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Why is D regia scarce?


Kevan

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I am a bit puzzled and would love some hard information, or even a bit of speculation.

I have just bought some D regia seed, 30 of them, and I could have had 60 or even 90. I read that they are failry easy to germinate, store for years in refrigeration, and retain viability. I also read that palnts set seed resonably well. The pictures of root cuttings on this site show how good a method this can be for propagation.

Why then are the plants so diffciult to buy? Is it that the deamnd for plants is in millions and production only in thousands?

Maybe I will find out why when my seed germinates and they all damp off!!

Kevan

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Good question. I think there are a number of factors. Firstly, is that plants can take several years to flower from seed, so very slow growing in that respect. Secondly, plants seem to be self-infertile, and many plants in cultivation are the same clone, propagated by root cuttings from the initial distributor; you need a different clone to produce seed; seeds have been very difficult to obtain in the past, often in small numbers, and often infertile. Thirdly, root cuttings can be a bit hit and miss, in my experience either they all sprout or they all die, and are difficult to get past about the "three leaf stage" when they start to form their own roots. Fourthly, the plants can be fussy about composts and being too hot; however, some people can grow these plants really well, and others can't, a bit like Darlingtonia, if they like your conditions they will romp away. Fifthly, the plants do not divide quickly.

Over the last few years I have produced and distributed a lot of seed after obtaining some different clones, and get good amounts of fertile seed every year now. Plants (and seeds) seem to be coming on-line from this, and I have recently seen seed offered from plants grown from seed from my plants (Mary?). Hopefully there will be more plants available in the future.

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This species is quickly losing ground in the wild, mostly due to the lack of naturally occuing fires which kill off the thick vegetation that eventually chokes out the D. regia. Now, if a fair occurs in one of their few remaining sites, it may be a killer holocost fire burning everything, including the D. regia.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Basically, for many of us, it's a miserable plant to grow. Personally, D. capensis is just as attractive D. regia. But like the dandelion, its ease of cultivation makes it less desirable. D. regia is like the uner-gorgeous girl in high school that you just get on her radar.

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Basically, for many of us, it's a miserable plant to grow. Personally, D. capensis is just as attractive D. regia. But like the dandelion, its ease of cultivation makes it less desirable. D. regia is like the uner-gorgeous girl in high school that you just get on her radar.

1035vd2.jpg

a3cvmp.jpg

like capensis ?match more beauty i think!

Edited by will9
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  • 2 weeks later...

I've lost count how many D. regia I've lost over the years.

I've kept them in various growing conditions, they die back in autumn and re-emerge again to my delight in the spring.

Then they gradually turn black and die again NEVER to return.

I grow hundreds of other CP with no problems but not these.

Fred

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