African Genlisea

[Andreas Fleischmann]

Hello!

After this year's botanical expeditions to Sierra Leone, Zambia and South Africa, I know have enough photographs of Genlisea in the wild to provide a little picture guide of the confusingly similar African species of Genlisea.

Unfortunately, we did not see G. pallida, G. taylori and G. angolensis in Zambia, but all of these grow in the south western part of that country, very close to the Angolean border. And I simply was not able to convince Fernando to go hunting for CPs in an area covered by landmines... ;)

Most of the African species of Genlisea look somewhat similar, and most of them are blueish to purple in flower.

There are two species that have a totally glabrous stem, and the sepals (the calyx) and ovary (i.e. later the seed capsule) are not covered by glands, but only by simple hairs (or they are even glabrous, too). These are the well-known G. hispidula and its close relative G. subglabra. See below.

In all other African Genlisea, the stems are more or less densely covered by secreting glands, same is the calyx and the ovary. For the identification of these species, very doubtful characters have to be considered: The length and distribution of glandular versus non-glandular hairs on calyx and ovary and the relative length of the nectar spur compared to the lower lip of the flower. I hope I can help to illustrate this in the following photographs. Let's picture boring taxonomy! ;)

If you had a species of Genlisea from Africa that bears glands on its flower stalk first look at the ripe fruits:

Are the fruiting pedicels strongly decurved (i.e. is the seed capsule bend towards the stem)? Or are the ripe fruits held erect?

If they are decurved, you can select between 3 species, if they are erect, 5 species are remaining.

Pedicel bend downwards in fruit:

Flowers are cream or whitish, leaves are elongated and arranged in a somewhat loose rosette: G. pallida. No photos, soory. AFAIK, this plant is NOT in cultivation yet! (Any corrections??) All plants labelled as "G. pallida" in cultivation are falsely identified G. filiformis.

Let's say the plant has a long flower stalk, more than 15 cm in length, and the glands are mainly distributed in the upper part, where the flowers are (the base of the flower stem is glabrous). The upper lip of the flower has a constriction at its base. The lower lip appears to be entire or is only shallowly lobed. That's G. margareatae.

Note the decurved pedicels in fruit.

Fernando and I found this plant even at the type location of G. margaretae. This plant has dark purple flowers and very long flower stalks, up to 40 cm in lenght. Like the plants from Madagascar, which are common in cultivation now, it forms dense and compact rosettes of short leaves, juvenile rosettes are produced on stolon-like trap leaves and emerge from the soil near the mother plant. The plants from Madagascar which had been introduced to cultivation have brighter coloured flowers on shorter stalks.

[Andreas Fleischmann]

If the plant had numerous very glandular scapes emerging from one rosette, which are shorter than 15 cm in height, and if the lower lip of the flower was distinctly 3-lobed, then it's Genlisea glandulosissima ("the most glandular Genlisea"). The name was chosen correctly for that plant! ;)

What a CP garden! ;) G. glandulosissima growing together with D. madagascariensis, D. burkeana (dead, brown rosette), G. africana, U. welwitschii 'purple flowers' (in front), my favourite U. subulata (you'll see a lot of photos of that one soon! ;)) and the pipewort Syngonanthus (Eriocaulaceae).

Note the deeply trilobed lower lip of the flower and the dense cover with long sticky glands. We found several small insects sticking to the flowerscapes of that Genlisea. You can well imagine how Pinguicula evolved from Genlisea-like ancestors.

Now for those Genlisea that have glands on flower stem and which do not bend down the ripe fruits:

In case the sepals bear glands:

If the pedicels are only covered by short stalked glands, it's G. africana.

This plant has thin, filiform flower stalks which are often branched several times. Flowers can be dark purple to mauve or even cream white.

G. africana might grow as an annual in some habitats (like on grantic inselbergs), but we found it growing as a facultative perennial in bogy seepage habitats in Zambia. It was growing in places rich in other CPs, like Drosera burkeana, D. affinis, D. madagascariensis, G. margaretae, G. glandulosissima and many species of Utricularia.

Edited December 15, 2007 by Andreas Fleischmann

[Andreas Fleischmann]

A strange white flowered form with a green-tipped spur had been described as "Genlisea subviridis" by Hutchinson in 1946, but it was reduced to synonymy of G. africana by Taylor later. In my opinion this plant deserves to be a seperate species! Look at the broad, strange spur! There are some more characters distinguishing it from odd G. africana...

Look at this spur! ;)

Like in G. africana, the pedicel is only covered with glandular hairs, and the capsule is entirely covered by glands as well.

Habitat of G. subviridis in Zambia. That's how many CP sites look there. In the back you can see our car, a 4x2 ISUZU offroad, which Fernando almost wrecked by driving ;)

[Andreas Fleischmann]

Pedicels covered by glandular and smaller non glandular hairs:

The spur is much longer than the lower lip of the flower, the capsule is covered by long stalked glands only in its upper part (white arrow), the lower part is glabrous (see black arrow. The glands visible in that area are on the calyx, NOT on the ovary! ;)). Thus the ovary looks like a partially shaved gooseberry! ;)

This is Genlisea barthlottii, a species of tropical western Africa.

It grows as an annual on granitic outcrops (inselbergs) in tropical west Africa. So far, it only had been known from a few locations in Guinea, but I found it growing on an inselberg in Sierra Leone as well.

The spur of G. barthlottii is clearly longer than the lower lip of the flower.

In the related G. stapfii the spur is shorter or only slightly longer than the lower lip of the flower, the ovary is covered by short glandular hairy all over. Sorry, no photograph of the ovary, but it looks like the capsule of G. africana shown above.

G. stapfii is another annual species of western Africa. I found it growing on an inselberg in northern Sierra Leone, together with U. pubescens, U. subulata and Drosra indica.

G. stapfii was treated as as synonym of G. africana for a long time. But the fact that in G. stapfii, eglandular and glandular hairs are found on the pedicel was reason enough to separate it from that G. africana again (which only bears glandular hairs). Whatever... ;)

Two species with a glandular stalk are still missing: Both have no glands on their calyx. G. angolensis has a calyx densely covered by simple, non- glandular hairs (like in G. hispudula!), the calyx of the newly described G. taylori is totally glabrous or bears only a few glands at the very base.

[Andreas Fleischmann]

Now for the 2 species that have no glands on their flower stalks at all:

If there are hairs on the capsule, it's G. hispidula (that's the origin of it's specific name!). The upper lip of that species is broad and round.

Fernando and I found G. hispidula growing in a seepage habitat near Pretoria, in the northern part of South Africa.

They grew in peaty soil or in sphagnum among reeds, grasses and sedges, together with Drosera longiscapa and a small, dark brownish-purple flowered form of U. welwitschii.

Note the densely hairy calyx! But it's simple hairs, they do not have a glandular tip.

The seed capsule is covered with these hairs as well.

If the capsule is glabrous, or has a few hairs on its very tip only, it's G. subglabra. In this species, the upper lip of the flower is narrow and has a even narrower tip. Christian Klein sold a plant labeled as "G. africana" which he obtained from Botanical Garden Bonn, Germany some time ago. These plants and their offspring which are now thriving well in some CPer's collections already are not africana, but G. subglabra!

The flower stem and pedicels of G. subglabra are all glabrous.

Can you see the narrow "beak" of the upper lip which distinguishes this species from G. hispidula?

At one location in Zambia, we found G. subglabra growing together with Drosera elongata. The Genlisea was growing submerged in a whole filled with water and it used the climbing stem of D. elongata to support its flower stem. The leaves of that Genlisea where hughe, more than 10 cm in length!

All the best,

Andreas

PS: In case the mix of key and photographs is too confusing, I can divide them into 2 seperate confusing threads if you liked. ;)

[Andreas Fleischmann]

I hope you enjoy reading! ;)

Many thanks to Christian Dietz for hosting my photographs on his website!

All the best,

Andreas

[Guest polypompholyx]

Andreas,

Those pictures are astounding, it's really an eye-opener to see that there are still so many gems that have not entered general cultivation! Thanks for posting them, it's been a pleasure!

Cheers,

Hong Yee

[JRFxtreme]

Thats really CP paradise!

Maan.. now I really want a corkscrew plant!

:smackbottom:

[Sean Spence]

Absolutely awesome! Something you will never see anywhere else. Thankyou for giving us the chance to see these fantastic little plants Andreas. So when are you writing your book so that the world of CP enthusiasts too can check them out?

[sundewmatt]

all these pics are amazing, thanks andreas and fernando. when can we expect to see your book on the CP of zambia? what camera are you using andreas???

m

[chug]

Nice looking plants! :) Great shots too. :)

[rosolis76]

Hello Andreas,

:shocked: VERY BEAUTYFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Very good work! you are the best

All the best,

Dam

[Guest Andreas Eils]

Hello Andreas,

very enlightening thread about the distinctive features of African Genliseae. Fernando and you have done a very good job on your field trip. Thanks for sharing these fabulous pics with us. :) For my taste G. bartlothii, G. stapfii and G. subviridis are my favourites. Would be nice if they´ll enter cultivation one day! (Resp. if they´ll also be available for mere mortals!)

I hope Fernando has a good insurance because of the car!

Best regards,

Andreas

[sundewmatt]

fernando and andreas and anyone else who takes trips like these deserves MAJOR respect from all of us.

[JanW]

Wow. Awesome photos, I liked especially the habitat overview(s)!

[Steeevoe]

Excellent pictures Andreas.

Thanks for posting them :)

[Fernando Rivadavia]

Wow!!!

Andreas this is a CLASSIC!! What a post! Awesome pics, fantastically descriptive taxonomy! This one should become a 'sticky' post in the Genlisea forum!

Congratulations!

Fernando Rivadavia

[sundewmatt]

andreas and fernando, you both need to write a few books. im sure your friends can guide you.

[Quinn]

Outstanding stuff!! Drooling madly....as Matt says, hats off to you guys on an awesome trip and exploring some of the lessor known yet highly beautiful CPs.

Best regards

Quinn,

Auckland, NZ

[Andreas Fleischmann]

Thanks to Fernando, who pointed out a serious typo in this post: it should obviously read "glandular" scapes in G. glandulosissima instead of "glabrous". Curiously noone else noticed this, haha ;)

Andreas

[Fernando Rivadavia]

Hello Andreas,

Aaaahhh, what a cool trip that was! :) It was gret to "travel" there again through your pics.

Thanks to Fernando, who pointed out a serious typo in this post: it should obviously read "glandular" scapes in G. glandulosissima instead of "glabrous". Curiously noone else noticed this, haha ;)

I guess this means that nobody else but I read it! :):)

Looking at this post again, I am surprised how similar the flowers of G.africana, G.stapfii, G.subglabra & G.barthlottii all are! Do you think this is convergent evolution to similar pollinators, or do you think they are all very closely related? The differences between them seem very "mild" and I'm sure many botanists could even see them as mere subspecies of a single species.

Best Wishes,

Fernando Rivadavia