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Nepenthes Species Sex Register


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Welcome to the Nepenthes Species Sex Register.

The aim of the Register is to make finding a mate for your flowering species a little easier.

The list can be used by anyone seeking a mate for their plants.

This Register is a little different from previous pollen registers, in that it will constantly display a list of mature plants of known gender, whether currently in flower or not, and will be managed to keep it up to date.

Anyone seeking a mate for their flowering plants can browse the list to see if there are any opposite sex plants available in cultivation to match up with.

When you find what you are looking for, you can simply contact the grower directly.

*****************************Please add your plant to the list first *************************

The list also shows the clone and source information when available, and all contributors are encouraged to habitually record as much source information as possible. (All information supplied is of course voluntary)

The date a plant last flowered is shown, and importantly, whether pollen has been stored.

The storage of pollen is likely to be a major feature of the success of this register and is to be encouraged in order to widen the window of opportunity, and to that end, you will find below the list, a method of good practice for the collection and storage of viable pollen.

To add your plants to the Nepenthes Species Sex Register, just e-mail your name to [email protected] and I will send a simple form for you to fill in and return back to me…..easy.

TO SEE THE LIST SIMPLY CLICK ON THIS LINK

(when prompted, select OPEN)

http://dl.dropbox.co...IC Nep List.xls

Pollen Storage

The successful collection and storage of pollen is an important factor to consider when offering your pollen to a potential mate.

Nothing can be worse than waiting patiently for pollen to arrive to fertilize your pride and joy female Nepenthes, only to find (usually much later) that what came in the post that exciting day was not viable, and stood little chance of having been so.

It is not through lack of enthusiasm or just carelessness, it is just not knowing the best methods for success.

The following method is a guide to better success. It may be updated from time to time to reflect further proven methods, but for now, it is the best we can suggest.

Q. When is pollen ripe and ready to collect?

A. When a flower first opens, it is quite hard and when viewed closely, has the vague appearance of a minute brain, with clearly visible ridges and furrows. This is not ripe.

See the newly opening flowers to the left below.

flowerimg0001.jpg

However, once the pollen ripens (this may take a few days) it clearly fluffs up, and when touched will leave a yellow mark on your finger. See flowers to the right above

Each flower will produce pollen over a few days, and this may start to drop from the flower. This pollen will be viable for several days.

Now is the time to collect.

At this point you have a choice, If you are ready to send the pollen immediately to someone waiting, you can simply snip a couple of flowers and post them.

Or better still make a Shake The Tree collection.

Simply take a square of foil, and crease one edge to form a channel.

Hold under the flower spike and tap gently to release pollen which will fall and collect on the foil.

pollenimg0001.jpgpollenimg0002.jpg

Tip up the foil and gather the pollen in the channel, then tip onto a fresh piece of foil.

pollenimg0004.jpgpollenimg0005.jpg

The reason for this is that you may find that nectar falls from the spike as you tap it, trapping some of the pollen on the foil. Discard this as it will encourage fungal growth and collect only the free moving pollen grains onto the new piece of foil.

If you are ready to send the pollen immediately to someone waiting, simply seal a portion in a foil wrap and post fresh.

You may also store some in the refrigerator at about +4C for a few weeks.

For longer periods, you may freeze the pollen at about -20C.

Before freezing (the current line of thinking is to) allow the pollen to dry out slightly, in a warm place, such as an airing cupboard for a couple of days.

For this, I scrunch up the foil to make a “doormouse nest” so that the grains are not blown away, but moisture can escape.

pollenimg0006.jpgpollenimg0007.jpg

When dry, foil wrap in portions, place in a small airtight container with a packet of silica gel crystals (found in electronics packaging etc. e.g. mobile phones)

LABEL AND DATE and freeze rapidly.

When you wish to send out a packet, do so quickly for immediate use.

Small packets will thaw out very rapidly so try not to defrost your whole supply each time you open the box

Store until the next time the plant flowers then replace with new.

A tip for mailing.

The rollers used in mail sorting, will crush delicate wraps of pollen, flowers or seed.

Cut a piece from a cardboard box (3-4mm thick) to fit in your envelope. Cut a small window in the card, a little larger than the wrap and tape the wrap into the window.

No need for a jiffy, simple and cheap!

Warning:DO NOT SEND POLLEN IN A WHITE PAPER WRAP. All that arrives is a useless yellow skid mark!

Edited by Dicon
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  • 9 months later...
Is this Registeration still functioning? I have a Female Thorelii Flowering

I'm sorry Jeffery, this is Europe only (although I have allowed space for a very lonely African grower)

There are many problems associated with sending and receiving pollen quickly enough outside the EU and so for now at least, I feel we are better exchanging in our own geographical regions.

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  • 1 month later...

Hi All,

There is a very satisfying confirmation to the pollen storage method shown above.

We have successfully germinated seeds from a cross using frozen pollen from N.sibuyanensis. (the very same pollen shown in the photo's) :sun_bespectacled:

Matt

Edited by Dicon
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  • 3 months later...

Hi All,

I have modified the way the list works as it was proving too long winded to update.

Previously it was a matter of updating the master list, then taking a screen shot, edit and convert to a usable photo format, upload to host and then finally download to here, and all for one minor update at a time! :wink:

I tried to encourage people to send me updates en mass in order to make the above worthwhile, but my pleas fell mostly on deaf ears :happy:

So just like the Neps we all love, the list has had to evolve.

It is now much, much quicker and easier for me to update and modify.

It is much easier for everyone to view properly too.

Please take a fresh look, follow the link in the main post and send me your updates, and new lists, let's all make this worthwhile.

This is not just a list of which plant is what sex, it is intended to be a mate finding list showing who is feeling frisky and when.

So if you have a plant on the list, please remember to update each time it comes into flower.

Thanks to those who have continually supported this idea, you know who you are!

And a plea to those who have promised before, don't be shy.

Thanks

Matt

PS Please let me have your comments or if there are any bugs.

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  • 3 months later...

New updates to view now

Please contribute to the list if you have any flowering or previously flowered Nep species to add.

There is also a female N.spathulata in flower now, I'm just waiting for the full details.

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New updates to view now

Please contribute to the list if you have any flowering or previously flowered Nep species to add.

There is also a female N.spathulata in flower now, I'm just waiting for the full details.

Gosh, my male spathulata is about to flower. It's about time I register.

Thanks Dicon.

François.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hello.

RIMG0244-1.jpg

This is a N.talangensis flowering for the first time for me, so I don't know what sex it is yet.

It's from BestCarnivorousPlants.

Update*

It's a male flower and I will soon have pollen ready for shipping if someone wants :)

Best regards

/Alfred

Edited by Gubbtjuven
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  • 3 months later...
I thought it would be female?

The tenuis from the Thread looks female to me...

Best regards,

Paul

Paul,

you are confused!

Sam's thread shows a female tenuis (this plant is not YET (hint) on the register)

however, the new update on the Nepenthes Sex Register is a male.

Matt

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

Update,

mira and sibuyanensis in flower

Probably loads of other interesting stuff out there too........................but nobody's letting on!!!!

Edited by Dicon
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Update,

mira and sibuyanensis in flower

Probably loads of other interesting stuff out there too........................but nobody's letting on!!!!

You can add a vogellii, pollen should be available in a week or two.

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you can add n.N spathulata x aristolochioides) x (lowii x ventricosa). male to the list. in flower now. pollen available in about two days.

Please read the instructions, this is species only.

There is however a thread I started a couple of months back for "mongrels"

Please post here Hybrid list

Matt

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Please read the instructions, this is species only.

There is however a thread I started a couple of months back for "mongrels"

Please post here Hybrid list

Matt

sorry mat i posted it in the wrong thread. :suicide_fool-edit:

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