accidentally set with the mutant. AND, I'm still not clear how mutant help conservation, other than allowing one plant to live (I'll assume that's what you meant).
but unless it was that ugly I wouldn't trade it away....let alone kill it.
Would you trade it away if it would make available space for another plant that you really want?
Oh, say if a teacher was handing out books all blue and only one green, isn't normal for most to want the green?
Ummm... what? If there was someone handing out cars after school and all of them were nice and new and one of them was a banged up, dented, piece of crap; isn't it normal for most to want the piece of crap? Just because something is, dare I say,
unique, does not make it more valuable or increase it's demand. It's a novelty; not the next Mona Lisa.
Ughh... Sorry to get off topic in your thread, Clint. Does anyone else have experience with a
N. ramispina of similar size? Is it actually a mutation or just growing conditions?
xvart.