Let the joyous news be spread

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

UTRICULARIA LONGIFOLIA  {{{{{{{{{{{{{{THUD}}}}}}}}}}}}}}.

Pyro, it must have been your visit that did the trick!!  We must have looked right at this and didn't see it! The scape is about 4 inches tall!  So, I think I have a handle on this: compacted stolons and a real good nightime drop in temp.  Grow them in smaller diameter containers, and if you need a sweater at night, they will be happy.  Mine stayed evenly wet: no variation there at all.  It is the white flowered form, and I have never seen it!!!  This is a Tepui species I believe.  My pulse is pounding.  This is a real CP moment for me, folks!  Of course, the scape will now abort, I realize this.  But, for awile, I can bask in the glory of the moment, right?

 

[carnivorous23]

That's nice to hear. I've only grown longifolia for a short time, but so far have been amazed by how quickly it grows (of course, I also have it with relatively cool nights). Good luck with the scape.

 

[adnedarn]

i KNOW you are gonna get a picture of your plant and flower posted in my other topic right? since i asked for them ;-)
thanks,
Andrew

 

[Pyro]

Well bugger me Tamlin, how did we miss it? I might have to drive back up there just to see what these guys look like. Please get a picture

 

[pthiel]

Tamlin,

My U. longifolia has also produced a scape - unfortunately it is a fast grower and grew right up into the lights. I have moved it out some but not sure if it will flower now or not.

You may want to keep an eye on it, it went from around 4" to 8" in a couple of days.

cheers

 

[Vic Brown]

Great news Tamlin, U. longifolia is close to the top of my list of plants to get this year.

I'm almost as ecstatic about the appearance of a flower scape on my Genlisea violacea 'Giant', I look proudly at it several times a day and can't wait for the flower to open. This is my first plant from this genus, I want more! Thanks to the all guys on this forum who recommended this plant as an easy Genlisea to start with, and a big thanks to the guy who sent me a small cutting (you know who you are! )

Cheers

Vic

 

[jblakeh1]

My alpina appears to be putting up a stalk as well. Does it only bloom once a year, or year round? I've only had it a few months - I was expecting this to take years!

 

[Colieo]

great job Tamlin! I cant wait to see if you can get a pic!

Cole

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

Pete,
Yup, it is shooting right up there and I am watching it like a hawk. It seems robust and healthy, but they way my luck has been running I can only hope.

There seems to be a lot of red/madder color to the scape, so maybe it isn't the white flowered form? I dunno. I hope time will tell all.

I will get a photo, and hopefully I can find a willing soul to post it. I want to wait until there are flowers to show, right now it is just a scape with hardly a bud yet.

Now if tricolor would just do it!

 

[Pyro]

Oh the agony of waiting...

I feel it too as my asplundii is taking its sweet time putting up its scape. I am hoping to see something within the next month but who knows

 

[dodecatheon]

I think you might be onto something with the temperature drop, tamlin. Mine began to flower shortly after I moved to the frigid north. I'm not sure if it would have been triggered by the chilly conditions in the car during the move, or if it is the slightly lower temps in my new apartment.

It might just be the right time of year too.

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

I had an email discussion with Greg Bourke who grows the plant in his garden. He says it always flowers in the wetter and cooler weather. I will be doing some experimentation with the fridge I think. Since it really only gets cool at night, I am thinking that it might have something to do with a temperature drop. At any rate, the scape is growing well and rapidly. My luck hasn't been too good lately, so I am prepared for the worst while hoping for the best.

Utricularia alpina has p ut up a good strong leaf. You can always count on Utricularia to throw some life into the party!

 

[Guest]

You might want to try a cool windowsill instead of a fridge. Not quite so cold, Nice light, day-night temp differences, less probability that they will be part of a salad...

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

Thanks Tim, as always I will defer to your opinion, and thanks for the input!

The longifolia scape is growing at a great rate, and seems vigorous and healthy.

 

[Joachim Danz]

Hi Tamlin,

good news to hear your Ut. longifolia is starting to flower. I did check all my Utricularia pots and only the Ut. reniformis (large) is putting up a flower stalk right now. Ut. alpina grows very slow right now. Last year my Ut. alpina started to flower around end of April.

Joachim

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

Joachim,

Hey nice to see you here in the boggy muck of the Utricularia Forum: quite a change from the highlands, lol.

It always amazes me to hear the ease with which the Utricularia you mention flower in Europe. It seems to be a rare event here in the U.S. when U. alpina flowers. (Mine is currently growing new leaves rapidly, so things look promising). As for reniformis, wow! I hope some day to have the pleasure! Pyro and I hunted this plant forever and a day before getting seed from England.

His will probably flower before mine. Grrrr.

So, just to be growing some of these wonderful plants is a thrill. The flowering is the excitement though. I really want to try U. nelumbifolia or U. asplundii, but they are nearly myths here.

 

[Joachim Danz]

Hi William,

not that big change for me - there are highlanders too

I'm mostly interested in the big leafed ones. Ut. alpina, Ut. calycifida, Ut endresii, Ut. humboldtii, Ut. longifolia, Ut. nelumbifolia, Ut. reniformis and Ut quelchii are the ones I do grow. From my smaller ones only Ut. blanchetii is worthwhile to mention. It did never stopped flowering since I got it more than a year ago.

Joachim

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

Joachim,

I am really interested in trying the other larger forms. If you know of a source for U. endresii, U. nelumbifolia, and U. quelchii or any of the other epiphites, please message me. I am unable to find these species anywhere here in the States. Many thanks!

 

[matti lord of the pings]

i have a lot of u.lingflora and it's BORING i can never get it to flower not once

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

They are sort of "boring" right up to the time when they put up a scape, and then suddenly they are superstars of the Urticularia world The trick to flowering them is to give them good care despite the fact that they do nothing except grow, and the thrill is directly proportional to the waiting! Don't give up, I am living proof it can happen to you.