Plant Society

Volume 28, No. 3 September 1999

 CARNIVOROUS
PLANT
NEWSLETTER
Journal of the International
Carnivorous Plant Society
www.carnivorousplants.org
■ 4
I ‘ ^7

Volume 28, Number 3

September 1999

Front Cover: Drosera x corinthiaca. Note the compact rosette on a short, distinctive
stem, the weakl^^urVed base of the scape, and the yellowish tinge to the leaves.
Drosera aliciae grows in the background. Article on page 81.

Back Cover: Drosera regia, see article on page 76. Photo by Ron Parsons.

Carnivorous Plant Newsletter is dedicated to spreading knowledge and news related to carnivorous plants.
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Editors:
Barry Meyers-Rice, P.O. Box 72741, Davis, CA 95617, USA, email: barry@camivorousplants.org
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Date of effective publication of the June 1999 issue of Carnivorous Plant Newsletter: 4 June 1999.
Accredited with the International Association for Plant Taxonomy for the purpose of registration of new names of
vascular plants (excluding fossils).

The ICPS is the International Registration Authority (IRA) for cultivated carnivorous plants according to The
International Code For The Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants. Send relevant correspondence to the ICPS, Inc.

PUBLISHER: ICPS, Inc., Fullerton, California. Published quarterly with one volume annually. Desktop Publishing:
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74 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter

 Contents
Letter from the Editor.75
Looking Back: CPN 25 years ago.75
Drosera arcturi in Tasmania and a Comparison with Drosera regia.-76
Drosera x corinthiaca (Droseraceae), A Newly Recognised Natural Hybrid
From The Cape Province, South Africa- -—81
Caught On The ‘Net: A Regular Collection of Inti
from the ICPS Internet Discussion Group-.
Carnivorous Plants of the Northwest Territories
UBRARY -—85
—88
Literature reviews. -—90
Book Review: Carnivorous Plants. -—91
News & Views.—.-.7.-92
Book Review: Pitchers in Trade.94
Pinguicula vulgaris in Iceland -.YQHK'....95

Special Review: Artwork by Scott Bennett -

Book Review: Carnivorous Plants of Australia, vol 3.98
New Cultivar Dionaea ‘Red Piranha’.99
Special Review: Aquarium Cleaner.-.100
Seedbank-.-.103

Letter from the Editor:

Here Comes 2000!
Barry Meyers-Rice

Now I must ask ICPS members to do something I have never asked before—sort
through your trash!
I think that somewhere in your garbage is the envelope this issue of Carnivorous
Plant Newsletter arrived in. Go find it. Now.
Look at your name on the mailing label. It is followed by four digits (your member¬
ship number), and another four digits (the last year your membership will be active). If
that year is 1999, use the form in this issue to renew your membership. Please copy your
membership number onto the renewal form—this helps us process your paperwork.
Please consider renewing for more than one year at a time. Multiple-year memberships
are convenient time savers for you and us, and while you do not get a discount, you do
get protection from membership rate increases—it seems that everything is getting more
expensive! If it feels like you just recently renewed your membership, that is because we
sent the last form out in December. That did not give some people enough time to renew,
so by having an earlier renewal the ICPS will have less back-issues to ship.
I will keep this notice short so we will have more room to talk plants. So read....and
renew!

Looking Back: CPN 25 years ago

Don Schnell wrote about species of Exyra—the moths whose larvae live inside
and feed on Sarracenia pitchers—and how they interact with birds and wildfires:
“But before pupating, the larvae open two holes [inside the pitcher]: one very low to
drain any water that might get in, and one above the frass for later egress of the
adult moth which does not have the mouthparts to chew its way out....Certain birds
have come to recognize the meaning of the telltale holes and slash open the pitch¬
ers near the bottom to feed on the pupae.... [Wildfires] will effectively destroy the
overwintering larvae and pupae of E. ridingsii. Strike, counterstrike, and now
another strike: E. semicrocea frequently overwinters or pupates outside of the pitch¬
er very low to the ground and effectively insulated from the rapid fire.”
Volume 28 September 1999 75
International Correspondent for the ICPS ___
Drosera arcturi in Tasmania and a Comparison
With Drosera regia

Robert Gibson • P.O. Box 1330 • Dubbo* New South Wales 2830 • Australia
Keywords: observations: Drosera arcturi, Drosera regia.

Drosera arcturi in the wild

The Alpine Sundew Drosera arcturi is endemic to alpine, subalpine, and cool
humid coastal areas of south eastern Australia and New Zealand (Erickson, 1968).
It is an interesting, rhizomatous, winter deciduous perennial with a history stretch¬
ing back over fifty million years (Macphail, 1988). The Tasmanian populations
include significantly larger plants than those which occur elsewhere in its range.
From my observations this form has many similarities with D. regia, from South
Africa. I compare the two in this paper.
Drosera arcturi is typically a small growing species with three to five erect, lin¬
ear leaves 2 to 5 cm long that are produced over a four month period (October—
February). Mature plants produce a single erect scape up to 5 cm tall which carries
a single white-petalled flower. The flower is open in January. Around Mt. Kosciusko,
New South Wales and near the summits of Mt. Bogong and Mt. Baw Baw, Victoria,
the sundews grow in colonies in damp peat, often growing with mosses and low
herbs (including Utricularia monanthos) at the boggy beginnings of small streams
and beside lakes. The typical form of the species is often difficult to find in the wild
due to its small stature. In all areas this species experiences prolonged freezing con¬
ditions, often moderated by lingering snow cover.
In 1991 and 1997 I undertook fieldwork in Tasmania which included observing
Drosera arcturi in the wild and studying herbarium specimens. The Tasmanian
plants are unusual in that they include more robust plants with leaves up to 25 cm
long. The flowering parts are twice the size of the typical plants. There are up to
three flowers per scape.
In Tasmania Drosera arcturi is found from near sea-level (in the southwest por¬
tion of the island) to over 1400 m elevation on peaks of the central plateau. At low
elevations it grows in buttongrass sedge swamps, and at high elevations it grows on
lake edges and low alpine to subalpine herb fields, often in the company of large
cushion plants. Several plants grow in bright green cushion plants near the summit
of Mt. Wellington at approximately 1200 m, within 30 km of the center of the city
of Hobart.
Drosera arcturi in Tasmania produces a horizontal rhizome measuring up to 15
cm long, at or just under the soil surface. From this descend many thin black roots
with conspicuous root hairs. Additional growing points emerge from the rhizome
over time. Each season three to five tough, almost succulent leaves are produced.
The last two leaves produced each summer in January do not immediately grow to
maturity but form a tight inverted conical bud which protects the apical meristem
of the plant during winter. These leaves recommence growth in September and are
non-carnivorous, lacking stalked retentive glands. This is especially visible in flow¬
ering individuals. From October to January three erect linear leaves are produced
of which the second leaf is the longest. The leaves of D. arcturi are folded along their
length and grow by simple elongation, opening flat as they mature; a growth pat¬
tern with some similarities to that of D. burmannii and tuberous rosetted Drosera
76 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter
except that the leaves lie flat on the ground. They retain a furrowed base which may
protect the younger leaves from cold weather during the growing season. The leaves
lack a raised midrib, and the retentive glands held on long mobile stalks are
restricted to the upper surface of the lamina.
In November a single scape emerges from the base of the first new leaf of the
season. They grow directly up by stem elongation in a similar way to D. binata and
D. regia, and reach up to 20 cm tall. The scape may have one small linear bract. One
to three flowers are produced which open for a few days each in January. The flow¬
ers have white petals as long as 1.2 cm long (Figure 2). The petals surround an
ovate green ovary, topped by three or four short white styles which are surrounded
by five white stamens which produce yellow pollen. The extent of flower opening
depends more upon air temperature than light levels. My last visit to a site on the
west coast of Tasmania coincided with a period of hot weather (35°C) during which
the D. arcturi flowers were fully open with horizontally held petals and sepals. They
only began to close a little at dusk. Under other circumstances I have seen flowers
which were only open enough to expose the styles and tip of the stamens. With the
flowers fully open I observed that the anthers are held at the same height as the
styles and that from the distribution of orange pollen on the styles most flowers
appeared to have self-pollinated. During the summer the air temperatures are gen¬
erally cool and the flowers only expose the styles and anthers. From the arrange¬
ment of the flowering parts it appears the pollination syndrome employed by this
species utilizes flying insects landing on the styles, and subsequently contacting the
stamens.
The seed is black, smooth, pyriform and up to 2 mm long; and is almost identi¬
cal to that of Dionaea muscipula. It is shed from the top of the ripe fruit in March
and requires exposure to cold weather before germinating the following spring.
Drosera arcturi is a slow grower. Each year mature plants produce approxi¬
mately 1 cm of rhizome. It grows in a range of soils, including sedge peat,
Sphagnum moss, cushion plant and coarse quartzite gravel. The D. arcturi rhizome
is generally above ground when growing in gravel, but is shallowly buried in the
softer, organic substrates. Periodic fires may also burn the upper surface of the
peaty soil, killing many plants. Those plants growing on the surface of gravelly soils
usually escape being burnt.
Much time and patience would be needed to grow this species to maturity. For
example, a seedling approximately two years old was found at one site in early
1997. It had only two leaves, 4 mm long by 2 mm wide. In view of the climate of the
south west of Tasmania this species may be grown most easily in western Europe
and the north west coast of the USA and adjacent British Columbia.
The size of leaves and number of flowers produced by D. arcturi plants are vari¬
able and the larger plants grow in the southwest part of the island state. A reason
for this may be due to the temperature ranges during the growing season. Cool min¬
imum temperatures, including light frosts, occur year round on the central plateau.
In contrast, warmer minimum temperatures occur on lower elevations in the south¬
west. In these regions cool moist winds of the “Roaring Forties” flow over the land,
so the climate is humid, cloudy, with high average annual rainfall. Cultivation
experiments combined with weather data from a number of sites would be useful in
quantifying the influence of climate on the size of plants from around the state.

Drosera regia in the wild

In July 1997 I visited the principal site of Drosera regia in South Africa, observ¬
ing the conditions in which it grows in the wild. These supplement observations on

Volume 28 September 1999 77

 Figure 1: Drosera arcturi from Tasmania.

Figure 2: Three open flowers of Drosera arcturi. Note that the central flower
has six petals and that these flowers have an extra stamen.

78 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter

plants in cultivation. Drosera regia is known from a single valley in the
Baviaanskloof in permanently damp soil (Stephens, 1926). The site visited (the
lower of two) is a gravel bench on the floor of poorly formed creek bed. Water flows
from an area under a quartzite knoll, possibly from a soak. From the steep valley
slopes rockfalls and landslides have shed a mantle of angular cobbles and boulders
over the valley floor. The frequency of mass movement appears to have declined in
the valley—no recent landslide scars or large rockfalls were evident. The soil con¬
tains a significant amount of sand and vein quartz gravel originating from granu¬
lar diaggregation of quartzite, and a variable amount of peat.
The sundews grow in peaty sand, often along the edge of angular cobbles, and
also in areas with a surface cover of gravel over moist peaty sand. When the plants
grow in surface gravel, the rhizomes are below ground. When the plants grow in
peaty sand soil, the rhizomes are above the surface amongst grasses and sedges. In
mid-July the plants were emerging from dormancy. Seedlings and two plants in
gravel had bedewed fully open leaves, the first of the season, whilst the rest of the
plants had lengthening dormant buds. The plants were dormant and initially hard
to find until the dead, black leaves and few dead scapes amongst grasses and sedges
were recognized. The vegetation of this bench included a Leucodendron sp., and
members of Cyperaceae, Iridaceae and Restionaceae.

Comparison of the robust Drosera arcturi variant with D. regia

Both Drosera posses similar architectures, a horizontal woody rhizome from

which a crown of erect linear leaves emerges. They grow in permanently moist, gen¬
erally open conditions amongst herbs and low shrubs which are periodically burnt.
Both species grow in the warmer months and form a tight winter bud of immature,
modified leaves. Exposed rhizomes are killed by fire, however D. regia has the abil¬
ity to resprout from any undamaged roots (Green, 1997). In both species the scapes
grow vertically, lacking the circinate vernation developed in most other Drosera.
They differ in leaf growth pattern, number of flowers per scape, flower color,
size and pollination strategy, leaf mobility, distribution and climatic zone. In D.
regia the leaves are folded along their length but also grow by circinate vernation;
uncurling as they grow. The undersurface of the leaf blade (but not either side of the
conspicuous midrib) and the sepals and bracts of the inflorescence are covered in
small sessile red retentive glands. Both the leaf blade and the stalked retentive
glands are capable of folding over prey. The scapes have two primary branches bear¬
ing a total of five to twenty flowers, which have large pink unscented petals, 2 to 3
cm long (see Back Cover). The ovary is surmounted by three unbranched spreading
styles, and is surrounded by five erect stamens which describe a smaller circular
area than the styles. The arrangement of the stigmas and anthers minimizes the
chance of self-pollination and experiments have shown that the pollen is compati¬
ble only with genetically different plants (Green, 1997). Frost occurs infrequently in
Baviaanskloof. Many of the important similarities and differences of D. arcturi and
D. regia are summarized in Table 1.
In the initial description of Drosera regia, Stephens (1926) placed this species
in section Psychophila, which was then comprised of D. arcturi, D. stenopetala and
D. uniflora, although she noted that the multiflowered scape was atypical for this
group. Since then both Drosera arcturi and D. regia have been placed in their own

Volume 28 September 1999 79

sections, Areturia and Regiae respectively (Seine and Barthlott, 1994). Whilst D.
regia is separated from all other members of the genus by its operculate pollen, of
all the other members of the genus it is most similar in morphology, growth habit
and pattern and, presumably, antiquity, to D. arcturi, especially the robust form
from Tasmania in which many common features are readily observable.

Acknowledgements:

I wish to thank Eric Green, in Cape Town, for his assistance with all field work
undertaken in South Africa and for many fruitful discussions on plants. I also wish
to thank Dr. John Rourke, Director of the Compton Herbarium, Cape Town, for
access to the library and herbarium material.

Table 1
Feature Drosera arcturi Drosera regia
Leaf size and shape Linear, to 25 cm x 1 cm. Linear, to 60 cm x 2 cm.
Leaf Vernation Grows straight. Weakly circinate vernation.
Stipules and petiole Absent. Absent.
Growing season October to February. October to April or year-round (variable).
Scape growth Straight up, uncurled. Straight up, uncurled.
Flowering January. January.
Flowers 1 to 3, white with anthers 10 to 30, pink, with flat styles extending
extending beyond the styles, beyond the stamens, cannot self-pollinate,
can self-pollinate. not self-compatible.
Styles 3 or 4 undivided. 3-undivided.
Seeds Pyriform, black, shiny to 2 mm Linear, ornamented, to 2 mm long
long by 1 mm diameter. by 0.5 mm diameter.
Woody Rhizome Present. Present.
Dormant bud Tight vertical inverted cone Tight cluster of short, immature leaves.
of two immature leaves.
Root system Many thin black roots with Few thick, fleshy roots with
root hairs on the entire length. root hairs on the terminal 15 cm.
Asexual reproduction Gradually branching rhizome. Infrequently branching rhizome, especially
after flowering; and from the roots.
Glands beyond None. Sessile glands on lamina undersurface
lamina upper surface? and stipules.
Distribution Tasmania 0—1400m elevation. South Africa, in a valley northeast of
Cape Town, 500—900 m.

References:
Erickson, R. 1968, Plants of Prey in Australia, UWAP, Perth.
Green, E. 1997, private communication.
Macphail, M.K. 1988, “Over the top”: Pollen-based reconstruction of past alpine flo¬
ras and vegetation in Tasmania, In B.A. Barlow (ed), Flora and Fauna of Alpine
Australasia: Ages and Origins, CSIRO in association with the Australian
Systematic Botany, CSIRO, Melbourne, p. 173-204.
Obermeyer, A.A. 1970, Droseraceae, pp 187-201 in: Codd, L.E., De Winter, B.,
Killick, D.J.B and Rycroft, H.B. (ed) Flora of Southern Africa 13, Pretoria.
Seine, R., and Barthlott, W. 1994, Some proposals on the infrageneric classification
of Drosera L., Taxon 43: 583-589.
Stephens, E.L. 1926, A new sundew, Drosera regia Stephens, from the Cape
Province, Trans. Roy. Soc. South Africa 8:309-312.

80 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter

Technical Refereed Contribution__
DROSERA X CORINTHIACA (DROSERACEAE),
A Newly Recognised
Natural Hybrid From
The Cape Province, South Africa

Robert Gibson • PO Box 287 • Penrith • New South Wales, 2751 • Australia
Eric Green • 11 Wepener Street • Southfield • Cape, 7800 • Republic of South Africa

Keywords: new taxa: Drosera x corinthiaca, South Africa.

Received: 21 October 1998

Abstract

Drosera x corinthiaca Gibson and Green, the natural hybrid between Drosera
aliciae Hamet and D. glabripes (Harvey) Stein is described, illustrated and named.
It occurs in the Cape Province of South Africa.

Introduction

Drosera x corinthiaca hybr. nov. is known from the type location in the
Kleinriviersberg mountains, where it was initially recognised by one of us (E.G.) as
a hybrid. It is likely to also occur in the Kogelberg where both parental species grow
in close proximity. Its natural range is thus highly localised but protected in nature
reserves. It resembles a short-stemmed form of Drosera glabripes with a relatively
tall scape and flowers with twice-bifurcated styles. The latter characteristics are
inherited from Drosera aliciae.

Taxonomy

Drosera x corinthiaca Gibson & Green, hybrida nova D. aliciae Hamet x D.

glabripes (Harv.) Stein

Caulis 2-15 cm longus. Folia spiraliter disposita, stipulis 5-7mm longis, trilobis,
lobis lateralibus subulatis, lobo medio diviso in lobulos 4 subulatos; petiolo 15-
18mm longo, supra fere glabro subtus piloso, lamina 15-25mm x 3-5mm, obovata,
supra et margine glanduloso-pilosa, subtus pilosa. Scapus 1, prope caulis apicem
lateraliter oriens, 15-20cm longus, e basi paullo curvatus adsendenti-erectus, basin
versus nonnunquam sparse pilosus praecipue apicem versus minute glandulosus.
Inflorescentia 8-13-flora, bracteis 4mm subulatis glandulosis, pedicellis 7-9mm
longis glandulosis. Sepala 5, 4-5mm x 2-3rnm, basi connata, elliptica, glandulosa.
Petala 5, 10-llmm x 7-8mm, obovata, rosea. Stamina 5, filamentis 2-3mm longis.
Ovarium 1.2 x 1.4mm globosum glabrum, stylis 3, 5mm longis, basi bipartitis, seg-
mentibus omnibus stylorum iterum bifurcatis. Semina fusiformia.

Typus: Fernkloof Nature Reserve, middle western slopes of Platberg overlooking

Hemel-en-Aarde. 500 metres. Grid Ref: 3419AD - Caledon, Cape Province, Republic
of South Africa. December 12, 1997, R. Gibson 1001 (holo: NBG 759 343).

Perennial herb; stem erect, up to 150mm tall with age, c. 2mm diameter, with
a terminal active solitary leafy rosette, the leaves below the rosette persistent.

Volume 28 September 1999 81

Leaves spathulate, up to 25mm long by 5mm wide; the blade obovate (6-)8-9 x 4-
5mm on a straight-sided petiole 15-18mm x 3-4mm, abaxial surface fully covered by
white appressed hairs, petiole margin often weakly recurved. The adaxial surface of
the lamina and adjoining half of the petiole glandular hairy. Stipules white, free, c.
7 x 4mm, divided half to the base into 3 unequal lobes, those on the margin subu¬
late, that in the middle broadly triangular and further divided three-quarters of the
way to the base into 4 equal subulate lobes. Inflorescence ascending, 150-200 x
1.5mm with a moderate density of scattered red, very short stalked glands along its
length and extending to the pedicels, bracts, and calyx; the basal 8-10mm with scat¬
tered white hairs similar to those on the abaxial leaf surface. Bracts subulate, to
4mm long. Pedicels 7-9mm long. Sepals 5, elliptic 5 x 2mm. Petals 5, dark pink, obo¬
vate, free end truncate, 10-11 x 7-8mm. Stamens 5, the filaments white, 2-3mm, the
connective swollen. Anthers paired, yellow. Ovary green, glabrous, obovoid c. 1.2mm
tall, c. 1.4mm diameter at anthesis, carpels 3. Styles 3, horizontal, bipartite, cerise,
5mm long, each segment divided again by two thirds into 12 ultimate style seg¬
ments. The stigma lobes once bifurcated, oblong, with bristles. Probably sterile.
(Figure 1).
Drosera x corinthiaca differs from Drosera aliciae (whose features are given in
parentheses) by the formation of a stem at maturity (rosette is flat and at ground
level, or at most on a very short pedestal); 1mm internodes between the leaves (no
intemodes); stipule with three primary lobes in which the central broadly triangu¬
lar lobe is subdivided into 4 subulate lobes (central stipule lobe is broadly triangu¬
lar, with an entire or bifurcated tip); and leaf spathulate with the petiole margin
often weakly recurved (leaf obcuneate to broadly spathulate, bi-convex in section).
Drosera x corinthiaca differs from Drosera glabripes (whose key features are
given in parentheses) by 1mm intemodes (>2mm intemodes); stipule deeply incised
into three primary, unequal lobes, the lateral ones subulate and the central broad¬
ly triangular one is deeply subdivided into 4 subulate lobes (stipule weakly divided
into three unequal lobes, the lateral ones subulate and the central broadly triangu¬
lar one is deeply divided into 6 subulate lobes; leaf spathulate, with petiole margin
often weakly recurved (leaf narrowly spathulate, petiole margin moderately
recurved); scape over 150mm tall (scape under 150mm tall); style segments twice
bipartite (style segments once bipartite).
This natural hybrid superficially resembles a short form of Drosera glabripes,
with close-spaced wider leaves. The taller scape and more divided style segments
are more typical of Drosera aliciae (see Front Cover).

Distribution and Habitat: Drosera x corinthiaca is known only from the

Kleinriviersberg (Figure 2). However, given its origin as a sterile natural hybrid, it
is likely to occur in other locations where both parental species grow in close prox¬
imity, such as the Kogelberg. It grows in permanently moist peaty sandy soil on the
edges of swamps and small creeks, often amongst D. aliciae.

Flowering Period: December to January.

Conservation Status: Drosera x corinthiaca is only known from the type location
where it is locally common, and where both parental species grow within 20 metres
from each other. It is also likely to occur in other areas of the Kleinriviersberg and
the nearby Kogelberg where similar geomorphological conditions occur. Although
the maximum potential range of this hybrid is not large the main habitats are with¬
in nature reserves.

Etymology: The epithet, corinthiaca, from the Greek Korinthos, refers to the
Corinthian column-like appearance of the mature plant.

82 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter

Figure 1: Drosera x corinthiaca A - mature plant x 1; B - open flower x 3; C - calyx x 3;
D - petal x 3; E - sepal x 3; F - bract x 3; G - gynoecium x 10; FI - stipules x 2, 1 =D. x
corinthiaca, 2=D. aiiciae, 3=D. glabripes; I - petiole sections x 2, 1 -D. x corinthiaca,
2-D. aiiciae, 3-D. glabripes; J - scape cross section x 3; K - D. x corinthiaca leaf x 2,
1 =adaxial surface, 2=abaxial surface; L - abaxial leaf surface x 2, 1 =D. aiiciae, 2=D.
glabripes. Drawing from Gibson 1001. The stipules (H:2,3), leaf cross-sections (1:2,3),
and abaxial surfaces (L: 1,2) of the parental species are shown for comparison. Bars on
leaf sections (K:1, L:1,2) indicate locations of leaf cross sections. Scale bar = 10mm at
1 x.

Volume 28 September 1999 83

Figure 2: Distribution map of Drosera x corinthiaca. The type location is marked by a
dot. The western range of Drosera aliciae, the probable seed parent, is indicated by
dots, and the range of Drosera glabripes, the probable pollen parent, is indicated by
light grey. This hybrid may occur spontaneously wherever both species grow in close
proximity.
Discussion: This hybrid is probably sterile, given field relations of this hybrid to its
probable parent, and from the study of other hybrids within the genus (Cheek,
1993). It is likely that this hybrid may reproduce asexually from the sparse, mod¬
erately swollen rootstock, especially after the above-ground growth has been
cleared by not infrequent fynbos fires. Before the time of collection only two juve¬
nile plants were known, but a nearby colony with many mature plants was found.
This enabled the tentative identification of the parentage to be confirmed, especial¬
ly as they grew amongst D. aliciae (the seed parent) in soils too damp and peaty for
D. glabripes (the pollen parent), which grew amongst rocks and in well-drained
sandy soil on the adjacent hill slope. Occasionally rosettes of D. x corinthiaca
become bright yellow in colour; similarly the only other locally known Drosera
hybrid (D. aliciae x D. capensis), may become very pale green.

Acknowledgments

The assistance and support of Dr. John Rourke and the other friendly staff at
the Compton Herbarium, Cape Town is gratefully acknowledged. I also wish to
thank Dr. Jan Schlauer for his assistance with the Latin description.

Reference

Cheek, M. 1993, Notes on Hybrids in Drosera, Kew Magazine 10:138-144.

84 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter
 Caught On The ‘Net: A Regular Collection of
Interesting Items Culled from the ICPS
Internet Discussion Group

Edited by Jay Lechtman • 43498 Golden Meadow Cir. • Ashburn, VA 20147 •

USA • L235@aol.com

Keywords: cultivation: planting media.

Live Sphagnum ... What Do I Do With It?

Matt Ouimette (777 W. Middlefield Rd., #193, Mtn. View, CA. 94043 USA,
ermine@netscape.com) requested tips on growing live Sphagnum. “The tips helped, and
the few sprigs I had are larger now. Now comes the real question,” he writes. “What do I
DO with it? When should I use live Sphagnum instead of peat? Should I plant my seeds
on live Sphagnum, or on peat? When I repot plants this spring, should any of them be
planted in the live Sphagnum instead of peat/sand/perlite?”

Rupert G. Goldie (2/47 Kawarren St, North Balwyn, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3104,
epartg@epa.ericsson.se): “I started using Sphagnum moss as a potting medium for
Sarracenia last year and I have been very happy with it. This year I have taken three
divisions that I kept in the fridge over the winter and potted two into Sphagnum and one
into peat/sand so I can compare the media. I have not used Sphagnum for seeds, but the
few Drosera seeds that have spontaneously sprouted in the moss have been a bit over¬
whelmed by the moss.”

David Mellard (3409 Regalwoods Dr., Doraville, GA30340 USA, dam7@cdc.gov): “I plant¬
ed Sarracenia seeds in live Sphagnum once and got rather poor germination. But then,
that was when I was new to this obsession and may not have stratified the seeds prop-

Photograph by B. Meyers-Rice.

Volume 28 September 1999 85

erly. Other people may have better experiences. I get good germination of Sarracenia on
a peat/sand mix (1:1) and see no need to change. I have a few Sarracenia growing just in
live Sphagnum and they do fine. One of the reasons I use live Sphagnum is that it is
great for keeping the surface soil of your mix cool so I try to use it whenever I have a CP
that is sensitive to heat. I think many of you know the next word: Darlingtonia. I also
like using it in an aquarium with some plants planted directly in it and others in pots set
into the live Sphagnum. I also like the aesthetics that it gives to some plantings and so
would use it in some cases regardless of its benefits. It makes a nice top dressing for
Sarracenia, either in a bog or in a pot. Smaller growing CPs may have a more difficult
time treading the Sphagnum, which tends to overgrow them.”

Phil Semanchuck (5000 Rollingwood Dr. Durham, NC 27713-8637 USA,

pjs20347@glaxowellcome.com): “I keep all of my CPs in pots outdoors. I grow Sphagnum
on all of the surface area surrounding the plants in the pots. I have been told that it helps
to acidify the soil. In addition the live moss helps to prevent the soil from getting blasted
out of the pot by hard rains. It looks nice, too—my red Venus Fly Trap looks 10 times bet¬
ter against a background of bright green Sphagnum than against dark peat.”

Rick Carlstrom (3715 Lockwood Lane, Annandale, VA 22003, USA,

carlstrom_rick@advmar.com): “I have quite a bit of Sphagnum growing on the top of my
peat/sand mix used in planting Sarracenia. In my humble opinion: It’s nicer to look at
than just plain soil, it keeps the humidity higher, it’s a lot easier to tell when squirrels
have been digging in your plants and I think (maybe I am wrong) that it acts like a
‘canary in a coal mine’ as far as growing conditions are concerned. If the Sphagnum is
thriving, then growing conditions are right. If it starts to die off, you should maybe check
your soil/water/light conditions.”

(I use pure live Sphagnum as a growing medium for the following species: S. purpurea
purpurea, D. rotundifolia, D. x beleziana, D. linearis, D. prolifera, D. adelae, U. cornuta,
U. juncea and Darlingtonia califomica, all with good success. I am constantly amazed at
the adaptability of CP species, particularly Sarracenia. In the wild, I have seen S. flava,
for instance, equally happy in water-logged live Sphagnum as in comparatively dry peaty
sand.—JL)

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86 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter

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Volume 28 September 1999 87

 Carnivorous Plants of the
Northwest Territories

Chris Teichreb • #212-163 West 5th Street • North Vancouver, British

Columbia • V7M 1J6 • Canada* cjteichr@sfu.ca

Keywords: travelogue: Drosera rotundifolia, Northwest Territories (Canada),

Utricularia macrorhiza.

During the summers of 1997 and 1998 I had the unique opportunity to conduct
my field research in the Mackenzie Delta near Inuvik, in the Northwest Territories,
Canada. During my time there, I encountered a great variety of animal and plant
life. As an intrepid carnivorous plant enthusiast, I searched high and low for the
carnivorous plants which grow within this region. This is an account of my quests.
Inuvik’s climate is extreme. Temperatures in the winter frequently dip below
the -40°C (-40°F) mark, while summer temperatures can rise well into the 30’s
(approximately 95°F), occasionally making it Canada’s hot spot. Precipitation is
extremely low, with the majority falling as snow. Freezing temperatures can occur
any day of the year. There are about six days of rain throughout the summer months
(June to August), barely enough to rinse the dust off your boots—but a welcome
respite from the Vancouver rains.
Even though the climate appears less than ideal for carnivorous plants, there
are other factors which allow them to grow with great gusto! First, the entire region
is situated over a layer of permafrost. Precipitation does not readily soak into the
earth—it just sits there along with permafrost melt-waters. This provides a very
wet, humid environment low in nutrients, perfect for the native species of carnivo¬
rous plants! In fact, a walk out on the tundra quickly reveals the majority of the
ground to be covered with Sphagnum. Second, all that water means an ideal envi¬
ronment for insects, of which there are literally billions. Every horror story you have
heard about the insects in the north are true, believe me! Finally, at latitudes north
of 66.5° the summer means 24 hours of sun. Continuous sunlight occurs over the
majority of the growing season, and the plants take full advantage of it. If you ever
have the opportunity to visit this wonderful region, do not hesitate! There is so
much to see, including carnivorous plants.
The carnivorous plant genera found in this region include Utricularia, Drosera,
and Pinguicula. The most exciting carnivorous plant here is P. villosa which is
restricted to far north regions, including the Canadian tundra. All species are capa¬
ble of surviving this harsh climate through the formation of winter resting stages;
turions and hibernacula. For anyone attempting to grow specimens from here, heed
their dormancy requirements. If your winters do not go below freezing, you will like¬
ly have to make room in the freezer. Seeds should definitely be stratified for sever¬
al months before sowing.
By far, the most common carnivorous plant occurring within the Inuvik region
is U. macrorhiza. I found this in great quantities in the lakes I was working in, tan¬
gled among Equisetum and other emergent macrophytes. Water chemistry analysis
indicated low (but present) nutrients and slightly alkaline pH. Strands I picked out
of the water were at least one meter long or longer, although interestingly older sec¬
tions appeared to be previous seasons’ growth. All the bladders were full of insect
larvae and small aquatic crustaceans. By the end of July 1998, I was treated to a
show of blooms. Pictures of this flower do not do it justice! The small yellow flowers
with the three red lines on the large upper palate are amongst the most beautiful I
have seen, although I am biased towards carnivorous plants! By mid-August, the

88 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter

large, walnut sized turions form and flowers die rapidly, another season being fin¬
ished. While other species have been recorded as occurring within the lakes, I have
never seen them.
To find the other carnivorous genera in this region you must head out towards
the tundra. The tundra is thickly covered with willow (Salix spp.) and the ground
is very hummocky, making walking difficult and treacherous. Combining this with
the facts that mosquitoes are constantly trying to feast on your precious blood and
the willows are just tall enough to hide grizzly bears, expeditions here are as excit¬
ing as searching for Nepenthes in rainforests anyday! Due to time constraints and
difficulty hiking in this terrain, I was only able search for the remaining genera
twice.
During my hikes, I came across the pretty Drosera rotundifolia growing wher¬
ever the Sphagnum grew (which is everywhere). Many leaves were curled tightly
around their prey, and flowers were in full bloom. A small sense of satisfaction came
from knowing they had trapped a few of the many biting insects.
To see the two Pinguicula species, one has to travel to the nearby Caribou
foothills either by boat or by helicopter. There are no roads leading to this region,
and hiking would require some mountaineering skills. I had arranged with the local
helicopter company to take some pictures of my research area and then land in the
foothills so I could search for Pinguicula. Unfortunately, this was not meant to be
as wildfires ran rampant the summer of 1998 and required the attention of the
region’s small aircraft. However, I did get a first-hand account from a local natu¬
ralist who was conducting surveys. He noted that P. vulgaris was found in any wet
depression, the soil being somewhat alkaline and calcareous. He described the
scene as butterworts everywhere, about 5cm in diameter—true giants!
The carnivorous plant I dearly wanted to find was P villosa. However, I believe
both summers I arrived too late for flowers. The tiny rosettes are only a few mil¬
limeters in diameter and often buried in Sphagnum or other vegetation making
locating them out of flowering season nearly impossible. However, herbarium spec¬
imens from the Inuvik Research Centre, indicate they are definitely in the area—a
fine reason to head north some future summer.
I hope this article inspires you to search for carnivorous plants. There are many
types, and they live in many different habitats. Perhaps your own backyard is a
good place to start your search!

Figure 1: The Caribou foothills region, habitat for P. vulgaris and P. villosa.

Volume 28 September 1999 89

 Literature Reviews

Cheek, M. 1998, Proposal to Reject the Name Drosera longifolia (Droseraceae),

Taxon 47: 749-750.

This proposal is (if it is accepted at the Botanical Congress) to end the repeat¬
ed attempts to revive the ambiguous name Drosera longifolia (for the unambiguous
but later names D. anglica and D. intermedia). The name D. longifolia has been
rejected repeatedly by knowledgeable Drosera taxonomists like DeCandolle (1823),
Planchon (1848), Diels (1906), and Wynne (1944). Only recent modifications of the
International Code of Botanical Nomenclature have at all allowed doubts about the
legitimacy of this sensible earlier decision. Therefore, the present formal proposal
is very welcome, and it is hoped that reason will win over blind nomenclatural revi¬
sionism (“taxonomy drives nomenclature, not vice versa” is one of the principles
behind the ICBN). (JS)

Schnell, D.E. 1998, A Pitcher Key to the Genus Sarracenia L. (Sarraceniaceae),

Castanea 63(4): 489-492.

Schnell has published a nice, short set of keys that treat nearly all the accept¬
ed Sarracenia taxa (except hybrids). The first key treats the species, the second is
for subspecies and varieties of Sarracenia purpurea, and the third is for Sarracenia
rubra subspecies. The most notable feature of these keys is that they rely solely
upon mature pitcher characters. Seasonal phenomena such as flower or phyllodia
characters are not used. The keys are easy to use, and the only couplets I do not like
are a few that depend upon dreaded relative features. One is in the first key, cou¬
plet 7, where S. rubra is separated in part from S. alata by relative venation fea¬
tures (e.g. abundant vs. few), the second is in the third key, couplet 4, again relying
on venation features (e.g. strongly veined vs. weakly or not veined). Fortunately,
these do not weaken the work as a whole. The only Sarracenia taxa not mentioned
in this key are Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa var. burkii f. luteola and the
seven varieties of Sarracenia flava. Descriptions of the pitchers for these plants can
be found in previous issues of Carnivorous Plant Newsletter (1998, 27:4 for S. flava;
1998, 27:1 for Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa var. burkii f. luteola). (BAMR)

Sheridan, P.M., and Mills, R.R. 1998, Genetics of Anthocyanin Deficiency in

Sarracenia L., HortScience 33: 1042-1045.

Classical genetic crossing experiments with green and wild type individuals of
S. rubra subsp. gulfensis, S. purpurea (subsp. purpurea), S. psittacina, and S. leu-
cophylla suggest that anthocyanin pigmentation (or rather the apparently mono-
genetic knock out mutation studied here; but cf. the article in CPN 27:3, 1998 that
clearly shows the biosynthetic pathway to anthocyanins to involve several
enzymes/genes, all of which could be affected by mutations) is controlled in all these
taxa by two alleles (both copies in the diploid chromosome set) at a single locus,
with red dominant to green. (JS)

Sheridan, P.M., Mills, R.R. 1998, Presence of Proanthocyanidins in Mutant Green

Sarracenia Indicate Blockage in Late Anthocyanidin Biosynthesis Between
Leucoanthocyanidin and Pseudobase, Plant Science 135: 11-16.

90 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter

 This paper offers the biochemical data missing in the previous one (a fine exam¬
ple how to publish one idea several times!), showing that the enzyme affected by the
mutation responsible for lack of anthocyanins in several variants of Sarracenia (not
necessarily in all known colour variants observed in the genus, see above) is cat¬
alyzing the conversion of colourless proanthocyanidins to red anthocyanidins.
Proanthocyanidins were found even in green plants lacking anthocyanidins. Thus,
anthocyanidin biosynthesis is blocked at a late stage in the route to these pigments.
Although the analytical methods applied (acid hydrolysis, VIS specroscopy, solubil¬
ity in amyl alcohol) are far from the state of the art and not suited to elucidate the
chemical structures of the pigments found, circumstantial evidence indicates that
the results and interpretations are correct. (JS)

Sorrie, B.A. 1998, Distribution of Drosera filiformis and D. tracyi (Droseraceae):

Phytogeographic Implications, Rhodora 100: 239-260.

On the basis of different distribution patterns (augmented by morphological

and ecological data), the author explains his opinion that the two taxa mentioned in
the title should be separated as distinct species. This view has been held by sever¬
al other authors. The other current interpretation is inclusion of both taxa as dif¬
ferent varieties in D. filiformis. Perhaps it would be an acceptable compromise to
classify them as (incompletely) geographically separated subspecies of D. filiformis.
(JS)

Book Review

Overbeck, C. 1982, Carnivorous Plants, Lerner Publications Company, Minneapolis,

ISBN 0-8225-1470-2, 48 p, 54 color photographs. Hard cover edition 19 x 23 cm (7.5
x 9 in), $22.60.

This book review is a little different because of two rea¬

sons. First, the book is a children’s book, and we usually do not
review the many such books published each year. Second, the
book is very old. But let me tell you why this might be a nice
addition to your library. The photographer, Kiyoshi Shimuzu,
is an ingenious master of close-up photography, and the pic¬
tures make the book a bargain.
As you might expect, the book begins with a discussion of
Venus Flytraps. Then it segues to, of all things, Aldrovanda\
This baffled me until I learned about the Japanese origins of the work (It was first
published under the title “Shokuchu shokubutsu.”) The amazing photographs are
the best I have ever seen of Aldrovanda, so I bought the book on the spot. There are
also magnificent photographs showing insects being captured by Drosera,
Sarracenia, Nepenthes, and Utricularia. In general the text is fine and does not
oversimplify terminology or concepts. I would have loved this book as a child. (The
New York Academy of Sciences also likes the book, because they gave it a
“Children’s Science Book Award.”)
In summary, look for a copy and consider buying it for its great illustrations. If
you know a child who is always asking about your plants, buy a copy for him or her,
too. (BAMR)

Volume 28 September 91
 News & Views

Barry Meyers-Rice (P.O. Box 72741, Davis, CA 95617 USA)-says: “I am quite fond
of Peter D’Amato’s book, The Savage Garden (reviewed in CPN 27(3): 72), and had
the pleasure of reviewing it for Pacific Horticulture magazine (Spring, 1999). Just
a few days ago I learned that Peter won the coveted Book of the Year Award, given
by the American Horticultural Society! This is a marvelous achievement, and will
no doubt increase the popularity of carnivorous plant growing. Peter has long been
a supporter of the ICPS (his first contribution to CPN was back in 1985), and his
regular column, also called The Savage Garden, is a favorite among our readers.
Congratulations are due all round to Peter.”

John Randall (University of California, Davis CA 95616 USA) gave us a photograph

of an amazing fountain he saw in Kuala Lumpur. This huge fountain is designed to
look like a series of Nepenthes pitchers with water cascading from one pitcher to the
next (sometimes spilling from pitcher mouths, other times improbably exiting the
pitchers through their tendrils). Visitors to Kuala Lumpur should go to the north
end of Merdeka Square, at the intersection of Jalan Raja Laut and Jalan Raja.

The gargantuan Nepenthes fountain.

Barry Meyers-Rice (RO. Box 72741, Davis, CA 95617 USA) says: “The Nature
Conservancy has been doing great work preserving carnivorous plant habitat! In
the January/February issue of Nature Conservancy, the Florida chapter reported

92 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter

protecting nearly 200 km2 (50,000 acres) of land, including 3.6 km2 (900 acres) of
wetland Sarracenia habitat in the western part of the state. Meanwhile, in the
May/June issue, the Alabama chapter reported having acquired one of the last wet¬
lands where Sarracenia rubra subsp. alabamensis lives in the wild, and the
Pennsylvania chapter purchased another 0.5 km2 (113 acres) at the Thomas
Darling preserve (see CPN 27:4, pl23). If you would like to support any of these
chapters in their efforts, contact the state office of your choice (TNC-Florida, 222 S.
Westmonte Dr., #300, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714; TNC-Alabama, 2821-C 2nd
Ave. S., Birmingham, AL 35233; TNC-Pennsylvania, 1100 E. Hector St., #470,
Conshohocken, PA 19428).”

ICPS World Conference 2000 News:

Registration and Photo Contest

Have you scheduled your trip to the ICPS June 16-18, 2000 conference in San
Francisco yet? There will be nineteen speakers, three hands-on workshops, a ban¬
quet featuring a benefit auction of rare plants and unusual carnivorous plant mem¬
orabilia, and best of all: the opportunity to meet growers, explorers, botanists and
researchers from around the world gathered in beautiful San Francisco. Enter soon
to secure your place—seating is limited! Those who send in their registration
deposit of $50 US by the end of September save $15 off the $100 cost of the confer¬
ence.
The ICPS World Conference in 2000 will feature a photography contest and art
exhibition. Our conference sponsors have generously donated prizes including car¬
nivorous plant nursery gift certificates and ICPS memberships. Furthermore, the
best of the entries will be published in Carnivorous Plant Newsletter! There will be
prizes in the following six categories:
1. Carnivorous plants in habitat
2. Carnivorous plants in cultivation
3. Close-up or macro/micro-photography
4. Insect/animal interactions
5. Original art
6. People/camivorous plant interactions
Honorable mentions will be awarded for other categories, such as best cultivated
display or grouping, best plant in a decorative pot or planter, rarest/most beautiful
species or cultivar, best photo from a person under 16, humor, etc.
Conference attendees may enter up to two photos or items per category at no
charge. Others may enter up to two photos per category for $5 per category. Entries
must be sent by June 15th, 2000, to: ICPS Photo Contest, 584 Castro St., # 687, San
Francisco, CA 94114. Include a post-paid return envelope if you wish your prints
returned (IRCs accepted). All submissions must be prints, at least 10 x 15 cm (4 x
6 inches), although 12 x 20 cm (5x8 in) is best.

Volume 28 September 1999 93

 Book Review

Simpson, R.B. 1994, Kew Conservation Review: Pitchers In Trade, Royal Botanic
Gardens, Kew, ISBN 0-947643-65-6.

Somehow we missed reviewing this magazine-style publica¬

tion from Kew. When I learned of this work I ordered it through
the Australian Carnivorous Plant Society for about $15 AU. I
work in conservation and was particularly looking forward to
reading this work.
The book consists of 61 pages of text and black and white
drawings. The first several pages provide a brief overview on
carnivorous plants (overlooking Bromeliads), emphasizing taxa
with CITES status. The next three chapters briefly describe each
plant in the genera Sarracenia, Darlingtonia, and Heliamphora.
The general morphology, taxonomy, distribution, habitat, culti¬
vation, commercial trade, and conservation/protection status of
each plant is noted. The book finishes with a flourish of refer¬
ences, keys and checklists, and glossaries of terms describing levels of endangerment.
This booklet is far too ambitious. It attempts to treat horticultural, taxonomic,
general interest, and conservation topics, all in sixty pages of 1.5 line-spaced text. This
cannot be done, so the result is unsatisfying. The horticultural discussions are pep¬
pered with odd claims (for example that S. psittacina must be overwintered underwa¬
ter), and while all the remarks are backed by citations, the work reads as if it were
written by an armchair horticulturist. Meanwhile, the taxon descriptions are brief and
contain nothing that cannot be found in countless earlier publications—many pages
could have been eliminated by making a reference to Schnell’s book and a few updates
in the literature. The Sarracenia key is faulty, being strongly based upon leaf and
flower color. It is difficult to write a good key for Sarracenia (especially when using as
old a reference as Godfrey and Wooten 1981), but mention should at least have been
made of the many variant plant forms—the very types of greatest interest to the col¬
lector. My anthocyanin-free S. rubra subsp.jonesii keyed out to be S. alata, while spot¬
ted clones of S. alata could be classified as S. minor\
Certainly the booklet’s most interesting content is its CITES data (Table 3). At
times, staggering numbers of plants were reported as being shipped. For example, in
1988, 155,000 S. leucophylla plants were exported from the US (where are these plants
coming from!) while only 107,000 of these plants were recorded as having been
received. Clearly the numbers indicate the CITES monitoring is faulty. Indeed, the
numbers of export shipments for the years 1987 to 1991 are 3, 59, 48, 22, 5. I doubt
these numbers are really true—5 shipments in all of 1991? It seems that CITES mon¬
itoring has a long way to improve before its numbers are at all reliable.
As a general review on conservation, this booklet has many other glaring omis¬
sions. No discussions of total area of protected land (by private conservation organiza¬
tions such as The Nature Conservancy or state and federal govements) or manage¬
ment issues (such as controlled bums, exotic species management, or poaching) are
made or reviewed.
Finally, the selection of plants treated is peculiar. Why the “pitcher plants,” (a des¬
ignation made complete by a comparatively trivial treatment of Heliamphora) when
the document would have been made far more interesting by including Dionaea—-
surely the single carnivorous plant most likely to be affected by trade issues?
I applaud the author for attempting to address conservation in carnivorous plants,
but hope that future efforts will be more valuable. (BAMR)

94 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter

international Correspondent for the ICPS_
PlNGUICULA VULGARIS IN ICELAND

Robert Gibson • P.O. Box 1330 • Dubbo • New South Wales 2830 • Australia

Keywords: travelogue: Iceland, Pinguicula vulgaris

During early August, 1997, I participated in a hiking trip in southern Iceland.

Aside from the stunning scenery and fascinating geology, I observed Pinguicula vul¬
garis in the wild.
Iceland is a young island in the middle of the north Atlantic Ocean, between
Scotland and southern Greenland. It has been built from active volcanism over the
last 14 million years (Einarsson, 1994). Whilst the island was named after the
extensive ice caps which have developed during the present cool temperate climate,
up until 3 million years ago the island had a warm temperate climate and a flora
similar to that now found in the southeast of the United States of America.
On my trip Pinguicula vulgaris was seen to grow at elevations below 600
metres amongst moss in a range of habitats—from thin humus-covered basalt to
peaty soil beside creeks and paths. The flat, bright green rosettes, measuring up to
15 cm across, had four to ten leaves and between zero and three scapes. New leaf
production from the shallowly buried, bulb-like growing point had stopped for most
plants, but the leaves had not yet started to die away. Many plants had open flow¬
ers and ripening fruit, and only a few were still developing scapes. The purple flow¬
ers up to 1 cm wide had white throats and palates, and short, subhorizontal spurs.
The scape of each flower was curved over so that the petals hung below the calyx.
However, after pollination the scapes straightened and the fruits were held erect—
this may assist in wind dispersal of the seed. Very few insects were seen trapped on
the leaves, and those seen appeared to be small (less than 2 mm long) flying insects.
No insects were seen visiting the flowers, which might have the ability to self polli¬
nate.
Pinguicula vulgaris is the most widespread of the three carnivorous plants usu¬
ally recorded on Iceland, and is found almost everywhere save for the ice caps and
surrounding desert-like plains. The other carnivorous plant species are Drosera
rotundifolia and Utricularia minor (Taylor, 1989; Love, 1983), but they were not
seen. Drosera rotundifolia reportedly grows in scattered coastal locations on the
east, north, and especially west of the island. Utricularia minor is recorded from
scattered lakes and old peat extraction pits. Pinguicula alpina has also been report¬
ed three times between 1785 and 1932 in the west and north-west of Iceland (Love,
1983). The presence of this species on Iceland, however, is disputable, and requires
further field study.
It was a bonus to see Pinguicula vulgaris in the wild during my hike in Iceland.
They were a wonderful complement to this amazing part of the world.
References:
Einarsson, Th. 1994, The Geology of Iceland: Rocks and Landscape, Mai og nen-
nig, Reykjavik.
Love, A. 1983, Flora of Iceland, Almenna Bokafelagid, Reykjavik.
Taylor, P. 1989, The Genus Utricularia: A Taxonomic Monograph, Kew Bull. Add.
Ser. 18, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, London.

Volume 28 September 1999 95

 Fly Fishing

David Crump • Carolina Carnivorous Gardens • 4174 Welling Avenue*

Charlotte, NC 28208 • USA

Keywords: cultivation: Dionaea muscipula.

What is a fishing article doing in Carnivorous Plant Newsletter? Read on to see how
one hobby interest can overlap with another!
When it gets hot in the Carolinas in late spring, the crappie and brim fishing slows
down. At the same time, the large Dionaea muscipula plants which I have growing in
redwood hot tubs are almost at their prime. There are probably two hundred or more in
each of my tubs. It becomes very tedious trying to feed all those hungry mouths with
crickets left over from the most recent fishing trip.
One day after a fishing trip I noticed about ten or so flies landing on a dead and
stinking bait minnow. Wow! An idea came to me. What if I put the bait in the flytrap bog
and see if it would draw flies to the awa i ting open and hungry traps. I tried, and Whamo!
it drew them like flies (pardon the phrase). On that day many traps got fed, and I just
stood back and watched in total amazement.
On my next fishing trip I saved about thirty minnows for my bog tubs. First I let the
minnows become really smelly, then I scattered them among the plants. The smell of the
decaying minnows brought all the flies in the neighborhood to the awaiting Dionaea. And
it was a great bargain—would you rather have more flies around, or happy traps smil¬
ing at you for your good deed?
On the day of my experiment, my friend Dr. Larry Mellichamp (from the University
of North Carolina at Charlotte) came by and said, “This is the greatest thing since sliced
bread!” We were both amazed at all the activity around the traps. Flies were every¬
where—there must have been five hundred or more. The innocent flies were getting
trapped and the ones that were lucky enough to escape would circle and come right back
until they, too, succumbed to the snap-traps. We could not keep up with all there was to
observe.
The activity did not slow down until sunset. It was then I realized what a great thing
I had found, and that it should be shared with others. Try the fly-banquet yourself, but
only do it only three or four times in a growing season. Too many flies may be as bad as
not enough. Canned sardines would probably work if you cannot get bait minnows.
Fishing for flies can be fun, and look at all the time you will save by not having to
hand feed all your beloved Dionaea muscipula. Enjoy!

Figure 1: A scene from David’s weird backyard. Photo by

L. Mellichamp.
96 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter
 Special Review: Artwork by Scott Bennett
R. Scott Bennett is a nationally established artist who has been painting
plants, including carnivorous species, since the 1970s. His botanical illustrations
are beautiful, detailed, and technically accurate. Executed in pen and ink and
watercolor, his work has appeared on the covers of major journals such as
HortScience (December, 1979) and American Horticulturist (August/September,
1979), as well as in Peter D’Amato’s book, The Savage Garden (see the illustration
credits listed on page 304 of that book). Bennett’s work is skillfully executed and
beautiful to see—I have some in my own house.
Now you can buy two of Bennett’s creations yourself. The first is a watercolor
print of Sarracenia rubra and Pinguicula caerulea. The piece falls into that pecu¬
liar arena of scientific art (like astronomical paintings) where beauty and scientific
accuracy are both valued. The print works well on both levels, and conveys the
charm and delicacy of the subjects. This limited edition (only 950 will be made) is
numbered and signed by the artist, and measures a full 81 cm x 61 cm (32 inches x
24 inches). It costs $US85, and residents of New York must add sales tax. Shipping
costs an additional $11.
The other work is a custom offset litho printing of Sarracenia leucophylla, fea¬
turing pitchers and a flower. This is available in black and white for only $20, and
a similar, but hand colored version, is available for $100. Both are printed on 140 lb
cotton rag archival paper and measure 28 cm x 19 cm (11 x 7.5 in). New York resi¬
dents must pay sales tax, and shipping is $5. A slightly cropped version of this can
be seen on page 82 of D’Amato’s book. This is a particularly nice litho, and I chal¬
lenge anyone to find a technical flaw in the subject—two of the stigmatic surfaces
are even visible!
This artwork can be purchased directly from Bennett at 423 Crawford Avenue,
Syracuse, NY, 13224, email: Rspainter@aol.com. We are discussing the possibility of
selling Bennett’s work through the ICPS, so watch for further developments in CPN
and on the ICPS web site. (BAMR)

Volume 28 September 1999 97

 Book Review

Lowrie, Allen. 1998. Carnivorous Plants of Australia, Volume 3. University of

Western Australia Press, Nedlands, Western Australia. ISBN 1-875560-59-9, 288 p.,
approximately 350 photographs (most in color), 116 drawn figures. Hardback, 15 x
22 cm (6 x 8.5 in), $59.95.

Reviewed by Barry Meyers-Rice

In case you have not been paying attention, let me tell

you about Allen Lowrie. He has been surveying the carnivo¬
rous flora of Western Australia for decades and has written
two prior books—the first on tuberous sundews and the sec¬
ond on pygmies. The present volume treats fifty-eight
Australian carnivores not included in the first two books
(namely, Utricularia, Drosera, Byblis, Aldrovanda,
Cephalotus, and Nepenthes). If you are interested at all in
Australian carnivorous plants you should buy this book!
The format of this volume follows the same general for¬
mula as the first two. The first forty-seven pages consist of
supporting information, including descriptions of habitats,
notes on perennial tropical Drosera, botanical keys, and pho¬
tographs of arthropods that live on sundews. Then the real meat begins—the
descriptions of each species. In keeping with Lowrie format, each species is given
four pages: one for descriptive text, one for a botanical drawing, one for color pho¬
tographs, and one for a range map and captions. The descriptive text sections are
good and the botanical drawings are well executed and clear, although many of the
plates have much blank space that could have been used for additional sketches.
(For example, Lowrie unfortunately did not include gemmae sketches for the new
pygmy sundews.) The photography is excellent—as in his first two volumes Lowrie
skillfully uses depth-of-field and background choices to highlight the plants. The
addition of microphotographs is welcome. The ranges maps are fine, although not
particularly detailed—Lowrie uses either a Western Australia template or a full
continent template for all his range maps, so the ranges of species with eastern dis¬
tributions are shown on a map of all Australia—why not use a close up map for
these cases? In contrast with the first two books, all the species in this volume are
arranged alphabetically, which is inconvenient if you are scanning for pygmy
Drosera as opposed to tuberous or other types.
Even though this book is 50% bigger than Lowrie’s previous two volumes, it
could have been even bigger. It would have been nice if Lowrie broke from his rigid
four-pages per species format to address the complicated taxa like U. dichotoma or
D. binata. Most importantly, the treatment of D. peltata is lacking, for only the
Western Australia type was ever mentioned (in Volume I). The genus Utricularia is
also under-represented—only nineteen species are described, even though more
than fifty species occur in Australia.
Even though this is supposedly the last book in the series, Lowrie recently
named yet more new carnivorous species, and no doubt more species descriptions
are in the works. Volume IV, Allen? I would buy it happily!

98 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter

 New Cultivar Dionaea ‘Red Piranha’

Edward Read • 3940 West 119th Place • Hawthorne, CA 90250-3228 • USA

Keywords: cultivar: Dionaea ‘Red Piranha’.

In 1995 I received seedlings of dentate Venus Flytraps (plants with triangular,

toothlike marginal tentacles, or trap bars) from my friend Ivan Snyder. These were
f5 plants derived from a dentate Venus Flytrap that was selected by Leo Song, Jr.
many years ago from a batch of wild-collected plants. The plants I received lacked
red coloration, but they gave me the idea to make a dentate Venus Flytrap that was
intensely red.
On June 20, 1995 I crossed the dentate Venus Flytrap that had the most trian¬
gular trap bars with a red Venus Flytrap developed in Europe. The flower was
emasculated to avoid self pollination. Ivan germinated the resulting seed—all these
fl plants were green. The fastest grower (which matured in eight months) with the
best dentate trap bars was selected. Its flowers were self pollinated. Of the few hun¬
dred seedlings, one quarter had red coloration—the red coloration is apparently
recessive. The plants varied greatly in trap bar size and shape, but one plant in par¬
ticular was just what I wanted. Because it is red and has trap bars that look like
piranha teeth, I named it Dionaea ‘Red Piranha’.
As with other red Venus Flytraps the intensity of red coloration varies accord¬
ing to cultivation and season. It has been noted by growers who cultivate it next to
other popular red Venus Flytraps that its red coloration equals, if not supercedes,
their red color. With the help of my friend Ivan, my idea of a dentate Venus Flytrap
with red coloration became reality. Dionaea ‘Red Piranha’ is a beautiful flytrap
deserving a place in every plant collection.

Dionaea ‘Red Piranha’

Volume 28 September 1999 99

 Special Review: Aquarium Cleaner

Reviewed by Barry Meyers-Rice

The scenario: Guests arrive at your house, “Ooh, show us your carnivorous
plants!” You lead them to your largest terrarium, only to find that its contents are
obscured behind a mist of annoying condensation clinging to the inside surface of
the glass. So now you must remove the terrarium lid. To do this, you would have to
unplug electrical connections first, then lift off fluorescent lights, move a few books,
and so on. “Oh, forget it,” you say, “Maybe another time.” Another chance to convert
someone into an ICPS member wasted!
Fortunately, there is a device (intended for saltwater and freshwater aquaria)
that can save you from this predicament. The Magna SweepIM aquarium cleaner
consists of two powerful, matching, ceramic magnets (3cm x 11cm) encased in plas¬
tic. One is placed against the glass on the inside of a terrarium, the other on the out¬
side of the terrarium—the potent magnetic field locks them together even through
the glass. When you drag the outer magnet along the glass surface, the inner mag¬
net follows it. The inner magnet (which is encased in plastic so it will not corrode)
is mounted on a slightly abrasive surface that will not harm glass, but will clean
algae off the wall—this is its primary benefit for those who use their terraria as
aquaria.
Their are other magnetic aquarium sweepers available—if you are interested
in such a device, you can probably find something similar at your nearest large
aquarium dealer. The one I bought cost $12. If you have a misty terrarium, this
device will make your plants more easily visible. You can be more vigilant for pests
or exciting flowering events. Your guests will like your plants more, and may
become smitten by carnivores. The ICPS membership will increase! Hail to the
ICPS!

JUalesiana Tropicals
1st Floor, Lot 4909, Sect 64 KTLD, Upland Shop House, Jin. Upland
93300 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Phone (6082) 419-290 Fax (6082) 423-494
Email malesiana@tropicals com my
Web page: www malesiana tropicals com my

One of the world's largest selections of tissue-cultured Nepenthes.

We offer:
• rare species including N. hamata, N. aristolochioides, and N. c/ipeata.
• plants which are greenhouse-established for a minimum of 6 months.
• competitive wholesale and retail prices.
• other tropical plants including orchids, Amorphophallus, palms, etc.
• worldwide shipping; guaranteed live delivery.

Browse through our on-line catalog and extensive collection of photographs at:
www.malesiana.tropicals.com.my

100 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter

Produced by 30+-year CP enthusiast Carl Taylor and featuring a stunning full-color Bill Scholl
photo of a controlled wildfire in a Georgia Sarracenia flava habitat, this marvelous
7 1/2” x 9” x 1/8” high quality full-color cloth mousepad will add excitement to your desktop.
Makes a great gift too! Only 250 were printed in this first offering from the new ICPS Gift
Shop, so do not miss the opportunity to add this rare conversation-starter to your CP collection.

Just send check or money order along with your name, address, zip code or country code, and
email address to: Carl and Sherry Taylor Phone: 931-268-4010
171 Campbell Lane email: cpimages@twlakes.net
Cookeville, TN 38501

Cost: $5.00 x_number of mousepads ordered

U.S. Postage: $3.20 for 1 to 8 mousepads by Priority Mail
Postage Outside U.S.: $5.00 for 1 to 5 mousepads or $9.00 for 6 to 10 mousepads
Add $4.95 for Registered Mail outside the U.S., if you want it.
If paying with a foreign (outside the U.S.) check, just add $2.00 for the bank transfer fee and
write your check on your bank in your country’s funds using the current rate of exchange with
American dollars. No more expensive International Money Orders! Call, email or write for list
of countries whose checks we can accept and exchange rate for each.

COOK'S CARNIVOROUS PLANTS

BUGS DEWAR Ell
INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING
US ORDERS OVER $50 POSTPAID
FREE COLOR BROCHURE
GROWING INSTRUCTIONS WITH EACH ORDER
FREE ONLINE CP SUPPORT
http://www.flytraps.com
P.O. BOX 2594 EUGENE, OR 97402

(541)688-9426 PST

Volume 28 September 1999 101

 John de Kanel Tissue Culture Laboratory
Your source for Nepenthes, Heliamphora and Cephalotus

General Information: All plants are larger than 2 inches (many larger than 4 inches) in
diameter unless otherwise noted. We do not advertise plants until they have been grow¬
ing in our greenhouses for several months after being propagated by tissue culture.
Most plants have been growing in our greenhouses for more than 6 months. While
some species are in very limited supply, we fill more than 95% of orders. You receive
an invoice from us within one week of your inquiry and plants ship within 1 week of
receipt of payment. Orders are accepted only for plants in stock. You do not wait for
months for your plants. We do not accept orders and payment and then propagate
plants! We guarantee that you receive healthy plants and are satisfied with your order.

FALL CLEARANCE SALE

SAVE UP TO 50%
Sorry, for this sale we choose the origin. Most plants listed in our previous
advertisement are still available. Refer to it if you wish to specify origin.

Species Price Species Price

C. follicularis . .. .$10 JV. rajah... . . .$3 5

( 3 plants, 1-2" each) JV. sanguinea ... . . .$2 2
H. ionasi (5-10, 2” traps) .... .$55 N. treubiana(N. sumatrana) ...... . . .$4 5
N. alala, red trap(rooted cutting, >6") $40 N. truncata. . . 435
JV. bicalcarata ( > 4") . .$40 JV. truncata ( > 5”).. . . . • ■ 449
iV. botigso (talangensis). .$40 N. vieillardii .. . . 4 30
iV. burbidgeae. .$85 JV. x (fusca x burbidgeae) . . . .$2 5
N. burkei. .$30 JV. x (khasiana x truncata) . . . .$2 0
N. caranculata . .$30 N. x (mirabilts x khasiana. . . 4 2 0
N. danseriana ............ .$45 JV. x (sanguinea x truncata) . . . . . . . . 4 20
JV. deaniana . .$45 JV. x (spatbulata x vetlcblt) ...... . . 430
JV. fusca.... . ... .$25 JV. X (truncata X ventricosa) (> 4”) . . . 435
N. gracilis .. .$10 N. x (veitcbii x lowll).. . . . . . 4 30
N. birsuta( rooted cutting, 4-6") .$29 N. x (ventricosa x inermis) ...... . . 4 25
N. lowii. .$45 Victorian Hybrids
N. macfarlanei .. .$25 (>6” rooted cuttings)

N. maxima . .$26 JV. x cbelsonii ... . . .$2 0

N. maxima (vigorous easy .... .$35 N. x coccinea ... . . . .$2 0
grower!) ( > 6” rooted cutting) JV. x dormanniana ............ . . .$2 0
jV. merrilliana. . ... .$33 JV. x dyeriana ... . . .$4 5
N. nortbiana . .... .$45 JV, x edtnensis ... . . .$2 0
N. rafflesiana . .. .$15 JV. x m ixta ... . . .$40
JV. x wriglevana.. . . 4 20

Ordering Instructions: SEND NO MONEY NOW!

Send orders to: John de Kanel, P.O. Box 61227, King of Prussia, PA, 19406
|de_kaneI(®.email.rtisnxom; (610) 539-9351)
Please give your phone number, mailing address and E-mail address (if available) when ordering. All sale
orders must be received before October 10, 1999 and payments before October 20, 1999. Plants will not be
shipped between November 15 and March 15! Shipping costs: within U.S. (Priority Mail $10, Express Mail
$23), outside U.S. (Air mail: ~$25, CITES: $17, Phytosanitary Certificate: $23. Prices are subject to change
without notice. First to order will receive the plants currently available.

102 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter

Index of Nomenclatural Novelties In This Issue
Drosera x corinthiaca.page 81

International Carnivorous Plant Society

Seedbank
Tom Johnson, Coordinator
P.O. Box 12281
La Crescenta, CA 91224-0981 USA
tom@carnivorousplants.org
http://www.primenet.com/~tjjohns/seed.htm

Darlingtonia californica D. capensis—green

D. californica—Josephine Co., Oregon D. capensis—narrow leaf
D. californica—Nevada Co., California D. capensis—purple flower
Sarracenia flava D. capensis—red
S. flava—Ben Hill Co., Georgia D. capensis—white flower
S. flava—Fitzgerald, Ben Hill Co., Georgia D. capillaris
S. flava—Hampstead, NC D. collinsiae
S. leucophylla D. filiformis var. filiformis—North Carolina
S. minor—Fitzgerald, Ben Hill Co., Georgia D. filiformis var. filiformis—New Jersey
S. purpurea subsp. purpurea pine barrens
S. purpurea subsp. purpurea— D. filiformis var. filiformis—Manchester,
north Ohio plains New Jersey
S. purpurea subsp. purpurea—Manchester, D. intermedia—Carolina giant form
NJ x S. purpurea subsp. venosa— D. rotundifolia—Mendocino Co., California
Hampstead, NC D. rotundifolia—Nevada Co., California
S. minor & psittacina—Fitzgerald, Ben Hill D. rotundifolia—Manchester, New Jersey
Co., Georgia, seeds mixed
Drosera aliciae—short leafed form Miscellaneous noncarnivores:
D. anglica—Switzerland Ibicella lutea—5 seeds per packet
D. binata—Coromandel, NZ Mimosa pudica—sensitive plant
D. burmannii—Beerwah, Queensland
D. burmannii—giant form, Mann River

All seed contributions are gratefully accepted. You must use bubble wrap to protect the
seeds from shipping damage.
The seed bank listing is only an approximation to the current seed bank inventory.
Before ordering any seed you should request an updated listing from Tom Johnson (the Seed
Bank Coordinator). A plant followed by an entry in parentheses means there are a limited
number of seed packets remaining.
All orders and correspondence with the seed bank must be accompanied by a self
addressed, stamped envelope. Postage is $.33 for a seed list, $.55 when ordering seed. Seed
costs $1 per packet. IRCs are accepted. You should specify alternative seeds with each order
in case your first choices are no longer in stock.

Volume 28 September 1999 103

I Vi!