Utricularia multifida

goldtrap2690 · Jan 30, 2004

hello everybody , i just got some utricularia multifida ( awww , why did peter taylor have to get rid of such a cool sounding name , Polypompholyx ) from the icps a few days ago . i scattered the seeds in a peat and sand mix in a 3 inch pot with a water tray , then i put it in my terrarium udner the lights . is there anything else i need to know to aid in the germinating of this plant ? wish me luck .

Vic Brown · Feb 1, 2004

Taylor didn't completely get rid of the name Polypompholyx, he just relegated it to a sub-generic rank, so its now a section of the genus Utricularia.

In nature, U. multifida is a winter-growing annual, so it prefers cool temperatures and short daylengths. I sowed fresh seed a couple of months ago and they germinated after a few weeks with cool temps, (min. 50F. -max 68F (below this max. most of the time)) and natural light. An identical pot, placed in a terrarium, (temp. range 60-82F) and 13 hours artificial, bright light/day has not germinated after 2 months.

I suggest you don't keep them too hot or on a long day length.

Vic

Tom · Feb 1, 2004

Vic, you just save a pot of U.multifida from trash! I tried to germinate this one twice in the past with poor/no result at all, as with U.violacea.

My recent try date from last spring, with no germination at all, and I kept them around 75-80°F (20-25°C) in a heated terrarium. I'll move them to my cool windowsill and see what happens, hoping the seeds aren't too old now...

The only time I succeed to sprout a few, they grew during 2 weeks, and stop and die... The water level was at the soil level, and it was the 'normal' peat/sand mix... this time, I tried with pure peat, for limiting mosses growth...

I was about to throw the pot away this afternoon lol! What a coincidence. Now, just hope it will work

goldtrap2690 · Feb 2, 2004

Holy Crap , I just looked at my pots of U. multifida seeds today and i saw some little green sprouts , i'm hoping that these are the seeds and not of the sphagnum , if they are the seeds then this has proven to be a very fast germination , i hope they survive and grow .

Binataboy · Feb 3, 2004

Never throw out a pot of Ausie native seed that comes from southern or arid areas, I have had seeds germinate over a year after sowing, basicly they are desighned to be time capsules so will sit around for years waiting for the right conditions! If they couldn't hang around the species would become extinct first time there was a drought that lasted more than a few years!

George

Tom · Feb 19, 2004

Vic, you're the man!

After I wrote my last post in this topic, I have put my Utricularia multifida pot on my windowsill, and today I can see several plantlets coming out of soil!

Now I just hope they will safely grow to maturity

Thanks, and it just confirm that you shouldn't ever throw away a pot with ungerminated seeds in it hehe

Darcie · Feb 20, 2004

[b said:
Quote[/b] (goldtrap2690 @ Feb. 03 2004,00:18)]Holy Crap , I just looked at my pots of U. multifida seeds today and i saw some little green sprouts , i'm hoping that these are the seeds and not of the sphagnum , if they are the seeds then this has proven to be a very fast germination , i hope they survive and grow .

baby sphagnum from spoor looks like bright green mold so you probubly have plantlets

congrats.

pond boy · Feb 26, 2004

Congrats!

goldtrap2690 · Mar 26, 2004

Actually , what i first thought was U. multifida sprouts turned out to be sphagnum growing but just recently some u. multifida seedlings just sprouted and i'm very sure that this is the real thing .

Vic Brown · Mar 30, 2004

Utricularia multifida seedlings are easily recognisable by the presence of red traps on the soil surface. My plants germinated a few weeks ago now, but the red traps were visible shortly after the first leaf (lolon).

Vic