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Wild Ecology Of Brocchinia


stewart

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Further to questions in the thread (http://www.cpukforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12910) concerning Brocchinia, I thought the following images and info might be useful.

Greg and marky77 - with regards to why B. reducta does not maintain its tubular aspect in cultivation, I sincerely believe it is linked to light intensity and temperature. Remember, these plants grow up to 3,000 m.a.s.l. within a few degrees from the equator in completely unexposed habitats (0% shade) - they are naturaly exposed to SUPER intense sunlight (far more intense than that which the Sarracenia experience) - yet in cultivation (I do not mean to insult anyone), they are generally traditionally grown as shady, rainforest understory bromeliads.

In Pitcher Plants of the Americas the wild ecology of these plants is broken down and considered in terms of climatic conditions so that in cultivation, you may try and replicate these circumstances and experiment to find the best results.

The following illustrate the typical growing habitat of B. reducta and B. hechtioides - these are images from the book.

1.JPG

2.JPG

3.JPG

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Hi Stewart, thanks for your info and pictures. I guess that even on a south facing windowsill this far from the equator, the light intensity and temp's can never match those of the natural habitat of these stunning plants!

I would think that temperature would be more of a factor, since it would more likely determine the rate of water loss from the leaves and the water in the central reservoir - so a tightly rolled tube would lose less water, particularly in hot, dry windswept conditions.

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I love the forests of Brocchinia! :D It is not easy to grow them beautifully even in Japan, although some people have managed to make the leaves turn yellowish as seen in habitats.

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Interesting hypothesis and very nice pictures!

My B.reducta, though growing healthy under fluorescent lights, certainly don't have a tubular phenotype. I wish they did, however.

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Stewart,

Great photos! Your comments about wild versus cultivated specimens are correct. Nature produces harsh conditions and the plants slowly adapt. It is difficult to reproduce the harsh conditions that are found in nature. If we try to expose the plants to full sun, the temperature and humidity won't be the same as their native habitat. We then build greenhouses to control temp and humidity, and as a result the intensity of the sun is reduced.

Brian

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Beautiful photographs!!

Did you happen to see any seeds of the Brocchinia reducta when you were working with them? I don't see any old inflorescences on the plants in the pictures. I am curious about their pollinators and reproduction in the wild. Do I/we have to wait for your book?

Steve Stewart

Florida, USA

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Simply amazing! Thank you for sharing, personally nothing gives me a beter notion on how to grow a plant than seeing how they grow naturally.

Out of curiosity what where the average temperatures where the Brocchinia reducta was growing?

Kindest regards,

Juan-Carlos

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  • 7 months later...

Nice pictures. It remines me of my trip to La Gran Sabana with fields of thousends of Brochinia. You see them from far away as yellow spots in the landscape. Near El Pauji in Venezuela is a big boggy area with Brochinia hechtiodes and Droseras.. You also see them not far from the road to Santa Helena. With the tepuys on the background.

B. hechtiodes gets a kind of rosette will B. reducta forms a kind of tube, more similair to a Sarracenia-pitcher. They grow on both sandy and peaty soil but always with enough water wich can be standing or seepage.

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