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Why do pinguicula leaves curl at the edges?


bigphil1984

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I don't suppose we can know for sure but the theory that curled up edges prevent excess dew from dripping of the leaf is as good as any.
Never thought of that lol. I thought it was maybe too cold or something, with the weather been up and down! Do you think it will flower?

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I'd be surprised if it didn't but it should be going dormant any time now, will form a hibernacula then rest until late Winter.  Once it wakes up it should flower soon afterwards.

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These plants are from cold temperate climates and have to be dormant when the frosts arrive (Ping leaves are very soft).  If you're thinking of Sarrs, vfts etc, they are tougher plants and from warm temperate climates which don't usually get as cold.

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1 minute ago, manders said:

Im actually convinced my grandifloras keep growing more hibernacula all winter, little ones around the edges.

Mine do the same, end up with loads of them.

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2 minutes ago, bigphil1984 said:

So is a hibernacula a new plant starting to get ready to come back?

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Yes, usually you get lots of them around grandifloras, worth spreading them out a bit in early spring or theyll get smothered by the main plant.

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I read something once that it keeps the caught gnats from walking onto the non-sticky side of the leaf to escape. It does seem like they can trawl across the whole leaf, but still end up stuck at the edges. That said, if they walk to the other side, they can just crawl onto the bottom of the next leaf, so I'm not sure how much weight can be given to this explanation.

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  • 5 months later...

That seems unlikely, anything but the lightest rain would wash any ping leaf clean, ragardless of the raised edges.  I think more likely it stops the digestive juices overflowing the leaf and wasting the nutrients (in dry weather).

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 I can't really remember where I read that, but something comparable was written in The Savage Garden:

''Some species of pings also have the power of movement. This is most often seen in species from temperate climates; it is almost entirely lacking in tropical forms. Over a period of a day or so, after the capture of substantial-size prey, the margins of the leaf, already upturned, may curve inward or over the precious food. This has nothing to do with capture but is believed to be helpful in preventing the digestive fluids from drooling off the leaf. Another possible explanation is that it helps prevent the victims from being washed away by the rain. Many butterworts can even ''dish'' their leaves under prey, giving their juices a convenient place to pool.''   

http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq5440.html gives another explanation though:

''For the most part, there is no motion in the leaves. However, the leaves do often dimple slightly underneath captured prey, possibly to create a little pool of fluid to aid in digestion. Also, and especially on temperate species, the leaves roll up on the edges. A few theories have been proposed to explain this, and perhaps two of the most intriguing are that the leaves may be curling up to keep marauding ants from stealing the captured prey, or to create a kind of tubelike structure along the edges of the leaves so that capillary action spreads the nutrient-rich bug juices over a larger amount of leaf area, enhancing nutrient absorption.''

I guess science still isn't sure why they do this

Edited by blaasjeskruid18
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I’ve observed a little motion in youngest plants of p. Gigantea leaves too, when the preys are quite big for those leaves... the leaf curl a little around the bug and, if you see it in the night with the help of a light, you can see a very big amount of liquid around the prey.. it seems to be wet... but after that the leaf stay “curled” and don’t return to the original shape, as my temperates pinguiculas do

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