Pitchers of Darlingtonia

ISSN 0260-440 X

The Carnivorous Plant Society Journal

Vol 14

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,11

Spring 1990

BOOK REVIEW

Carnivorous Plants: Care & Cultivation: by Marcel Lecoufle. Publishers: Blandford. ISBN_ 0-7137:2185-5. 144 pages with 16 pages of colourphotographs and ltne drawmgs etc. 11 x 83/4ins. (28 x 22cm). Price £16. 95.

Marcel_ Lecoufle is a _name to conjure with among orchidophiles but he nowrev� his lon_g-�tandmg att�chment to quite another kind of plants: the carm�ores. This �s an attract1yely produced, well organised and eminently practical work which also provides some up-to-date and valuable information to fill_ ga�s inevitable in the English-language literature since Adrian Slack'scontributions.

The �rst part of the h?ok covers ID3ll1)'. ge�eral aspects including the origins of carruvory, _also th� hi_sto�y- and d1stnb�tt�n of. carnivorous plants. Therefollows a section taking md1v1dual plants m mdiv1dual genera, providing for each species ?etails covering description, one or more good photographs, and al! ne�ess�ry _information on cultivation including pollination and propagation, with_ md11::auons wher� necessary of the different requirements of related spec!es· _Fmall)'.

th�re 1s. a compre�en�ive series of tables summarising thespecies m c�lnvat1on with an mdicauon of country of origin and general cultural requirements of temperature and compost, and a note of any hybrids, both natural and man-made. The work is particularly "strong" on Nepentheswhere 9 species are detailed and illustrated, with a wealth of information on various methods of asexual propagation.

A glossary, a bibligraphy and a short list of CP societies world-wide complete this very useful volume.

One point of detail which intereste� me since I recently read Uwe George's INSELN IN DER ZEIT - a magnificant and rather expensive tome in the German language _on a se�ies �[ expeditions in the Tepui country - is thatMarcel Lecoufle gives a wider temperature-band" for Heliamphora than we are accustomed to; the book just quoted makes it clear that the climate of these Tepuis is. one of quit� brutal C?ntrasts: h�ilstorms and cold lashing rain arefollowed m really rapid succession by searmg tropical sunshine! Heliamphoramust be rather tougher than was once assumed!!

All in all, Maree Lecoufle's new work is recommended reading for all carnivorophiles.

Lois Glass

Sarracenia x courtii

45

SPRING Articles

CONTENTS OF VOLUME 13

Page

Pinguicula nevadmsis: an Iberian endemic. Candido Galvez-Ramirez 2-3 Pinguicula lusitanica Sarracmia from leaf cuttings Carnivorous Potato? Changes in regulations affecting

international trade m carnivorous plants Soils My experiences with an outdoor bog Medical PinguiculaAchieving the sterile state for

home tissue culturing The true name of the V enus's Flytrap An Introduction to sundews (Drosera sp.)

Problems Nepmthes experiences Venus Flytraps Sarracenia psittacina & Pygmy sundews Pinguicula caudata Water supplies Water supplies ( l ) Water supplies (2) Water supplies (3)

Letters Staning Off Carnivorous Plants Being Eaten?

AUTUMN Articles Individual care for amphibious Utrics Miniature Bog Gardens Tuberous Drosera (without tears) Brocchinia reducra in cultivation A cheap Self-Watering Nepenrhes Tank Magnetic miniatures Plants through the post The role of Pinguicula in Tattaemaelk

Letters Feeding Others Variability in Drosera cupensis

Review ,.armvorou Plant : Care & Cultivation

Vic Raffells Stephen Morley Robert Lind S. Knees & M. Chedt

Wim Leys Steve Mitchell Michael Baldwin Brian Johnson

Paul Simons Stan Lampard

Ian Malcombcr Helen Tubb Neil Wilkinson Chris Roper Paul Simons Nick Warren Richard Spennock Duncan Broughton

Malcom A. Print Duncan Broughton

David Griffiths Richard Spennock Vic Smythe Robin Brown Stephen Morley Stan Lampard Stephen Morley Charles Erb

James Fox Richard Spennock

Lois Glass

Ba k Cover - A leaf of Drosera pulchel/a (S. Lampard)

3 8 9

12-14

1516-17

1718-19

20

21

4 4 5

5

6 6 6

6-7

10 10-11

23-2425

26-2829-3031-3334-39

4041-42

43 4:3

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COMMITTEE

Secretan·es:

Treasurer:

Journal Editor:

Sub-Editor:

Assistant Journal Editor:

Seed Bank:

Newsletter Editor, Plant Search, Linkup & Show Organiser:

Information Officers:

Dudley and Margaret Watts, 174 Baldwins Lane, Croxley Green, Herts. WD3 3LQ.

Tony Millyard, 16 Smithland's Court, Greens Norton, Towcester, Northants, NN12 8DA.

Paul Simons, 37 !field Road, London, SWIO 9AX.

Alastair Culham, Dept. of Botany, Plant Science Labs., University of Reading, P.O. Box 221, Reading RG6 2AS.

Stephen Morley, Dept. of Botany, Plant Science Labs., University of Reading, P.O. Box 221, Reading RG6 2AS.

Peter Quinnear, 42 Lynwood Drive, Dorset, BH21 lUG.

Malcom Goddard, 24 Osbourne Road, Brentwood, Essex, CM15 9LE.

Mark & Wendy Dunsford, 62 Strathmore Avenue, Hitchin, Herts SG5 lGT.

Nore: All funher manuscripts to be sent to Alastair Culham, who will be taking over editorship in the Autumn.

Front Cover: Pitchers of Nepenthes bicalcarata

Printed by: J. M. Litho Services, 154 North End Road, Wl4 9PR. C>The Carnivorous Plant Society 1990

THE CARNIVOROUS PLANT SOCIETY

EDITORIAL

An amateur carnivorous plant society journal hardly seems the place for discussing world politics. But as enthusiasts of these remarkable plants, we cannot ignore the plight of our wild species, which are being threatened in all their natural habitats on an unprecedented scale, from the drainage of swamp lands in the US, to the vast felling of tropical forest homes of Nepenthes in places like Sarawak and Malaysia. And although these distant lands probably seem to remote to comprehend, we are all involved whether we like it or not. The CITIES laws on trade in endangered flora and fauna includes many familiar carnivorous plant species, as outlined by Sabina Knees and Martin Cheek from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew on pp 12-14, and the enforcement of these laws needs our vigilance.

And on our own backdoor, how many growers use horticultural peat for their plants, probably unaware that suppliers like Fisons are stripping the very bogland on which our own native carnivorous sundews, butterworts and bladderworts grow? With so few temperate boglands left in the world, we cannot afford to Jose much more. That's why groups like the International Mire Carnivorous Group (IMCG)§ and Conservation Association of Botanical Societies (CABS)§§ (which coordinates the role of voluntary botanical societies in protecting native plants) deserve our fullest support.

Lastly, as the editor of this august Journal for the past eight years it's not clear who will be editing from now on. It has, however, been an extremely satisfying job, and I've enjoyed weaving your contributions together into a publication now held in several academic libraries, and read from the Far East to the US. Thank you to all those who've sent in items over the years, and hope you will continue in the future.

§ IMCG, c/o Richard Lindsay, Nature Conservancy Council, Nonhminster House,Peterborough PEI I UA.

§§ CABS, 323 Norwood Road, London SE24 9AQ.

Paul Simons

PINGULICULA NEV ADENSIS:

AN IBERIC ENDEMIC"

by Candido Galvez-Ramirez, Cordoba, Spain. The genus Pinguicu/a includes nearly 50 terrestrial temperates species

(Eurasia and both Americas). It is present in Europe with 12 species, from which 7 are found in the Iberia Peninsula: P. alpina, P. grandif/ora, P. vulgarisand P. Jusitanica arc common in the rest of Europe, P. longifolia subsp. Jongifo/ia is a Pirineos' endemic, and 2 species arc lberic endemic with a limited distribution.

P. vallisnerifolia is located on Sierras de Cazorla y Segura (S.E.), it is wellknow among C.P. growers because its leaves are dimorphic (elliptics in the spring,and linear and narrow during the summer).

However, P. nevadensis was sometimes confused with P. vulgaris, which is distributed in the northern half of the Peninsula, and which probably evolved by geographical isolation. Other times is was confused with P. Jeptoceras (from Alpes Alpe Apuani and N. Appennini). Carter recognized and described it like a new species in I 962. It is different to P. vulgaris mainly in its leaves, some shorter (6-12 x I0-20 mm.), little longer than wide; corolla 12-16 lilac, spur straight with 3-4 (5)mm., and tube infundibuliform about as long as the lips; pedicel much more shorter (40-55 mm.) and calyx-lobes linear obtuse instead of triangular to oblado.

Pi11g11ic11/a ne1,adensis

in a "borreguil"

by Candido Galvez-Ramirez.

2

This pretty plant forms rossettes of pallid green, standing out from the rest of the vegetation in communities called Ranunculo alismiodis - Caricetum intricatae in the Oro- and Crioromediterranean bioclimatic vegetation layer (about 2000-3000 metres above sea level) predominated by Carex species, and developed on peat bog traditionally called "borreguiles".

This plant overwinters during 6-8 months of the year under a snow layer, and needs a high illumination level and thawed water during the rest of the year.

By this means, this pretty and rare plant --almost completely unknown to C.P. growers - deserves our protection and study, due to its small distribution and fragility of the very special ecosystems where it lives.

PINGUICULA LUSITANICA by Vic Ra/fells, Merseyside.

Pinguicu.la lusitanica is one of our native plants, but given the area in which it grows, great difficulty will be experienced in finding them even when in Hower. The tiny plants are usually tucked well under any sphagnum moss which is nearby, or on the moss itself, where they are no more noticeable but could help it in their survival.

The seed of this tiny plant is usually available through the society and will germinate, but it is far better if seed can be had as soon as it has ripened when far better germination can be aquired, although whenever the seed is obtained the method is the same.

I grow my plants in the greenhouse where I have no trouble with slugs and the like. Seed sown in July is flowering in October, so I have two lots of flowers and seed but it does not all germinate at the same time and I get a further but smaller germination in the spring of the following year.

To germinate the seed use a shallow tray (with holes) not too small, large enough to move the plants around in when they germinate. Use a compost of mostly sphagnum peat with sand to break it up a little, but it only needs to be 2.5cm deep. Having done this, a little broken sphagnum moss may be spread around the tray as company for the plants, but arrange it so that you leave little areas in which the plants can grow; this is optional and the bare surface can be used if you wish but the method is just the same. Once the compost is in the tray the whole tray is thoroughly soaked in rainwater, and the seed sprinkled over it a _litt!e d�y sand mi�e? with t�e. seeds (which are like dust) will help in thei;d1stnbut1on, but this 1s not critical because as the seed germinate gently lift them on th� po_int of something like a darning needle, and transplant themwhere germmat1on has not taken place or no seed has landed. In this way the plants can be distributed around the pot, or if you have too many, another pot. Once they have germinated still keep the compost soaked by adding water to a large tray and placing the plant tray into it, but always keep plenty of water in the. compost at all times. Once a tray has been started it just carries on and is a pleasure to behold. Good Luck.

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4

· PROBLEM PAGE

Nepenthes Experiences

I have been propagating Nepenthes in a propagating case with a bottom heat of 25°C; consisting of a wooden box with glass panels and a heating cable embedded in wet sand, which must be kept wet or the heat will not circulate. Unfortunately I've found two main difficulties with this arrangement. · (a) the sand is very difficult to keep wet

(b) the plants soon outgrow the case.The sand can be kept wet by the installation of a trickle watering system, and

with the overhead spraying being done about twice a day it can be overcome. I have tried many different composts, ranging from pure peat to a mixture of

bark, sphagnum moss, peat, sand and perlite. But after a while I've now become a firm believer in 12 parts peat, 1 part perlite, l part sand, and about 2 parts sphagnum moss.

One problem a lot of people find growing Nepenthes is the botrytis. I combat this by spraying with captan or benlate twice or three times a week, although captan leaves a white residue behind on the leaves.

Another problem is the heat and humidity. I grow Nepenthes at 22-28°C, with a humidity of between 85 to 100 per cent.

Growing carnivorous plants can be very expensive, so I try to grow a certain amount from seed, but have found it very difficuly to find fresh Nepenthes seed, and even when fresh seed is found it's difficult to germinate. So perhaps someone could give some advice for germinating Nepenthes seed.

Ian Malcomber (aged 11), Stockbridge.

It is true that Nepenthes seed is difficult to germinate and fresh seed is rarely available. Two factors to take into account are damage by mould and by smothering with algae or slime-moulds. I am sure you know that many Nepenthes grow in very brightly-lit habitats, and I have found that simulating the bright conditions with a fluorescent light or other grow-lamp greatly reduces damage by fungi and slime-moulds. Also try to keep some air movement by leaving the top of the propagator ajar. Other than that, you can only continue with the fairly thorough measures you are already taking.

Alastair Culham

Venus flytraps

I have a problem with Venus flytraps. They grow well during the summer, and in the winter they die down and become dormant, but I cannot get them to grow again in the spring. The temperature in the greenhouse over winter does not drop below 10°C.

Helen Tubb, Wallingford, Oxon.

Your Venus' Flytraps are being kept too warm in winter. They grow most vigorously in spring if allowed to tick-over at 2-5 °C in the winter.

Alastair Culham

Sarracenia psittacina

I had a Sarracenia psittacina which grew really well during the summer. I reduced the watering in the winter, and it appeared okay. But in February a new leaf appeared, but unfortunately the tip seemed withered and turned brown. Slowly it got worse and eventually the whole plant died. Have you any ideas why?

Should I have submerged the pot in water during the winter, since I think it is susceptible to grey mould? I didn't spray the plant with a fungicide - should I have done?

Pygmy Sundews

I bought some pygmy sundews in the spring, and they did fine. They grew, had droplets on their tentacles, and they flowered. But in August for some reason the leaves turned brpwn and several (nearly all of them) died.

I did use a fungicide and insecticide on them earlier, although the Drosera binata were sprayed as well and were not affected in any way. Was it too much water, or sun (although I did shade them), humidity or what?

Neil Wilkinson, High Wycombe, Bucks.

Your pygmy sundews may have been suffering from too much kindness. Many of the pygmys do have a dormant summer period and the watering should be reduced at that time. Your plants were probably too wet when they were resting.

The plant of Sarracenia psittacina you had probably died from a fungal attack during the winter. It is common for this more delicate species to suffer in the short days of winter. If you buy another plant of this species put it in the sunniest (lightest) spot in the greenhouse throughout the winter months. I do not keep my plants of this species submerged at any time of year, but do keep them warmer than other species in the genus, which they certainly appreciate.

Alastair Culham

Pinguicula caudata I have problems getting Pinguicula caudata types to roo.t from leaf cuttings.

While on sphagnum moss they develop well and grow fast, but when I pot them on they go very stunted and don't seem to generate a root longer than 2 cm! I don't think it is greenfly or fruitfly pests, and I use the recommended mixture of compost. Any suggestions? Could it be that I'm trying to pot them up when they are too young?

Christopher Roper, Purley on Thames, Reading.

Pinguicula caudata leaf cuttings do produce a cluster of small plants rather than one single large one. It is best to allow the cuttings at least 6-8 months to grow before repotting, and you can divide them at that time into individual plants.

The compost you use sounds as if it might be too heavy. Mexican butterworts in general like a very light well drained compost to produce good root growth.

Alastair Culham

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6

WATER SUPPLIES

In the Autumn 1989 Journal (p.23, vol 13), I asked how anyone trying to grow carnivorous plants in a flat in London could get a secure supply of non­alkaline water, because I was finding it c;xtremely difficult keeping my carnivorous plant flowerbox alive without having garden or roof to collect rainwater. The response has been extremely encouraging.

Paul Simons

(I) WATER SUPPLIESby Nick Warren, Chepstow, Gwent.

I don't know whether a commercial water purifier would be any use for your purpose, but some time ago I had new windows fitted in my home. This caused a great increase in condensation, so I bought a de-humidifier, and this produces about a gallon of distilled water every 2 to 3 days. But even though this might be rather an expensive way of making distilled water, it can also be used for drying or airing clothes, and in winter will heat a small area such as a landing.

(2) WATER SUPPLIESby Richard Spennock, W anstead, London El 1.

I use a simple method. A gallon or more of tap water is boiled in a pan for at least five minutes, then left to cool and the contents poured off, taking care to leave the lime powder residue behind in the pan.

As an additional softener, I put six or more used tea bags in each 15" x 24" water tray, as these are a valuable source of organic acid. Alternatively, they could be boiled with the water, but this means that the calcium deposit is not easy to discard.

Another alternative is to get some citric acid granules from a specialist wine/beer making shop, sold by the pound at about £1.50p.

I hope these suggestions are helpful. My twenty or more plants seem to thrive- on it, and it's certainly safer than using adding sulphuric acid to the water, as some advocate.

(l) WATER SUPPLIESWhat do you do if you cannot collect enough rain-water for all your CPs for

one reason or another? The standard commercial water purifiers will do little to tap water of any

good for CPs (and those containing ion exchangers may do harm since they generally replace the calcium salts in hard water with sodium salts). For two years or so I had no means of collecting rainwater other than in a bucket left out in the rain, and thus I have had to supply water which originated from the mains supply.

The source I used for the first year was from a small laboratory water still; ones such as this can be fairly easily made or bought from suppliers such as Whatman's for about three hundred pounds(!). They can produce up to four litres an hour of water which is totally suitable for CPs (Whatman Labsales Ltd., Unit I, Coldred Road, Parkwood, Maidstone, Kent, MEIS 9XN, Telephone: (0622) 674821 - Economy Water Still). I did however notice that over that year I had more problems with Grey Mould than with any other source of water.

For the second year ( 1988-89) I no longer had access to a water still, and thus had to resort to the acidification of quite hard tap water in a large water butt. I

used a pH meter for testing the water(+/- 0.1 pH - again see Whatman's catalogue) and found the tap water to be in the range 7_.3 t� 7.5 - far tooalkaline, as expected in the Thames Valley. I used sulphuric acid to reduce the pH to a value of about pH 6.5 and then left the water for a few weeks since Ialways observed some light sedimentation (this was washed out on each subsequent refill). I found the water has not resulted in any damage o� plant loss and therefore must be concluded to be O.K. for use. However, I did find that the Sphagnum moss was slowly killed off - although all other mosses, etc, thrived and a messy cream and brown deposit slowly builds up on the.surface

(repotting in fresh compost every two or three years would be advisable I

would think?)

Water Still, for making distilled water. Drawing by Duncan Brayton

Anyone who wou]d wish to acidify water in this way should be able to obtain sulphuric acid (dilute) from their local pharmacist (you may be asked why you want it), and pH tests kits available in Garden Centres shoul? be O.K. for indicating the pH (a sma11 portable pH pen from a Lab supplier would cost thirty pounds or so). The main points to be careful on with sulphuric acid are:-

(1) AL WAYS wear gloves and wash any spills on hands or clothsimmediately with plenty of water.

(2) IF you get any on your face wash well and if necessary call a doctor!(3) Diluting sulphuric acid produces heat (an exothermic reaction) soALWAYS ADD ACID TO LARGE BULK OF WATER and never addwater to acid.

Keeping to the above safety measures should ensure the safe use of the acid and is a relatively easy and cheap way of producing quite reasonable water for CPs.

Duncan Broughton, Reading, Berks.

7

Letters

STARTING OFF

Dear Editor, I joined the CPS earlier this year after obtaining a few plants from a friend

and am now trying to learn as much as I can about them. In order to make sure they arc cared for in the right manner, could any member advise me as to what reading material I should get and where from.

I understand that the membership of the society is about 350; if this is so, can thought be given to producing a lapel badge in either enamel or tin, of course the tin ones are easier to produce and cheaper, and what about a car sticker?

The visit to Kew was most enjoyable, many thanks to the visit organisers. (Did anyone notice the shop had no books on Carnivorous Plants)?

Malcom A. Print. Evesham, Worcestershire.

CARNIVOROUS PLANTS BEING EATEN?

Like Andrew Pattie(Letters, p.29 CPSJ, 13, Autumn 1989), I have also over the last year found a number of grubs of a very similar description. To be as exact as I can, the grubs were of one to one and a quarter inch long and approximately an eighth of an inch in cross-section. Their colour was nearly white or very pale cream with a mid to dark brown head. They were examined and found to be a caterpillar of some kind - description as 'centipede-like' not being un justified, since once disturbed and placed on a flat surface they moved astonishingly fast. They were found on a number of very different plants, including a very densely haired succulent and a well established S.

rubra, but never in large numbers - generally just one or two at a time. The best identification I have so far found are, that they may be of the Tortrix moth family or of the Small Ermine (Hyponomeuta evonymella) family, the latter being described as spinning silken webs over many tree (?) species. I never let any develop into moths to confirm (or otherwise!) this - just killed them.

Duncan Broughton, Reading, Berks.

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Sarrace11ia variolaris

Hyponomema e'l1onymella

Drawing by Duncan Broughton

With regard to Andrew Pattie's comment in the last issue of the Journal (vol. 13, p29), about partly eaten Darlingtonia pitchers, I have often noticed life inside the pitchers of Sarracenia, in my case S. /lava. I have seen a large number of small grubs living in the carcass of a large bluebottle that had died in the top of the pitcher. I also have a large number of walking 'flies' in or on the moss that covers the soil.

I have read a rather obscure and detailed article ('Biochemical SLudies of ihe North American Sarraceniaceae', Transactions of Wagner Free Institute of Science, vol. 11, pp 1-95, published in 1927), which observes that at least two species of insect larvae are parasites of S. variolaris - a fly called Sarcophaga sarraceniae, and a moth, Xamhopura semicrocea. These two bugs draw nutrients from the decomposing insects in the pitchers. My researches do not reveal any further mention of insect parasites, although I think they are highly unlikely to be observed in cultivation because of phytosanitary regulations.

Charles Erb, Battle, East Sussex.

EDITOR: To be a parasite, an insect would have to feed directly off the plants, rather than 1he contenls of the pitchers. Instead, there seem to be a number of other insects, such as mosqui10 larvae, thal can tolerate the digestive juices of Pitcher Plants. Perhaps the pitchers fill up with too much rainwater once they've opened up, lening their juices become too dilute to be totally effective. For species like Sarracenia purpurea, with lacks digeslive enzymes in the mature pitcher, the living insects probably nourish lhe planl with their excretion and eventual nalural death.

ll

CHANGES IN REGULATIONS

AFFECTING INTERNATIONAL TRADE

IN CARNIVOROUS PLANTS

by Sabina Knees and Mariin Cheek Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Far reaching changes in the international laws governing world trade in carnivorous plants became effective worldwide on the 22nd October 1987. These changes follow a recent meeting of the Covention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora held in Ottawa, Canada during July 1987. CITES is concerned with the conservation of wildlife and is best known for effectively banning international trade in leopard skins, ivory and crocodile products. However CITES also concerns plants, especially orchids, cacti, succulents and many carnivorous plants. The most endangered species are listed on Appendix I and world trade in wild collected plants and their derivatives on this list is totally prohibited. Those species considered threatened but not in immediate danger of extinction are listed on Appendix I J. Species on this list may be traded but only if accompanied by the appropriate documents. The standard CITES licence which is issued by all member states party to the Convention requires information on the numbers and names of species requested, whether the plants are wild or artificially propagated and the intended use by the importer or exporter. Use categories include trade, personal., scientific or educational purposes.

All licences are issued by Management Authorities in the countries of origin and a selected list of these is given in Table I. Under the CITES Convention many member states also appoint Scientific Authorities who give further advice to the .Management Authorities on the biology of the species on the Appendices. In the United Kingdom the Scientific Authority for plants is the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. CITES is enforced in the UK by Her Majesty's Customs & Excise who are first to see specimens when they enter the country. The licences are processed by Customs & Excise before forwarding to the Department of the Environment. Any infringement of CITES regulations is usually policed by Customs & Excise in conjunction with the Wildlife Inspectorate of the Department of the Environment.

This article explains how and why changes to the carnivorous plants listed on the Appendices were made by CITES in 1987 and shows the revisions to the Appendices. The biennial meeting of CITES parties is the one occasion when biologists and administrators concerned with the operation of CITES get together to discuss problems that have arisen since the last conference. These include many subject areas such as infractions by one or more states, new species to be considered under the various committees for listing on the Appendices, Annual Trade Reports and the formulation of resolutions which will enable the Convention to operate more smoothly. Two of these subject areas involved discussions of direct relevance to carnivorous plant specialists; one being a revised resolution concerning the treatment of artificially propagated hybrids and the other new carnivorous plant species listed on Appendix I.

In all cases any issues of relevance to plants are first screened by the Plant Working Group, who discuss the subjects at great lengths. Indeed at the recent meeting, discussions on one proposal alone lasted for five days. The Group is formed on an ad hoc basis and comprises botanists and growers of international

12

repute as well as representatives of both governmental and non-governmental organizations. Any perscn or organization who ha,; been accredited by the CITES Secretariat may attend sessions of the Plant Working Group. Having passed scrutiny at this specialist level the subject is then raised in the rel�vant committee when all member states have an opportunity to speak on the subject with the facility to vote if contentious or unresolved points arise. Having passed the committee stage, the decision is usually endorsed during the plenary session at the end of the conference.

Over 700 delegates from more than 80 countries attended this meeting. The decisions taken at Ottawa will .take effect both nationally and internationally within 90 days of the end of the conference, which will be the 22nd October 1987. However, for all countries in the European Community changes will take effect on publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities, since CITES is implemented in the UK and the rest of the Community by a C.Ommission Regulation.

Changes in Regulations - Artificial Propagation At its third meeting in Lausanne in 1986, the Plant Working Group decided

that regulations affecting trade in artificially propagated hybrids of Appendix I species could be simplified without placing wild populations of these plants at greater risk. Having refined their ideas, a Resolution was drawn up and passed at the Ottawa meeting and henceforth all artificially propagated hybrids from Appendix I species will be treated in the same way as all other carnivorous plant hybrids offered in international trade. This means that plants will only require a certificate of artificial propagation rather than an import or export licence. However countries in which the Appendix I species grow reserve the right to place their own restrictions on these plants if they feel that wild populations are being inadvertently threatened by this approach.

This resolution currently applies to Sarracenia alabamensis var. alabamensis, S. jonesii and S. oreophila, since all these species are permanently listed onAppendix I of the C.Onvention. Nepenthes rajah is also on Appendix I but notnormally involved in hybridization. One more species of carnivorous plant wasalso considered for up listing at the Ottawa Conference, namely Nepentheskhasiana, following a proposal from the Government of India, and anyhybridization involving this species would now be subject to the sameregulations as those already listed.

In addition to this proposal, the Malaysian Government also formulated a proposal to include all species of Nepenthes not already listed on Appendix I, on Appendix II. This was also adopted, although the Plant Working Group recognised that many species are very common in some parts of their range. However, in order for CITES to work effectively it must be possible to identify plants in the form in which they are normally traded, and for Nepenthes it would not always be possible to distinguish one species from another, but it would be possible to identify a species belonging to that genus. Appendix II listing does not aim to prevent trade, merely to monitor it under licence.

A third proposal relating to carnivorous plants was put forward by the USA, to include all species of Sarracenia not already listed on Appendix I, on Appendix II. This was also approved by the Plant Working Group and adopted by the Conference of Parties. Table 2 shows the status of all carnivorous plants now listed on the Appendices of the Convention.

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Table 1 Management Authorities under the CITES Convention - a selected list Australia

Australian National Parks & Wildlife Services, P.O. Box 636, CANBERRA A.C.T. 2601

Federal Republic of Germany Bundesministerium fur Umwelt,

Naturschutz und Reaktorisicherheit, Abteilung Naturschutz, Referat 623, Postfach 140270, D-5300 BONN I.

Japan Ministry of International Trade & Industry, Internacional Economic Affairs Division, International Economic Affairs Department, International Trade Policy Bureau, 3-1, Kasumi-ga-seki 1-chome,Chiyoda-ku,TOKYO.

United Kingdon Department of the Environment. Tollgate House, Houlton Street, BRISTOL BS2 9DJ.

U.S.A. Fish and Wildlife Services, Department of the Interior, Room 527, Matomic Building, 1717 H Street, N.W., WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240.

Imports into the U.K. may also need a Phytosanitary Certificate, and this may be obtained through the Ministry of Argiculture, Fisheries and Food, Plant Health Division, Great Westmister House, Horseferry Road, London SWI.

Table 2 Current status of carnivorous plants listed on the Appendices of CITES Family Appendix I Appendix II

BYBLIDACEAE Byblis spp.

CEPHALOT ACEAE Cephalocus follicularis

NEPENTHACEAE Nepenthes rajah All Nepenthes spp.

SARRACENIACEAE

Nepenthes khasiana not already on Appendix I

Sarracenia alabamensis var. alabamensis

S. jonesiiS. oreophila

All Sarracenia spp. not already on Appendix I

Darlingtonia ca/if ornica

REVIEW

"LAND OF THE EAGLE,,

Episode 2, BBC2, 7.15-8.05, 4th March 1990 Review by Paul si·mons

This engaging television series about the arrival of westerners in North America has been receiving good reviews in the Press already. But Episode 2, about the 17th Century English and French fur traders in what was to become Canada, was especially interesting for carnivorous plant enthusiasts. In the brief portion I caught, there was an excellent sequence featuring Sarracenia purpurea, and the living mosquito larvae that help nourish the plant with their detritus.

When the series is inevitably repeated it will be well worth watching or videoing this episode again. I wish I had time to get hold of the video cassette and make a fuller review, but this is already a Stop Press item in the Journal.

Sarrncenia purpurea

SOILS

by Wim Leys, Dilbeek, Belgium.

I use only two soils regularly. The first is a 1:1 sand:peat used for propagating plants, Pinguicula and small Drosera species. The second is a 6:2: I peat:perlite:sand, used for Sarracenia, Dionaea and bigger Drosera species. I used to use a third type, I :2 beech mould with the soil above, but the fungi in the mould rotted my Cephalotus.

15

MY EXPERIENCES WITH AN OUTDOOR BOG

by Steve Mitchell, London NW2.

In the last edition of the C.P.S. Journal (Spring 1987) Wim Leys asked for information about the construction of an outdoor bog. I have constructed one in my garden which has now been established for 18 months. I live in North

. West London which does not enjoy the warmer climate of central London. Last winter my max/min thermometer recorded 15°F during a two week period when the temperature rarely rose above freezing point. Construction

A garden pond, of 21ft circumference, was drained of the tap water which had been used to fill it, the pH of which was about 8. A shelf was constructed about four inches below the surface of the water for half the perimeter, the outline of the bog being roughly oval. The whole was filled with rainwater (yes - filthy London rainwater). The pH of this is about 4.5. The 'pond' was thenfilled with 'Shamrock' Irish Moss peat. In the central portion of the bog this is18 inches deep, with some sections being nearer 2 .feet. This required anenormous amount of peat - at least 5 giant bales. The peat was retained by un­mortared bricks at the edge of the shelf.

Three levels were constructed over the surface of the peat, the top one rising to about two inches above the surface of the water. Some sphagnum moss was added to one section, about level with the water. The bog is sited in a south facing aspect with a 4 foot garden fence protecting the east aspect and an 18 inch slope on the south aspect. This does not obscure the sun. On the East border sedge was planted, inbetween which sphagnum grows.

Plants Seed of Drosera rotundifolia, D. intermedia, Pinguicula vulgaris and P.

lusfranica was scattered in appropriate sections. The latter does best in semi­shade, so it was sown between plants of Sarracenia catesbaei, S. melanorhoda,S. purpurea purpurea, S. purpurea venosa, S. /eucophylla, S. /lava and Droseraanglica and D. hybrida. As an experiment, Drosera binata and D. multifida pink form was introduced as well. Three Venus' fly traps were also planted. Droseracapensis and D. spathulata are grown as annuals as is Utricularia sandersonii. In the water section Utricu/aria imermedia thrives.

Non-carnivorous plants were also introduced. Various heathers (winter flowering), Iris kaempferi, Andromeda polifolia, Myrica gale, Caltha palustrisand Erica tetra/ix flourish along with Eriophorum augustifolium. It is hoped to introduce Narthecium ossifragum, Anagalis tenella, Potentilla erecta and Vaccinium oxycoccus in the near future. The aim is to have a natural habitat, so now it is looking like the genuine article.

Results With the exception of the annuals, all the plants but one survived the winter

without any mulch at all. The peat was frozen to a.depth of at least 4 inches, if not more during the winter. The casualty was Drosera hybrida, which became a victim of Botrytis. The infection started in late August on dead flower scapes. This plant seems very susceptible to such attacks. Apart from this, there were no problems with Botrytis - dead plant material was removed and crowns of plants were sprayed with Benlate. The more tender items did not appear until the beginning of July.

16

Conclusion I would strongly advise against usjng any mulch at all, but on using as much

peat (in depth) as you can afford. "The sedge and sphagnum undoubtedly helped D. multift"da, but all the others are just planted in bare peat. A south facing aspect is also very important. Sphagm.imcan be a problem, especially if the wrong type is used. It can become rampant and bury the smaller sundews. The main enemy is birdlife. They cannot resist digging up the peat for grubs, but they do not attack areas with the taller plants. I would advise the use of netting to protect colonies of e.g. D. intermedia on bare peat. D. anglica thrives with a high water level and seems to appreciate the right kind of sphagnum around. its roots/ crown.

The rewards are great - even if it is the puzzled look of neighbours when your Sarracenias begins to flower and grow in the new season. I am not too fussy about weeding - except when it comes to invasive grasses. Here spotapplication of Glyphosate is helpful. Sedges need to be cut regularly to avoid self sown seedlings invading the whole bog. Slug pellets are a useful precaution against vanishing butterworts.

You may be rewarded with the attention of useful wildlife. Two toads are currently on the bog. Although they roam around in search of grubs, damage to plants appears slight. Spiders abound (although I have yet to see the funnel web variety). Pond skaters arc amusing to watch. I have also watched the hideous growth of the giant hunter dragonfly larva - but watching the larva on an Iris leaf as the adult emerges is something else, especially in a London garden only 200 yards from the A41 !

MEDICAL PINGUICULA By Michael Baldwin,

Mill Lane Nursery, Wreningham, Norwich, Norfolk NR/6 JAN.

After reading an article that the sticky solution from Pinguicu/a vulgaris 'sleaves were once used to burn off corns and warts, I read on further to find the enzyme mucilage will make milk coagulate, and can be used as a skin softener as well as a very mild expectorant. An extract from the fresh plant is used in homoeopathic medicine for nervous throat-irritations and whooping cough. An infusion used 3-4 times daily of2 teaspoons of plant extract in a cup of water (left to stand for 2-3 minutes) can be used against coughs and colds (TheHamlyn Guide To Edi"ble And Medicinal Plants'). If any member has any other information on medical, magical or edible uses or any other way man has used carnivorous plants past or present, please could you contact me (with editor's permission), to enable me to write further articles on the uses of carnivorous plants.

P.S. I have not and will not try out any remedies on myself, with the excuse that •I do not like to waste good plant material.I

17

ACHIEVING THE STERILE STATE

FOR HOME TISSUE CULTURING

(Part I)by Brian Johnson, Cambridge

1!1e object of plant tissue culture is to grow plants in an artificial 'sterile'environment, i.e. one which is effectively germ (or micro-organism) free.

�� state is extremely difficult to achieve anywhere, let alone in the home.This 1s because micro-organisms are around us in the atmosphere on ourclothes, bodies and on the plants themselves. '

Total sterilit)'. will rarely if ev�r be reached, unless you spend vast sums ofmoner, so the aim of the home tissue culturist is a reduction in the number oforgamsms rather than total elimination.

�h_is �eduction . can be a�empted in a number of ways. Firstly, by thestenhzatton of all items required such as instruments, culture bottles media and the plant material itself. Secondly, by the scrupulous cleanlines� of th:operator in terms of s_elf, and of direc� surroundings where any manipulationsare to take place. Thirdly, the handling of the sterile items within a 'sterile'environment. (The first two areas are dealt with in this article whilst the third will be dealt with in another.)

' '

Equipment. All this certainly sounds very complicated and anyone thinking of trying to

tissue culture their CP's are probably thinking - is it really worth it? Fromexperience, the quick answer is yes. But you don't need to go to the lengths ofcommercial companies in achieving the 'sterile state'.

Taking e�ch of t�e first two �teps in turn, the first set are easily achieved inthe home wnh nommal expenditure. The best thing to do is to set aside a smallarea (in a bedroom for example), which ideally can be kept just for tissueculturing, and therefore clean.

A small work surface such as formica or melamin coated chipboard is best towork on, since it is easily cleaned and can be sprayed with 70% meths, to clean itfurther.

Instrum��ts, c':11ture bottles empty or containing medium for plants growth,can be stenhzed m a home pressure cooker for the required lengths of time.M<:dia _ is. usually sterilized for 15 mins at a temp/pressure of 121 °C/I5 psi.,which 1s important to adhere to since excessive sterilization time may denaturesome of the components (e.g. vitamins) in the medium. The instruments aftercleaning carefully with detergent and rinsing with clean water, can be ste;ilizedin the pressure cooker for a min of 1 hour at 15 psi. or, they can be sterilized inan oven for 4 hours at 160°C.

SterilisingThe sterilization ?f the plant mat�rial, � mentioned in a previous article, is

really_ a matt�r of tnal and :rror. It 1s achieved using household bleach whichcontams sodium hypoch_lonte. The _bleach is diluted to.Sor 10% of its originalstrength, a�d th_e ma�enal, �cpen�mg on the source, 1s subjected to varyinglengths of ttme m this solution. Times are commonly 10-15 mins.

18

....

Prior to placing in the bleach solution, the plant material should ideally bewashed'in distilled water ;then placed in a solution ofO. I% detergent in distilledwater, to 'wet' the surface of the plant. This aids the action of the bleachsolution. It is often useful if the plant material is placed in a 70% alcoholsolution prior to the bleach also. Finally, after imersion in the bleach solution,the plant material is washed in several changes of sterile distilled water toremove all traces of the bleach.

Plant Material Normally the best type of plant material to take for culturing is that which

appears above the ground. This is mainly because there are far less micro­organisms contaminating the upper surfaces of plants than those areas underthe ground. Once the surface of the plant material has been sterilized, only avery small area is actually required to initiate growth in the sterileenvironment. This means cutting away, with sterile instruments, the outerareas of the sterilized material so that only a small cube of inner plant materialremains. This process also removes any dead areas caused by the bleachingprocess.

Of the upper plant areas, the best region to take for culturing is that which isthe most actively growing. This is called the apical meristem and is found forexample, at the tops of new shoots. Older areas are slower growing and lesslikely to recover from the bleach solution. Also, the younger areas tend not tobe colonized by as many micro-organisms as the older ones thus makingsterilization slightly easier.

Plants Whole leaves, of for example small Droseras or Pinguiculas, can be used as

ex plants (the pieces taken from the plant), and rather than being cut into smallpieces, can be left intact and placed into the sterile medium complete. Thechoice of size partly comes down to the size of culturing vessel and orsterilization vessels. This is because moderately sized pieces of Drosera areeasier to sterilize than 1 inch sections of Nepemhes for example.

Hygiene The final points to make involve the second major area, and perhaps arc the

easiest, to be aware of. This is that of personal hygiene and the cleanliness of theimmediate surroundings where any culturing is to rake place. The formerdoesn't necessarily mean that you have to bath more than twice a month, but itwill help if hands are washed prior to starting anything. This helps to removeany loose pieces of skin or dirt which can quite easily fall into any open sterilebottles and thus contaminate them.

As far as the latter is concerned, this involves just regular cleaning with Jif orthe like, and a generous spraying with 70% meths prior to use. This area can beused either, to just provide a work area or, can include a shelving system for thestorage of cultures. Ideally, if it is to be used for the latter it should be well litand reasonably warm; both of which will aid plant growth.

19

THE TRUE NAME OF VENUS'S FLYTRAP

by Paul Simons

The name Venus's flytrap)(Dionaea muscipula) may seem rather bizarre, as you might expect of a species that Darwin called "the most wonderful plant in the world". Charles Nelson at the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin, has gone into the origins of the name in great detail, and recently published an exhaustive account in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society (Volume 99, p 249-25, 1989).

Arthur Dobbs, Grovernor of North Carolina, was the first person to report the occurrence in the Carolinas of Dionaea, in a letter written to Peter Collinson on 2nd April 1759, but no specimens were sent, and no name suggested. In fact the first name ever recorded was what the American Indians endearingly called it, "tippitiwitchet".

Eventually specimens were sent in 1763 to Peter Collinson, Dr Daniel Solander, and Linnaeus. Dissections made by Solander at the house of the naturalist John Ellis were· recorded as notes, which are contained in the volumes known as 'Solander's slip-catalogue' at the Botany Library of the British Museum (Natural History) in London. But Solander didn't publish his notes, and in 1768 he left with Joseph Banks for a voyage on HMS Endeavour, under Lieutenant James Cook, for Tahiti, to observe the orbit of Venus.

Meanwhile, Ellis received a living specimen ofVenus's flytrap, and wrote a letter about it to The St. James's Chronicle, a London newspaper (September 1st-3rd 1768). Ellis noted that Solander had thought the new genus" .... well deserved one of the Names of the Goddess of Beauty and therefore called it Dionaea ... , from the beautiful Appearance of its Milk-white Flowers, and Elegance of its Leaves .... " .

20

Venus's flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)

.,

AN INTRODUCTION TO SUNDEWS (DROSERA sp.) by Stan lampard, Birmingham.

There are nearly 100 species in this genus, which has a cosmopolitan distribution. The species differ enormously in size and habit, but the characteristic feature is the leaf, which is clothed with crimson hair-like tentacles. Each tentacle is tipped with an egg-shaped gland which performs a number of vital functions. Firstly, it is responsible for the secretion of mucilage, a viscid fluid which attracts, catches and then overcomes the prey. It then secretes enzymes: proteases, nucleases, esterase, peroxidase and acid phosphatase have all �een found, and which digest all but the ch�tinous exoskeletons of the victims. Then the gland absorbs the resultant fluid.

The most graceful feature of these plants is their ability to move to entangle the prey; this is a feature of both the leaf blade and the long stalked tentacles which line the leaf margin. Such is the efficiency of the trap that it may capture insects as large as dragonflies and butterflies. A large stand of sundews, covering more than two acres near Barton Broad in Norfolk, is on record as having captured a total of 6 million cabbage white butterflies w�ich had the misfortune of settling in the area after migrating from the Comment!

06, I .

. / · .. : .

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Drosera whiuaker, by Stan Lampard

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