UtricSeb Posted October 8, 2004 Report Share Posted October 8, 2004 Hello.. I´ve read before about some Pings wich bend its flower stalk just to put the seed pod in contact with substrate but only in species growing in vertical walls. Today, I was surprised to find that my G.violacea has made the same thing with the pedicel of the first flower it produced.. here is a pic of it. Maybe this is common but this is my first time with this species. Hope you like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markus Posted October 8, 2004 Report Share Posted October 8, 2004 Hi Sebastian, I have never observed something like that with my plants but indeed a very interesting behaviour. Your plant looks very healthy. The leaves are very strong and have a fresh green colour. I think you have the perfect climate for it. Cheers, Markus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pond boy Posted October 8, 2004 Report Share Posted October 8, 2004 Very interesting. I hope my G.sp violacea blooms soon. How big do they usualy need to be to flower? And what temps do they like? I recentley moved it to a lowland tank is this good? Or should it stay in highland conditions? Thanks, Noah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fernando Rivadavia Posted October 8, 2004 Report Share Posted October 8, 2004 Hola Sebas! This phenomenon you observed with Genlisea is probably similar to that known from several cliff-hanging Pinguicula species, but I believe this similarity is only physiological and not ecological. While some Pinguicula will bend their scapes backwards in order to place their seed capsules close to the walls they cling to (thus avoiding that most seeds fall on the ground below), in species of the G.violacea group (section Tayloria) the pedicels (the "stem" that holds up the flower, branching from the main flower scape) are the ones that bend. G.violacea, G.lobata, etc. will bend their pedicels once the flower is pollinated. Depending on the length of the pedicel, it may even twirl around the scape. One by one as the flowers are pollinated, they drop the corolla, bend downwards, and begin forming fruit. In fact I always used this as a sure sign of successful pollinization with my plants back when I used to cultivate CPs 10 years ago. The 1st (lowermost) flower to open whenever my plants bloomed would always remain with an erect pedicel because there were no other flowers to cross-pollinate it with. No bending downwards of the pedicels meant no fruit and thus no seeds. Although I've known of this phenomenon in Genlisea of section Tayloria for nearly 15 years, I have not yet found a good ecological explanation for it. It could be that the explanation is the same as for Pinguicula, although not all species in section Tayloria grow on cliffs. G.violacea and G.lobata only occasionally do so. There is a small new species from Bahia in NE Brazil, which I have only seen at 2 locations, both on cliffs, so it could be that this species is in fact restricted to this habitat. Since there are numerous flowers per scape on Genlisea while Pinguicula only have one per scape, the whole scape on Genlisea can not bend backwards while other flowers are still in need of pollinization. So maybe bending the pedicel brings the fruit at least a little closer to the wall. But this characteristic would not be maintained throughout the species in this section if it was only an advantage for 3 of them and even then only on rare occasions (when they do occur on cliffs). So whatever the reason, it must be important to have been preserved, even in G.uncinata, G.sp."Cipo", and G.sp."Itacambira beauty" which have terribly short pedicels. Check the Genlisea picks on my webpage (http://www.mcef.ep.usp.br/carnivoras/). There are 2 pics of G.sp."Cipo" where you can see the erect pedicel with flower and a bent one in fruit (see links below). http://www.mcef.ep.usp.br/carnivoras/Photo..._02_1997__2.jpg http://www.mcef.ep.usp.br/carnivoras/Photo..._02_1997__3.jpg There is also one of G.lobata with a flower on an erect pedicel and a bent on in fruit in teh background: http://www.mcef.ep.usp.br/carnivoras/Photo..._02_1996__2.jpg Then there's a really good one of G.violacea with several flowers on erect scapes, fruit on bents scapes, and even an erect pedicel without flower or fruit located low down on one scape (this was the 1st flower and was not pollinated): http://www.mcef.ep.usp.br/carnivoras/Photo...FRL_02_1992.jpg Take Care, Fernando Rivadavia 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UtricSeb Posted October 9, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2004 Hola Fer! Wow.. great info. Its good to know this happens in other species. Now I wonder, being this the first flower in my plant, how was it pollinated without my help and with pollen from which other flower? Was it an insect who brought pollen from the nearby blooming G.lobata or G.lobata x violacea?? Will have to collect and sow the seed to find out.. exciting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted October 9, 2004 Report Share Posted October 9, 2004 Hi, Take a look on the following picutre i took about 2 years ago You can see this phenomen as well. I also had pollination without my intervention, although no other plants were flowering at the same time. Í can't say if was pollinated by an insect in my greenhouse. I have sown seeds last year from such a flower. Seeds germinated well. I wonder, if the flowers might be autogam (cleistogam)? I also have seed set in plants i grow in a Terrarium. regards, Christian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dieter Posted October 13, 2004 Report Share Posted October 13, 2004 My Genlisea violacea currently in flower in my office (no insects anywhere near the plants) bends down all pedicals including still open flowers. There is just one exception: the latest flower. None of the seed pods is swelling, but that's not surprising without any pollinator around. Best regards, Dieter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fernando Rivadavia Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 Strange that the pedicels bend downwards without forming fruit. Never seen that before. I wonder what it is about your conditions that causes this? Take Care, Fernando Rivadavia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dieter Posted October 15, 2004 Report Share Posted October 15, 2004 Hi Fernando, I do not know. The plant in my office grows in such a indoor mini greenhouse on the window sill. The flower stalk grew through one of the airation slits and thus experiences normal room conditions as you would expect under air conditioning (temperatures between 20 and 24 degrees centigrade, low humidity at this time of the year, the heating period just began). I will have to check at home. There my Genlisea grow in a terrarium under different conditions. I will check on there behaviour there. As I will be moving very soon, I will drop in here very rarely during the next weeks and it might take a while until I add the information on my other Ge. violacea plants. Best regards, Dieter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocklizard Posted October 31, 2004 Report Share Posted October 31, 2004 Wow that is interesting. My G.viloisa also has a flower stalk and it insist on pointing up. One day the pot tipped over and the the plant became submerged, the flower stalk turned 90 degress to point "up". I think yours is in need of viagra :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dieter Posted November 8, 2004 Report Share Posted November 8, 2004 Here is the information I promised some time ago: The flower stalks of my plants at home behave differently from the plant (same clone) in my office. None of the pedicals bends downwards (and none gets pollinated). I have no idea what makes the plant behave differently in my office. Best regards, Dieter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fernando Rivadavia Posted November 19, 2004 Report Share Posted November 19, 2004 VERY STRANGE!!!!!! Fernando Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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