CARNIVOROUS PLANT ’ NEWSLETTER VOLUME 12, Number 4 r DECEMBER 1983 IP® ffffl? 19S4 ' r V I \ lOTANICAL GA CARNIVORC PLANT NEWSLETTI International Carnivorous Plant Society Volume 12, Number 4 December 1 983 COVER PHOTOS Front: 2.5 inch pitcher of Nepenthes rajah. (Photo by Thomas C. Gibson.) Back: 5 inch seedling of Nepenthes rajah. Note increments of leaf size. (Photo by Thomas C. Gibson.) See article, page 6. The co-editors of CPN would like everyone to pay particular attention to the following policies regarding your dues to the ICPS. All correspondence regarding dues, address changes and missing issues should be sent to Mrs. Pat Hansen, 3321 Hamell Rd„ Fullerton, CA 92635. DO NOT SEND TO THE CO-EDITORS. Checks for subscriptions and reprints should be made payable to CSUF FOUNDATION-1 CPS. All material for publication, comments and general correspondence about your plants, field trips or special noteworthy events relating to CP should be directed to one of the co-editors. We are interested in all news related to carnivorous plants and rely on the membership to supply us with this information so that we can share it with others. Views expressed in this publication are those of the authors, not necessarily the editorial staff Copy deadline for the June issue is April 1, 1984. CO-EDITORS: D. E. Schnell, Rt. 1 , Box 1 450, Pulaski, VA 24301 J. A. Mazrimas, 329 Helen Way, Livermore, CA 94550 T. L. Mellichamp, Dept, of Biology, UNCO, Charlotte, NO 28223 Leo Song, Dept, of Biology, California State University, Fullerton, CA 92634 Seed Bank: Patrick Dwyer, St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, 49 Killean Park, Albany, NY 12205, USA. BUSINESS MANAGER: Mrs. Pat Hansen, c/o The Fullerton Arboretum PUBLISHER: The International Carnivorous Plant Society by the Fullerton Arboretum, California State University, Fullerton, CA 92634. Published quarterly with one volume annually. Printer: Kandid Litho, 129 Agostino Rd., San Gabriel, CA 91776. Circulation: 727 (222 new, 505 renewal). Dues: $10.00 annually, $15.00 foreign. Reprints available by volume only. ®1 983 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter. All rights reserved. 78 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter News and Views CLYDE BRAMBLETT (RR 2 Box 90), Miami, Florida 33187) writes: Enclosed are some pictures of the Metropolitan Miami Flower Show that took place March 11-13 showing the CP that we put in. There were 150 plants shown with about the same names as in the Fairchild show. A few of the Mexican Pin- guiculas are in bloom. The show had a circus theme and our exhibit was sup¬ posed to be a large cage to enclose the wild carnivorous plants. However, the area we finally got shrunk in size from 100 sq. ft. to 70 sq. ft. and so we had to modify the cage. The show was well received! KATHRYN BRINDERHOFF (P.O. Box 884, Provo, Utah 84603) writes: I am a new subscriber to CPN and am quite pleased with your newsletter. Because 1 am not able to grow any CP, 1 must try to satisfy my interest with books and articles — a poor substitute for experi¬ ence. I am a homemaker with a Bache¬ lor’s Degree in zoology and botany. I have interrupted my education — I aspire to obtain a Ph.D in zoology, arachnology to be specific — to raise a family. To keep my interest up, 1 like to amuse myself by researching various items of interest. I am currently intrigued by animal as¬ sociates of CP. I would like to write a paper on the subject and am compiling a bibliography. I would like to enter a plea for any information regarding this subject from ICPS members — references, names of ani trials and plants involved in this kind of relationship, personal observations, anything. Perhaps I may even be spared the trouble of compiling a bibliography if one has already been done that I might use. I cannot offer much in exchange, perhaps a copy of the completed bibli¬ ography. I do not believe I will try to publish the paper, for, not only do I not study live CP, 1 do not even grow them. (I am always skeptical of articles Ron Pratt awaits the crowd in front of the CP exhibit at the Metropolitan Miami Flower Show in March, 1983. Volume 12 • December 1983 79 SEED BANK* Byblis liniflora, Darlingtonia califomica, Dionaea muscipula, Drosera aliciae (5), D. anglica (1), D. auriculata, D. binata, D. burkeana (3), D. burmannii, D. capensis, D. capensis (narrow leaf), D. capillaris, D. dielsiana (3), D. erythrorhiza (2), I). indica (5), D. intermedia (Roraima) (2), I), montana (4), I). natalensis (3), D. peltata, D. pygmaea (4), D. ramellosa (2), D. rotundifolia, D. spathulata (Kansai), D. spath. (Kanto), D. spath. (white fl.) (4), Nepenthes gracilis, N. khasiana, N. mirabilis, Pinguicula alpina (8), P. Corsica (8), P. lusitanica (2), P. vulgaris, Sarracenia alata (8), S. flava, S. leucophylla, S. purpurea purpurea, S. purpurea venosa (5), S. rubra (2), S. rubra “Gulf’ (1), S. X catesbaei (5), 3. X chelsonii (8), S. leuco X alata (4), S. purp. X psitt. (3), S. rubra X leuco (4). * For instructions on ordering and sending seed, see CPN, March 1983, p. 4. News and Views written about science by people who have no personal experience in the matter.) In conclusion, I will be indebted to any¬ one who can help me with my project. I hope to hear from many of vou soon. A1ASTAIR CULHAM (Eldertree Cottage, Barrack Lane, Great Waltham, Chelms¬ ford, Essex. CM3 1EP ENGLAND) writes: At the Julv meeting of the Carnivorous Plant Society the committee decided to set up a pen-friend scheme. The aim is to encourage carnivorous plant growers around the world to exchange informa¬ tion, seeds and possibly plants. Anv I.C.P.S. members interested in this scheme should write to me stating their experience in growing carnivorous plants and any group of C.P. they are particu¬ larly interested in. This information al¬ lows me to pair them up with someone of similar interests in this society. NICHOLAS FLORA (P.O. Box 223, Deer Park, CA 95448) writes: For those Sarra- cenia hybridizers who have a problem storing pollen for later crosses, I have come up with a possible solution. To store pollen, I use gelatin capsules that you can purchase at any health food or drug store. They work quite well and come in many different sizes depending on the amount of pollen one is storing. I would be careful on storing them near any moisture because if they get near anv high humidity, they will prompdy melt. Also, I would like to add that I agree wholeheartedly with what Cliff Owens had to sav in CPN 12(2) in the News and Views section. ANTHONY REA (296 Precita Ave., San Francisco, CA 94110) writes: The San Francisco Flower and Garden show was again a big success which took place August 19-21. There were 45 entries and II exhibitors: Eric Imperiale, Harold Chains, Glenn Greenawalt, Jeanne Sava- rese, Raymond Triplitt, Mark Logoteta, Mike Morris, Joe Mazrimas, Mickey Urdea, Paul Morris and Larry Logoteta. Joe won the “Best of Show” award with his Nepenthes X dyeriana which was a huge plant sporting many large colorful pitch¬ ers. The Flower show President and Man- 80 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter ager were so impri essed by our display this year that they decii ded to give us a promine •nt i place in tl le main gallery next year. 1 hope i to see ■ everyoi ne back again and 1 invite ■ all growers of CP to joi n us next year. CLAUS THIEDE (Goslarsche Str. 70, D- 3300 Braunschweig, West Gennany) plans to finish his studies next year and would like to take a long holiday (5-6 weeks) be¬ fore beginning to work. He would like to collect Nepenthes in Malaysia, Borneo, or somewhere in that general area, and asks that anyone planning a field trip in May or June contact him. JEROME WEXLER, 13 Langshire Drive, Madison, CT sends some advice on photo equipment: Most 35mm cameras come with a 50mm ‘normal’ lens. Generally, the lens focuses from infinity to a point where the image is about 1/1 0th lifesize. To obtain a larger image of a small object one of several things must be done: 1 . a supplementary lens can be screwed in/ onto the front of the lens. 2. Extension tubes can be placed between the camera body and the lens. 3. A bellows unit can be placed between the camera body and lens. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. About a year ago the Vivitar Corpora¬ tion brought out a piece of equipment that outweighs all of the above methods for close-up work in the field. It’s called, VIVITAR 2X MACRO FOCUSING TELE¬ CONVERTER. It costs about $60 and is placed between the camera body and the lens, but once it is on it can be left on all the time. It allows you to focus continu¬ ously from infinity to a point where the image is approximately lifesize without adding anything to or taking anything off your camera/lens outfit. (Great for field work — nothing to lose.) The teleconverter converts the 50mm lens into a 100mm lens. This is a great advantage: it gives a little more working room between the front of the lens and the subject, it improves the perspective of the subject, it reduces the amount of background that is photographed. (This helps the subject to stand out from the background.) There are many teleconverters on the market but only the above converter has a built-in focusing mechanism. Don’t buy a teleconverter that does not have this feature! A CP HAPPENING The Fairchild Tropical Garden (Miami, FL), in its summer class schedule, pub¬ lished details of a carnivorous plant class taught by ICPS member Clyde Bramblett, carnivorous plant nurseryman and expert. The one-session class, held on August 20, included information on how plants trap their prey as well as instruction on cul¬ tivation and propagation. CPN applauds efforts to publicize CP and welcomes news of other CP-related classes and events. SPECIAL NOTICE The book. Carnivorous Plants of the World. by K. Kondo, mentioned on page 3 of the March 1983 issue of CPN is still avail¬ able directly from the author. The price listed in March was a group discounted price; individual orders must now be ac¬ companied by $12.00 U.S. Send orders to Dr. Katsuhiko Kondo, Dept, of Environ¬ mental Science, Faculty of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hi- gashi-Senda-Machi, Hiroshima City 730, JAPAN. NEW PLANT AND SEED SOURCE J & W Siebers Seed- Import- Wholesale P.O. Box 44-8109 2800 Bremen-44 West Gennany Catalogue for 1 Int. Reply Coupon Fresh crop now available. only CP-Seeds 60 items Volume 12 • December 1983 81 ON THE CULTIVATION OF THE GIANT MALAYSIAN PITCH ERPLANT (NEPENTHES RAJAH) By Thomas C. Gibson Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112 Nepenthes rajah ranks among the most spectacular pitcherplants in the world: large crimson traps with massive frilled rims (see Plate 19 in Kurata 1976). It also has a solid reputation for being dif¬ ficult to grow (e.g. Douglas 1884). Miller (1906) states, “To grow the Rajah may well be regarded as the summit of the gardener’s skill.” Despite many introduc¬ tions, the species remains extremelv rare in cultivation. Failure to grow this re¬ markable carnivorous plant stems, in my opinion, from a poor understanding of its cloud forest environment on Mt. Kin¬ abalu. In this article, I describe mv lim¬ ned success with N. rajah, particularly how I have tried to simulate its natural environment at the University of Utah. Since this pitcherplant is considered en¬ dangered, failure to cultivate it has im¬ portant consequences for the conservation of wild populations on Mt. Kinabalu (see article bv Dr. Faith T. Campbell in this issue). Many years ago the Director of Sabah National Parks sent me a small packet of N. rajah seed for my research. I now have 12 robust plants, each over 9 inches in diameter. If they continue to grow at present rates (1 new leaf/month and 1.75x size increments), they should be mature within 1 year. I suspect this giant pitcherplant can be raised from seed to maturity in less than 4 years. Natural Conditions on Mt. Kinabalu N. rajah grows in cloud forest between 1650 and 2650 meters elevation on Mt. Kinabulu. Kurata (1976, page 61) de¬ scribes its habitat as “sunny and wet” and “fond of wet places like swamps or the surroundings of a water fall." To the best of my knowledge, this is the onlv published description of N. rajah's habi¬ tat. For a general description of cloud forest environments, see Grubb (1977), Whitmore (1975), and Lawton (1983). In 1972 I visited Mesilau Creek. Here the pitcherplants grow among short gras¬ ses on a steep slope under a stunted forest (15 feet tall) over Oligocene ser¬ pentine. Seedlings were common only on a recent landslide. N. rajah, like most carnivorous plants, colonizes semi-bare ground created bv disturbance. Due to the open canopv of the stunted forest, the pitcherplants are exposed to the full sky. At these elevations, light conditions are a bright haze with short periods of full sun, usuallv in the cool morning. The broad leaves of N. rajah, therefore, are rarely exposed to long per¬ iods of full hot sun. Throughout the day, frequent mist and cool air temperatures keep leaves from burning. Rainfall at these elevations on Mt. Kin¬ abulu may exceed 150 cm per year, dis¬ tributed evenly throughout the year (data for Kambarangoh, see Lowrv et al. 1973). During the dav, humidity may fluctuate at ground level, but at night, as temper¬ atures drop, local humidity may rise to saturation. Unfortunately, I have not found data for day and night temperatures at any N. rajah site. From my brief visit to Mesi¬ lau Creek, however, 1 would guess 65°- 70° (dav) and 55°-60° (night). In general, cloud forest soils are peaty, hence acidic, nutrient-poor, constantly wet, and sterile (see Grubb 1977). Due to serpentine, soils at N. rajah sites may also be toxic. Extended periods of heavy 82 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter rainfall may oxygenate the peat layer and hence release nutrients stored in organic matter. A pitcher of N. rajah captures substan¬ tial amounts of insect biomass during its lifetime, as much as several grams for the largest traps (personal observation). Pitcher contents can only be described as a “foul swill” of putrid insect victims, dead leaves, and twigs. Greenhouse Conditions at the Univer¬ sity of Utah. During those rare moments when the sun shines, the cloud forest environment feels like perpetual spring. It is like stand¬ ing in the brilliance of the driving cool mist from a waterfall. This contrasts markedly with the dark, oppressive, hot, stuffy artificial greenhouse environments created by growers for lowland Nepenthes species. In general, I grow N. rajah “hard” (high light, cool temperatures, fluctuating humidity, low soil nutrients). In my opinion, it is a serious mistake to grow this species “soft” (dark, warm, constant high humidtiy, fertilizer in soil). Under such soft conditions, plants produce thin, over-sized leaves and no traps. In this weakened state, they become prone to stress and disease. From correspondence with my trading buddies, I know of sev- era scores of N. rajah plants which have died under soft conditions. In my opinion, the 3 most critical aspects of cultivating N. rajah are: 1). Mist plants heavily, at least 5x per day. This pitcherplant species will not produce traps unless heavily misted. In fact, its threshold for trap production occurs at much higher humidities than those of other Nepenthes species, probably because its open bowl pitcher form has high evaporation rates from it and will not function efficiently at lower humidi¬ ties. Hence, there has been natural selec¬ tion for plants which produce traps only at the highest humidities. 2.) Increase light levels, just short of burning. I find that traps form onlv at high light levels. In fact, trap size increases with light intensity and appears due entirely to instantaneous photosyn¬ thetic input from its particular leaf. If leaves are misted regularly and air temp¬ eratures are lower, leaves will not burn as readily at higher fight levels. 3). Feed traps insects, not ferti¬ lizer. Once traps have formed under high mist and high light conditions, the only direct way to put nutrients into a plant is to feed traps with insects. N. rajah has a poorly-developed root system and therefore fertilizer on the soil will not get into the plant readily. Instead, it will pro¬ mote microbial activity, which can cause the plant to rot, especially if grown soft. Obviously, feeding insects through pitch¬ ers does not risk the possible loss of an entire plant. I also find that putting fer¬ tilizer into traps causes an internal im¬ balance in nutrients, which eventually stops whole plant growth. Furthermore, it is difficult to know how much fertilizer to put into a given trap, whereas insect biomass can easily be estimated from natural capture rates. Fertilizer in pitch ers can also increase microbial action and therefore wipe out important enzyme systems for insect digestion. I feed Vi of the pitcher volume with insects over 10 15 days, which grossly approximates natural capture rates. Small traps receive small ants and flies, where¬ as large traps get large insects, as many kinds as possible. I maintain fluid levels in traps with a pipette. If fed too much insect biomass, the top of a trap will die. Fed traps will turn from red to green. A UV light trap will catch pounds of in¬ sect biomass, which can then be frozen for future use. Insect resources may be particularly important for N. rajah. This beast may be more-dependent on insect resources than other Nepenthes species. Undoubted¬ ly, its large, long-lived, woody traps would have higher metabolic costs to produce than those of small, short-lived, flimsy traps, especially if they were less photo¬ synthetic compared to green traps. By inference, the benefit derived from N. Volume 12 • December 1983 83 rajah's traps must also be greater. To ascertain the truth of this hypothesis, I have been constructing growth rate curves for various Nepenthes species as a func¬ tion of the amount of insect biomass fed to plants. The slopes appear to be steeper for N. rajah. I pot my plants in Canadian peat moss and white quartz sand (1:1). As the peat breaks down, it releases nutrients to the plant. This may be particularly important for establishing small seedlings or weak plants. Since the sand is coarse (#8 sand blasting silica grit), drainage is fast. I repot everv 2 years or whenever the peat breaks down. There will be little disturbance to fragile root systems when repotting if you wash the soil mixture away from the plant. Moss stabilizes the soil surface. I water plants heavily each morning with 99.95% pure water (reverse osmosis, then deionized; 18 meg-ohm). I use a fog nozzle so that the water will be heavily oxygenated. Day temperatures are about 70°. I have found that newly-expanding leaves will develop black blotches of sun-burn if ex¬ posed to higher temperatures, especiallv during the summer, when light levels are naturally highest. Night temperatures are between 55° and 60°. During the sum¬ mer, an evaporative cooler maintains night temperatures about 70°. Cool night temperatures during the summer may be crucial for success with this species. One word of caution: a weak N. rajah plant must adapt gradually to the limits of this “hard” environment. If grown “soft”, it will be badly stressed under such harsh conditions. It will become yellow and re-veined, grow slowly, and probably back-slide in size. When first placed under my conditions, soft-grown Nepenthes typically shrink to Vi their size. 1 find that N. rajah adapts slowly. A plant will begin to change appearance only after 3 or 4 months of feeding traps with insects. It will produce larger, deep¬ er green leaves and considerably larger traps. At this point, light levels can be increased again. Only a well-fed plant can tolerate higher light levels. 84 Readers who wish to obtain their own N. rajah plants should know that the Giant Malaysian Pitcherplant is consider¬ ed an endangered species (only 2 small populations are known to exist within Kinabalu National Park). It is fullv pro¬ tected bv Malaysian wildlife laws and by CITES. Do not buy illegal field-collected plants. Such plants invariably die within 3 months. The author would like to correspond with other carnivorous plant enthusiasts who have attempted to grow N. rajah in order to learn better how to grow this remarkable beast. Since I plan to keep my 12 plants as stock to create hy¬ brids with other Nepenthes species, I do not wish to trade or to sell any plants at this time. Literature Cited. Douglas, J. 1884. The Nepenthes. The Gardeners’ Chronicle. October 4. Page 425. Grubb, P.J. 1977. Control of forest growth and distribution on wet tropi¬ cal mountains, with special reference to mineral nutrition. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 8, 83-107. Kurata, S. 1976. Nepenthes of Mount Kin¬ abalu. Sabah National Parks Publica¬ tions No. 2. 80 pages. Lawton, R.O. 1982. Wind stress and elfin stature in a montane rain forest tree: an adaptive explanation. American Journal of Botany, 69, 1224-1230. Lowrv, J.B.. D.W. Lee, and B.C. Stone. 1973. Effect of drought on Mount Kinabalu. Malaysian Nature Journal, 26, 178-179. Miller, W. 1906. Nepenthes. IN: L.H. Bailey. Cyclopedia of American Horti¬ culture. page 1069. Whitmore, T.C. 1975. Tropical Rain Forests of the Far East. Clarendon Press, Ox¬ ford, England. (See front and back covers, this issue, for photos of N. rajah grown by Thomas Gibson. Carnivorous Plant Newsletter C.P.’s of the Southern Alps of New Grant Birmingham 88 Sturrocks Rd., Christchurch 5, NEW ZEALAND Editors of the INTRODUCTION The Southern Alps are the major mountain range in New Zealand. They run from north to south, dividing the South Island into two. The plants with which this article deals grow in the alpine, sub-alpine and montane regions of these Alps. Most of this area is highly inaccess- able and government legislation profects its llora and fauna. Over the last few years we have become familiar with the C. P.’s of this region through undertaking a number of field excursions, ranging from short walks off the road to those which necessitated spending a few nights in the bush, and from observing them in cultivation. Until now very little has been published on these plants. In New Zealand there are six species of Drosera. We shall be dealing with D. arcturi Hook., D. spathulata Labill.-N.Z. and D. stenopetala Hook. f. D. binata Labill., D. auriculata, Backh. and D. pyg- maea DC. are also native to New Zealand but grow outside of the area of concern. We shall also be dealing with Utriculana monanthos Hook, f., one of the nine Utric- idaria native to New Zealand. The number of Utriculana is by no means definitive, as the last taxanomic study made was in 1925 and since then there has been some speculation as to the status of a number of these plants. D. arcturi The range of this species also extends to S.E. Australia. In New Zealand it is found in scattered, isolated pockets of wetlands, mainly in the sub-alpine region but also extending into alpine and mon¬ tane areas, predominantly in the South Island. The two locations that we have Zealand by Phil Cotter 7 Montgomery Tee., & Christchurch 2, NEW ZEALAND. N.Z.C.P.S. Journal. found these plants growing in large num¬ bers, were both sub-alpine tarns, refer to photo- Lewis Pass. At the Lewis Pass site, D. arcturi was growing predominantly in Sphagnum and around the edges of the tarn was growing in peat in association with D. spathulata- N.Z. At Arthur’s Pass it was growing in peat amongst a mat forming Sedge, Donatia sp., as shown in U. monanthos photo, in addition to U. monanthos, D. spathulata-N.Z. and a solitary/), stenopetala. In both tarns seepage occurred ensuring a slow, but constant supply of fresh water. D. arcturi is a semi-upright plant with brown, strap-shaped leaves up to 12cm in length. Under good conditions the ten¬ tacles are usually long and coarse ter¬ minating in a large droplet of ’dew.’ Usually there is a solitary, large white tlower produced in November-February. Each llower produces a large seed cap¬ sule, 1cm long, usually containing in ex¬ cess of twenty coarse seed. At the onset of winter the plants die back to a winter bud which is formed just under the surface of the substrate. The leaves are sheathed at the base, anti when they die back in winter they form a protective layer around the winter bud. During the winter the buds are normally covered in ice, snow or a combination of the two. In addition they are often exposed to freeze-thaw conditions. The buds come away again in early spring. D. spathulata- N.Z. This small, rosette Drosera, (refer to photo), is widespread in New Zealand, the other forms of it extend to Australia and Japan. We have found it growing Volume 12 • December 1983 85 in a number of conditions ranging from water-logged peat to cracks in exposed rock. There appear to be a number of distinct populations within New Zealand, some of which exhibit distinct genetic variation. In a number of locations D. spathulata- N.Z. grows as an annual, being killed off at the onset ol winter and ap¬ pearing again in spring from seed. D. stenopetala. D. stenopetala is endemic to New Zea¬ land and grows predominantly in the South Island. It is found only in a few isolated pockets mainly in the montane region, but also extending to the sub- alpine regions. It prefers areas of scrub, where it receives little or no direct sun¬ light, and has a preference for vertical faces where water either flows over it or percolates through it. This plant varies in size, considerably, according to habitat conditions. D. stenopetala is a very attractive, semi¬ upright plant. It has a spatlmlate lamina at the end of a long, broad petiole, refer photo, growing to 8cm in length. This plant usually produces three or four summer leaves in the summer growth period. It produces a large, solitary white llower, similar to that of D. arctun, usu¬ ally in December or January. Due to the plant growing in relatively sheltered conditions it does not die back for the winter but continues to produce leaves. In early autumn the plant starts to produce its short, thick winter leaves which are lcm long terminating in a small, circular lamina, as broad as the petiole. The winter growth form is remi¬ niscent of a Pvgmv Drosera. U. monanthos We have only found U. monanthos grow¬ ing at Arthur’s Pass, in conditions as de¬ scribed in the section on D. arctun. How¬ ever it is known to grow in a number of other locations in New Zealand and Australia. The flower of U. monanthos is violet- purple with a yellow eye, or rarelv with a white eye*, and is particularly attrac¬ tive when flowering en masse. CULTIVATION D. spathulata-N. Z. is easily grown from seed and plants grow equally well in peat or Sphagnum. It requires no special at¬ tention. D. stenopetala and U. momnthos should be treated similarly. They both prefer a peat mix with a little sand. At all times a high water level should be main¬ tained up to the surface of the substrate and not less than 3cm below it. The water should be changed, rather than added to, and must never be allowed to become stagnant. This is essential for the suc¬ cessful cultivation of these plants and is particularly important if you want your U. monanthos to flower. During the winter the temperature should not be allowed to drop below -4 C. during the night, and 0 C. during the day. However slightly warmer temperatures are desirable. Dur¬ ing the summer, night temperatures should not drop below 0 C. and day temperatures should be around 20 C. U. monanthos is a vigorous grower and hence easy to propagate. D. stenopetala, on the other hand, is extremely difficult to propagate. We have experimented with seed under various conditions, and the only success has been with seed sown amongst the parent plants. D. arctun should be cultivated, as above, with the exception that it prefers Sphag¬ num and requires winter temperatures below 0 C. We have had limited success with seed. We recommend heavy strati¬ fication. *Allen, H.H., Flora of New Zealand. Vol. 1. Govt. Printer, Wellington, New Zealand. 1982. SPECIAL NOTICE CPN heartily welcomes slides and photos for consideration. Contributors should label each slide or photo with caption in¬ formation as well as name of photographer. If contributors wish their photos or slides returned, it would be very helpful to pencil in a “please return” on each item. Thanks. 86 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter D. arcturi, habitat, Lewis Pass. photos by P.D. Cotter U. monanthos, habitat, Arthur’s Pass. Volume 12 • December 1983 87 Sabah Nepenthes Expeditions 1982 & 1983 Bv Allen Lowrie 6 Glenn Place, Duncraig, 6023, Western Australia In March 1982 Robert Oliver and my- sell organised an expedition to Sabah. This rip was mildly successful. The sec¬ ond expedition in 1983 was highly suc¬ cessful. On the 1983 expedition Greg Russell (QLD), a long time C.P. mate of ours, joined us. Greg flew from Queens¬ land to Perth where he joined Robert and myself for the flight to Sabah. There being no direct flights to Sabah, our first stop was Singapore, overnight. The trip to Singapore was a lot of fun as the jumbo had only 58 passengers and we had the back half of the plane to ourselves. From Singapore to Kota Kinabalu only took a few hours. After we had passed through customs in K.K. we picked up our hire car and headed for the hills about a half hour out of town. The 1983 expedition was well prepared: 12' x 10' tent, three fold up beds, water barrels and cooking gear; you name it, we had it. This trip Robert and I decided to go Hollywood style. Our 1982 trip was a two-man tent (dog-box) and very little gear. No way can you rely on picking up the items you think you might need in Sabah. If the items you think you might need are there, they are surely hidden and scattered in K.K. There are no road signs in Sabah and finding your way around is basically a hit and miss affair. You can’t rely on the locals for directions as many of them don’t speak English. The 1983 trip proved Robert and myself had a good memory as we didn’t get lost once. From K.K. we travelled south to the Sipitang area; it took us all of the day to travel 60 miles. The roads are kind of rough, like you can park your car in the pot holes and be shaded most of the day. In the early evening we reached the Sipi¬ tang area, pitched our tent, made a meal then got stuck into tfic scotch. Whisky, I believe, is a very important item one 88 should use when camping in the jungle. (Truly, I’m deadly serious.) All water must be chlorinated (we used Puratabs) — with whisky added it kills the chlorine taste and makes the drinking water more drinkable. We used whisky in our early morning cup of tea (a nice malty taste), in our large water bottle with Saminade (when hiking), and for knock out drops at night so we could get a good night’s rest. I also believe it kills the bad bellv bac¬ teria which is very easily picked up in this part of the world. After the end of the 1982 expedition both Robert and myself had a bad dose of the Borneo Belly for two weeks, a sickness I wouldn’t wish on anybody; it was hell. In 1983 none of us got sick, both during and after the trip. Our first day in Sipitang area was our first encounter with Nepenthes, the plants we had travelled so far to find. N. raffles¬ iana, N. gracilis and N. ampullaria were discovered fairly quickly. The N. rafflesiana found in this part of the world are most varied both in pitcher shape and colour compared with the N. rafflesiana found on the Malaysian mainland and Singapore. In our opinion some of the N. rafflesiana we collected were truly top Nepenthes. N. gracilis varied little and only a few speci¬ mens were collected. Hybrids were found between N. rafflesiana X N. gracilis, N. rafflesiana X N. ampullana = N. trichocarpa. Now and again N. mirabilis was found growing in the wetter areas, no hybrids were found with N. mirabilis as one of the parents, although later in the trip we were to have success in this area. The following day we discovered N. albomarginata, an all light green form with the distinctive white band just below the peristome. Greg found one specimen — light purple/grey with maroon specks all over the pitcher. Combined with the snow white band it was truly an outstanding Nepenthes. Carnivorous Plant Newsletter The N. albo-rnarginata from the Sipitang area, I believe are very different from the N. albo-marginata found on the Malaysian Mainland (in pitcher shape, colour and hairyness under the leaves). On the first expedition to Sabah I found what looked like a hybrid between N. albo-marginata X N. rafflesiana in this same area. I have this Nepenthes in cultivation and I’m waiting for a mature pitcher to develop so I can confirm this theory. After the N. albo-marginata patch was properly investigated (all morning) we set off to find N. bicalcarata in the swamp forests around Mesapol. The jungle here was thick; we had to cut our way through every yard we traveled. One time Robert took a swipe at a small sapling with his jungle knife and was quickly covered in native hornets. Having stirred up a nasty little problem, Robert covered about thirty paces in one second; fortunately he didn’t get stung. All afternoon until early evening set in we bombed through this thick jungle, high humidity and heat, biting insects, Pandanus Palms (which cut like hell) we were completely tired when we gave up looking for N. bicalcarata. The following dav we tried another swamp forest not far from the previous day’s location. After about three hours of bombing through the jungle we came across N. bicalcarata, and all joy broke loose with much yelling and screaming. We must have sounded like three Orang¬ utans in a dog fight. N. bicalcarata, what a plant. Some were thirty feet into the tree tops, most of the plants were growing in thick Pandanus groups. Greg and myself took twenty minutes to cut our way into one plant which was a distance of only three paces into the Pandanus thicket. In 1082 Robert and myself failed to find N. bicalcarata, but we discovered later (1983) that we were only about one mile away from where we looked for N. bicalcarata in 1982. From Sipitang area we headed back to Kota Kinabalu and jumped on a plane to Lahad Datu on the East coast of Sabah. We left most of our camping gear in K.K. as we were going to stay in a hotel in this part of Sabah. (We wished we had taken the tent with us.) The hotel was rough to say the least: I got bitten fry bed bugs on the first night. We couldn’t have a shower or Hush the toilet as Lahad Datu was in severe drought and the water was only turned on for twenty minutes a day. When the water was turned on we found that the tap water was sea water. Luckily we had brought water with us from K.K., with this water and Coca-Cola we man¬ aged to quench our thirst. On arrival we found there was a cholera epidemic in I^had Datu, so we decided not to drink or eat any local food or water. The following dav we headed for the mountains outside of Lahad Datu. On one particular mountain we found a moss forest at 1600', rather low for a moss forest. In the moss forest we found N. stenophylla, N. tentaculata and a few hybrids of N. stenophylla X N. tentaculata. Robert and mvself knew this hybrid was here as we had collected the same hybrid by accident the previous year. Below the moss forest we found N. reinwardtiana, both the all green form and an all maroon form. Between 1000' and 1400' we found N. rnacrovulgaris. N. macrovulgaris is a provisional name applied to this Nepenthes by John Trumbull and his wife Anne Middleton after thev had discovered this new species. John and Anne will be describing this Nepenthes later, when they have gathered more information from herbariums around the world. N. macro¬ vulgaris is a beautiful Nepenthes and rather variable in its shape and size. The colour of the pitchers, as with most Nepenthes, is also variable. In cultivation it is a good grower in cooler conditions. A good cross section of the variable plants was collec¬ ted along with seed. At the end of the day we headed back to the hotel. That night we decided to get out of Lahad Datu first thing in the morning. The reason for our change in plans was that we had been told bv an English engineer who was working in the area that the cholera had gotten out of control. He reported that the dav we Volume 12 • December 1983 89 Nepenthes macrovulgans (Turnbull) Photos by Allen Lowrie N. macrovulgaris. Upper and lower pitcher selection. 90 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter N. albo -marginata N. rafflesiana N. macrovulgaris (Turnbull N. bicalcarata Volume 12 • December 1983 91 arrived three people had died and todav six people departed this world. In the local hospital there were 300 people with cholera with more people flooding in all the time. The following morning we raced off to the local airline office and managed to book a flight out of Lahad Datu that morning to Sandakan. We couldn’t get on a plane to K.K. direct but we could fly to Dandakan, stop 6 hours, then later in the dav get a flight to Kota Kinabalu. When we arrived back in K.K., later that day, we were informed that Lahad Datu was in quarantine; in fact, the quarantine was applied to Lahad Datu one hour after we had flown out of the town. When we arrived back in Australia two weeks later we found out that Lahad Datu was still in quarantine; that is, no one into the town or out of the town. We thanked our lucky stars that we were not caught in Lahad Datu. From K.K., in our hire car we headed through the Crocker Ranges to Ranau, here we made camp at one of the most beautiful places in Sabah. Some 10 miles out of Ranau there is a river junction with shallow fast running cool water, surroun¬ ded bv jungle on all sides. Here we spent the dav swimming, washing clothes and generally having a relaxing time; we needed it. The heat, the rough roads, the last pace all got the better of us. We were dead tired. After a dav’s rest and feeling refreshed, we headed up a mountain along native tracks east of Mt. Kinabalu. At the 4,500' elevation, we came across N. fusca, N. stenophylla and now and again N. reinward- tiana. The N. stenophylla on this mountain were different from the plants we had found at Lahad Datu. The hairs under the leaf of the N. stenophylla in Lahad Datu were longer and thicker. N. tentaculata was also found at this elevation, here again, the N. tentaculata found in Lahad Datu was different from the species found on this mountain. Further up the trail we found N. burbidgae. Not a large popula¬ tion of these Nepenthes was found. As a guess, I would say there were onlv about 30 plants in the group scattered over a 100 vards. In the N. burbidgeae patch there also were leeches. Everywhere we walked, we got covered with these nastv little creatures. As fast as we pulled them off our legs, there was another one to take its place. On the 1982 expedition, Robert got a leech in between his toes; when he removed the leech he couldn’t stop the bleeding. To wash the wound clean he used the fluid out of an unopened N. burbidgeae pitcher. To his amazement and mine, the bleeding stopped. After our 1982 expedition, I caught up with John Turnbull and his wife Anne in Sydney, when I was on a business trip there. Anne told me she had a nasty experience with a jungle knife and cut her finger rather badly, as it happened, in a N. burbidgeae area. Anne also washed her wound in the fluid from a N. burbidgeae unopened pitch¬ er to clean the wound, when she found also that the bleeding stopped. There must be something in the fluid of un¬ opened N. burbidgeae pitchers (maybe other species as well) that has the abilitv to stop bleeding. Maybe researchers should take up these events — who knows, a new drug to help mankind mav be discovered. In the Ranau area in the mountains along with N. fusca, N. tentaculata, N. steno¬ phylla and N. reinwardtiana, we found with N. burbidgeae hybrids of N. burbidgeae X N. fusca. As on the first trip, Mt. Kinabalu was not explored since the fines for being caught in the National Park with plants collected legally outside of the park are verv high. It’s not worth the risk of having your legally collected plants confiscated bv the authorities. All the Nepenthes that can be successfully cultivated, i.e. plants up to 5000' can be found outside of the National Park. We feel apart from N. lowii which is also found out of the Park (T. Trus March and Mt. Mulu) all the other Nepenthes — N. villosa, N. rajah, N. edwards- iana are alpine plants and don’t take to sea level cultivation all that well. 92 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter On returning to K.K. we then flew over to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) here we met up with Roger and Marjan Shivas who are from Brisbane. Roger and Marjan kindly put us up at their apartment and joined us on our daily field trips around K.L. Luckily they had a few free days off from their work at the university. Our first field trip took us up to the highlands about an hour’s drive from K.L. The mountains in this region were a bit over 6,000 ft. At the summit of one mountain we found N. macfarlatm, N. gracillima and N. sanguined, including quite a few hybrids between these three species. Litter in the day at 6000 ft. we were all caught in a heavy downpour of rain and we were all soaked to the skin. Lower down the mountain the temperature rose and we all managed to drv out. Another dav we explored the lowlands, in an area of swamp land surrounded by low hills we found: N.mirabilis, N. ampul- laria, N. gracilis, all growing together. In amongst the true species we found N. N. stenophylla mirabilis X N. ampullaria, N. gracilis X N. mirabilis, and N. ampullaria X N. gracilis = N. trichocarpa. On a slight rise, in this same area 1 was fortunate enough to find a huge clump of a fantastic hybrid, which we feel could be N. X hookenana X N. mirabilis. Although in the immediate area we found no N. rafflesiana, we felt it could be found if one explored the surrounding area more closelv. The N. mirabilis around the K.L. region is rather varied and many of these plants sport rather wide peri¬ stomes. Roger showed me one photo he took of a N. mirabilis which had a peri¬ stome nearly 3A inch wide. As the final days of our trip drew to a close we said goodbve to Roger and Mar¬ jan and flew from K.L. to Singapore. We spent the last day shopping in Singapore and later that night we boarded the flight to Perth. The jumbo again was onlv slightly full (78 people). We had a smooth flight to Perth; on arrival in Perth we were all thoroughly searched by the customs (Continued on page 95) N. tentaculata Volume 12 • December 1983 93 Author Allen Lowric with giant N. sanguined X gracillima hybrid. See article beginning on page 88. Photo by Rob Oliver. Cephalotus folliculans Grown and photographed bv Andrew Hanlon “V 94 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter GROWING CEPHALOTUS IN AUSTRALIA Andrew Hanlon 59 Dunoon Avenue, West Pymble 2073, N.S.W. AUSTRALIA I have been growing Cephalotus for about 5 years now, using all sorts of “recommended” potting mixes and micro climates with varying results. Some method were good while others were dis¬ astrous. Last year I wrote to Allen Lowrie in Western Australia who specializes in these unique plants and he recommended using a good quality pure German peat moss as a medium. So I repotted all my adult Cephalotus into 6 inch full length plastic pots with about one inch of crock¬ ing in the bottom to allow for good drainage. I then moved all my plants into the Nepenthes hot house. The hot house has the following conditions: Winter min¬ imum temperature is 55° F (12.8° C); summer maximum temperature, 100° F (37.8° C); humidity is 85-98%; shading is about 50-60% and there is a continuous air circulation system, automatic heating, venting and misting system. The misting jets do not spray directly onto the Cepha¬ lotus, however with the humidity of around 90%, the pots only require a little water around the edge every month or so in winter to keep the peat moss damp. It is important to remember that under cool or cold conditions during winter, when growth almost stops, not to allow the plants to get very wet or otherwise the roots will rot. In the summertime when temperatures rise up to about 90-100° F, I stand the Cephalotus in about 14 inch of water which allows the plants to draw water up through the crocking as re¬ quired. When most of the water in the tray has been used or evaporated, I then add more. Under these conditions, Cephalotus really thrive, with pitchers 1.5-2 inches long and with good coloration. Last year, I had a number of seedlings that sprouted on their own, so this year I plan to do a little hand pollination and experiment with fertilizers. The Cephalotus in the photo is in a 6 inch pot and shows a slightly different form, inasmuch as the inside of the pitcher lid turns completely red after 4-5 months while the peristome remains green. The pitcher on the left opened the end of last summer and is 1.65 inches (42mm) long. The pitcher in the middle opened mid-winter and is 1.5 inches (38mm) long and the pitcher on the right opened 6 weeks prior to the beginning of spring. It measures 1.9 inches (48mm) long, the lid is 1.1 inches (28mm) wride and the total length from the top of the lid to the toe of the pitcher is 2.3 inches (59mm) long. Most ol the Cephalotus are similar to the center pitcher but the peristomes are also col¬ ored red. Finally, perhaps 1 should point out that I have been growing Ceph¬ alotus under the described conditions for about 15 months, so as yet I am not aware of any possible long term prob¬ lems. However, I am not expecting anv since without any help from me, the plants have produced seed, which germi¬ nated, and the seedlings are growing well. Nepenthes (from p. 93) guys (10 of them). No doubt these guys thought they had hit the jackpot — surely no one goes to the places we had in our passports, unless they’re up to no good. Every tent pole and tooth paste tube was checked and tasted. Two hours later we were released. The first and especially the second ex¬ pedition overall were highly successful, with many new varieties added to our respective C.P. collections. We all look forward to the day when we can make new hybrids from our new mother stock. NEW ADDRESS World Insectivorous Plants 2690 Indian Lakes Dr., N.E. Marietta, GA 30062 Volume 12 • December 1983 / 95 Carnivorous Plants Deserve Protection by Faith Thompson Campbell, Ph.D. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 1725 I St.,N.W., Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20006 Readers of the Carnivorous Plant News¬ letter surely know that the world’s wonder- lul wild plants are in grave danger. Habitat loss, competition from introduced species, and overexploitation are driving an esti¬ mated 25,000 plant species to the brink of extinction. If we do not reverse these trends, we will lose sources of endless delight as well as valuable resources: raw materials for medicine, improved agricul¬ tural crops, and industry. The carnivorous plants which we find so fascinating are no exception to this alarming situation. One, Sarracenia oreo- phila, is officially listed as Endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act; it has declined or been extirpated from over 7096 of its historic colonies. Several other species ol Sarracenia are also severely de¬ pleted, although bureaucratic delays have prevented their receiving federal legal protection. Some are protected by state laws. Outside the United States are found numerous other rare species, including some of the spectacular Nepenthes from Malaysia. Lovers of wild plants, united in their voluntary societies, are potentially the most powerful advocates for effective con¬ servation programs to prevent extinction of plant species. Who better knows and appreciates their many values — aesthetic, scientific, practical? Who can more per¬ suasively argue for their conservation? Who better knows their locations, the threats to their survival, and, often, the actions necessary to conserve them? Un¬ fortunately, most plant societies have been slow to respond to this challenge. The International Carnivorous Plant So¬ ciety should speak out on plant conserva¬ tion: it should help alert the public around the world to threats to plants’ survival, and support strong conservation programs. Carnivorous plants face two major threats, habitat loss and overexploitation by the horticultural trade. In the United States, habitat loss is the primary' cause of endangerment. Most carnivorous plants are confined to low- lying bogs which are rapidly being drained for plantation forestry and agri¬ culture, poisoned by water pollution, or allowed to grow into tangles of vegetation as a result of fire suppression. The major concentration of pitcher plant bogs occurs along the Gulf Coast. These bogs once covered almost 3,000 km2 in natural condition and another 60 km2 in altered condition. This severe loss — 9796 — of habitat is till the more alarming because of the great species di¬ versity of these spectacular bogs. They contain over half the approximately 45 species of carnivorous plants found in North America. The important bogs of coastal North Carolina, home of the unique Venus fly¬ trap, are under similar pressure. About 40% of the coastal savannahs and wet¬ lands remain; onlv about 20% of the pocosins, and very few of the bays. New technologies allow more extensive drain¬ ing of the savannahs for forestry, so these areas will face added conversion in the near future. Peat mining threatens the remaining pocosins. A second cause of severe depletion of wild populations of carnivorous plant species is overexploitation. In the U.S., this factor plays largely a supplementary role: once habitat loss has reduced a species, eager collecting can decimate the remaining populations. For example, in the late 1960s there were eight to ten recorded populations of Sarracenia jonesii, now there are only two. Of the six popu¬ lations extirpated, at least one was col¬ lected out. Even the more plentiful 96 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter species may be suffering long-term effects from massive collecting, however. Bot¬ anists still dispute the impacts of the annual collecting of up to four million Venus flvtraps in the late 1970s. Outside the United States, collecting assumes much greater importance as a cause of extinction of carnivorous plants. In tropica] countries, the lowland species of carnivorous plants thrive in degraded forests, so they are not as threatened by the rapid destruction of the virgin tropical forests as are certain other plant tvpes. The more rare species tend to be found in seeps on steep hillsides and cliffs and in other mountainous areas unsuitable to agriculture or forest exploitation. Some ol these, including some Nepenthes species, are also protected by their inclusion in national parks. Eager collectors seek out these species, ignoring expense, physical discomfort, and frequently the law. This spring, Aus¬ tralian authorities seized a shipment of Nepenthes rajah which had been stolen from Kinabalu National Park in Malaysia and exported in violation of an interna¬ tional treaty. In recent years, several programs have been instituted to control these threats to rare plant species. The U.S. has a particu¬ larly extensive network of protective pro¬ grams aimed at both curbing habitat loss and controlling exploitation. The Endangered Species Act requires all federal agencies to ensure that activi¬ ties financed or permitted by them do not disrupt a species’ habitat or jeopardize the species’ continued survival. This law also prohibits collecting of listed plants from federal lands. State heritage programs, operated in cooperation with the Nature Conservancy, identify unique or high quality represen¬ tative ecosystems, some of which are then acquired or protected under other agree¬ ments. A number of states, mostly in the Midwest, have enacted natural area pro¬ grams, which provide various mechanisms for protecting small but biologically im¬ portant areas. Manv states, including Florida and North Carolina, have enacted their own endangered species laws which identify and provide some protection for rare plants. Florida prohibits the willful injury’ or destruction of a plant of a species listed as endangered if it is found on another’s or public land; it also prohibits collection of three or more of such plants from public land. Included in this protection are all species of Sarracema native to the state. The North Carolina statute prohib¬ its the sale or barter of protected plants, including S. jonesii. These state laws are now reinforced by the Lacey Act, which imposes federal penalties of up to five years in jail and a fine up to $20,000 for interstate or foreign sale of plants taken in violation of the state law. The United States also seeks to protect its wetlands. The most important legal protection stems from Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, which requires that any¬ one wishing to dredge or fill a yvedand must obtain a permit from the U.S. Armv Corps of Engineers. Such permit applica¬ tions are reviewed for their impact on wildlife by the Fish and Wildlife Service. The federal government has also pur¬ chased considerable wetland areas, al¬ though at least until recently these acqui¬ sitions focused on areas of importance to migratory waterfowl. Some of these pur¬ chases were financed by waterfowl hunters through the “duck stamp.” Finally, the United States and 80 other countries have signed a treaty which regu¬ lates international trade in certain pro¬ tected species of plants and animals. Four U.S. pitcher plants (Sarracenia oreophila, S. alabamensis, S. jonesii, and Darlingtonia cali- fomica), and Nepenthes rajah are protected bv this Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). People wishing to ex¬ change these plants writh colleagues in other countries must obtain permits from their government. In the case of the most threatened species, the three Sarracenia and the Nepenthes, such permits are Volume 12 • December 1983 97 granted onlv for scientific purposes. Enactment of these programs has not completed the work of plant conserva¬ tionists, however. All suffer from inade¬ quate budgets and lagging implementa¬ tion; some come under periodic attack by economic interests and must be defended. The Endangered Species Act survived such an attack last year. The wetland pro¬ tection program is still in danger, how¬ ever. Last year, some in Congress tried to restrict the permit requirements to wet¬ lands directly associated with navigable waters. Such a change would have re¬ duced the total area protected from 148 million to 22 million acres, and would have exempted virtually all bogs contain¬ ing carnivorous plants. These Congressio¬ nal efforts continue. In the meantime, the Reagan Administration has weakened the existing law bv giving a blanket authoriza¬ tion for dredging and filling of inland wetlands, including freshwater bogs; and by carrving out only cursory reviews of developments affecting intermittent streams and other such “functionally limi¬ ted” wetlands. Conservation organizations are fighting the Congressional attacks and the Reagan proposals. But they need more allies, especially carnivorous plant lovers who appreciate the values of small, shallow bogs which do not support ducks and geese. In other words, there is much for the International Carnivorous Plant Society to do to further conservation of wild popu¬ lations of these plants. You could lobbv in support of existing legal protections and for increased funds to implement land acquisition and other programs. You might consider establishing a conservation fund to purchase land or finance research. At a minimum, the ICPS should take a strong stand on the ethical issue of col¬ lecting wild carnivorous plants. It should make it clear that it will not tolerate violators of local, national, or internatio¬ nal laws. It should encourage propagation for exchange or sale. Put your expertise and energy to work for the cause we all support: preserving healthy wild populations of carnivorous plants around the world. * “The Gulf Coast Pitcher Plant Bogs” bv George W. Folkerts, American Scien¬ tists, Volume 70, pp. 260-267 ' '4 98 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter A ‘Forma Crestata’ of Drosera. Andreas Wistuba, Mudauer-Ring 227, D-6800 Mannheim 52, West Germany In the spring of 1982, a South African Drosera I was growing (perhaps a new spe¬ cies) showed a strange change at the growth point. The growth area broadened into a line. At first, I though it was dichotomous branching, but after a short time I became certain that it was a crestate change as is sometimes seen in cacti. This occurred after having the plant about half a year. I had not yet brought the plants to flower¬ ing, either the normal or crestate forms. The growing line got longer and leaves became smaller. After a time, the growing line became somewhat serpiginous. A lon¬ gitudinal section showed a semicircle and the stem was fan-shaped (see figure). Leaf cuttings from the crestate form budded into normal plants. I thought of a root illness as a cause of this change and therefore decided to ex¬ periment with propagating the plant in cristate form. I made cuttings of the grow¬ ing line at right angles, the cuttings being wedge-shaped (see figure). The cuttings were planted upright in a pot filled with very moist peat. The pots were placed in clear plastic bags under fluorescent lights. After about two weeks, the cuttings were rooted and new leaves were growing. The cuttings themselves rapidly developed a LEFT: Normal Drosera plant. Photos by Andreas Wistuba. crestate growing line similar to the parent plant. As soon as these cutting plants are large enough, I plan to propagate them in a similar manner to keep the crestate form going. In conclusion, the crestate form cannot be propagated from leal cuttings, but can from growth line cuttings. Crestate form of Drosera. Volume 12 • December 1983 99 CP PEOPLE DEPARTMENT: STEVE SMITH My interest in CP began back in mv high school Biology class. The first plant to catch my attention was the Venus flytrap, and shortly behind was Sarracenia, Drosera, and Pinguicula. My first plants were purchased from Carolina Biological Supply that same year. Unfortunately, they all died when they were placed in direct sun in a sealed container. It was not until the summer of 1973 that I again attempted to grow CP again. While on vacation in North Carolina with my wife, we decided to drive into the Holly Shelter swamp to see what we could locate. We found VFT’s, S. j lava , D. capillaris, D. brevi- filia, and P. lutea. These plants survived and needless to say, I had been bitten bv the bug. I have no formal training in horticulture or botanv, and have learned from reading and experimenting. The earlv issues of CPN were the most helpful, as they contained a wealth of information. Other information came from corres¬ pondence with growers around the globe. Since these early days my collection has grown to over 175 species and hybrids. This spring I designed and built a 12' x 20' greenhouse, and now have more room to expand. Mv pride and joy is my Nepenthes collection (over 40 species and hybrids), my Mexican Pinguicula collection (over 28 species and hybrids), and my Heliamphora collection (three species). I enjoy attempting to make hybrids. It is exciting to produce a new plant for the first time. 100 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter Steve Smith Steve Smith’s Pinguicula Collection Volume 12 • December 1983 101 Review of Recent Literature Angerilli, N.P.D. and Beirne, B.P. Mortality of introduced mosquito larvae in natu¬ ral and artificial ponds containing aquatic vegetation. Prot. Ecol. 4(4): 381- 386 1982. Utnculana minor was one of the tested plants that limits or prevents mosquito larvae from developing to the adult stage. Broussaud, F. and Vintejoux, C. Ultrastruc- tural and cytochemical studies in super¬ ficial tissues of the entrance of Utnculana trap (Lentibulanaceae). Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr. Lett. Bot. 129(3): 191-202 1982. The outer portion of the trap entrance produced long wall expansions with superposed lavers of lipid and polysac- charidic substances which seems to play a prominent part in the mechanism of the trap. Fontaine, T.D. Ill and Nigh, D.G. Charac¬ teristics of epiphyte communities on nat¬ ural and artificial submersed lotic plants: substrate effects. Hvdrobiol. 96(3): 293- 301 1983. Utricularia fibrosa was one of the plants tested as a substrate for epiphytic growth of communities of organisms. Gray, N.F. 1983. Ecology of nemato- phagous fungi: distribution and habitat. Ann. Appl. Biol. 102:501-509. In Ireland, 161 soil samples from varied sites disclosed 205 isolations of nema- tophagous fungi. The numbers of each species and trapping type are tabulated, and relations of various species to “soil” types is discussed with ten broad habitat types delineated. DES Hilton, D.F.J. The biology of Endothenia daeckeana (Lepidoptera: Olethreutidae), an inhabitant of the ovaries of the northern pitcher plant, Sarracema purpurea (Sarra- cemaceae). Can. Entomol. 114(3): 269- 274, 1982 Around July 1, eggs are laid singly on the flower bracts of S.p. purpurea and the new'lv-hatched larvae bore into the ovary base to reach the carpels. Seeds are consumed from the inside and out¬ side the ovary. The 4th or 5th instars overwinter in the pithy flower stalk and emerge in Spring as adults. Egg and larvae parasites infest and parasitize some of the organisms. Keddv, P.A. Shoreline vegetation in Axe Lake, Ontario (Canada): Effects of ex¬ posure on zonation patterns. Ecology 64(2): 331-344 1983 Species richness changes according to the environmental disturbance especi¬ ally in the zonation patterns of lakeshore vegetation. The range of water depths tolerated by individual species changed with exposure. Utnculana comuta reached their maximum population on exposed shores. Other plants like Drosera inter¬ media did best at intermediate exposure. Species richness peaked significandy at intermediate levels of exposure. Tezean, S.S. and G.L. Barron. 1983. A new predatory hyphomycete capturing bdelloid rotifers in soil. Can. J. Bot. 61:1345-1348. The new species is described as Cephali- ophora navicularis and utilizes special ad¬ hesive pegs to capture bdelloid rotifers. Conidia formation after capture is also described. Photos are included. DES WANT ADS Claus Thiede (Goslarsche Str. 70, D-3300 Braunschweig, W. Germany) (WB) Nepenthes truncata, villosa, maxima, rnacfarlanei, lowii, ed- wardstana plants/rooted cuttings. Steve Smith (1159 Trim St., Kirkwood, NY 13795). For sale or trade for other rare CP: Heliamphora heterodoxa and H minor (limited quantity). Send SASE for prices and list of CP if interested in trade. 102 Carnivorous Plant Newsletter Title Index Carnivorous plants deserve protection . 96 CP’s of the southern alps of New Zealand . 85 Cultivation of the giant Malaysian pitcherplant Nepenthes rajah . 82 ‘Forma crestata’ of Drosera . 99 Growing Cephalotus in Australia . 95 Influence of different forms of Sarracenia species on their hybrids . 68 Nepenthes of Gunung Ulu Kali . 65 Nepenthes mirabilis variation . 64 Photographic primer of the Pinguiculas of the Southeastern U.S . 41 Photographic study of . . . Drosera capensis . 69 Preliminary report on pollination of a Sarracenia purpurea . 60 Preservation of Nepenthes pitchers . 62 Re-Visit to Florida and Georgia . 51 Sabah Nepenthes expeditions . 88 Seed structure of carnivorous plants . 8, 33 Utricularia menziessii: an amazing plant . 39 Genera Index (Photos and drawings are italicized) Aldrovanda 6, 9, 10, 1 1, 55 Byblis 5, 9, 10, 7 5 Cephalotus 9, 1 1, 31, 94, 95 Darlingtonia 3, 9, 10, 16, 28, 97 Dionaea 5, 7, 9, 10, 14, 31, 32 Drosera 1, 7, 8, 9, 10, 1 1, 22, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 45, 46, 85-86, 87, 98-100, 101 54, 55, 59, 69 , 70-73, Drosophyllum 9, 10, 15 Genlisea 8, 9, 10, 12 Heliamphora 9, 10, 1 1 Nepenthes 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 21, 31, 32, 55, 57, 62 -63, 64, 88-89, 90-91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 104 65, 66-67, 77, 82, 84, Pinguicula 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 29, 31, 41, 42-43, 44, 47, 48, 52, 56, 101 Polypompholyx 7, 8, 9, 10 Sarracenia 1, 3, 5, 9, 10, 21, 31, 49-50, 51, 59, 60-62, 65, 67, 68-69, 74, 80, 96, 97, 101 Utricularia 1. 4, 8, 9, 10, 13, 19, 20, 21, 31, 39, 40, 59, 85-86, 87 Photographer and Artist Index Author. Abel, H. - 2 Bednar, B. - 64 Beebe, J. - 69 Birmingham, G. - 85 Bramblett, C. - 4, 79 Brinderhoff, K. - 79 Campbell, F. - 96 Carpenter, T. - 59 Clemensha, S. - 68 Cotter, P.D. - 85, 87 Culham, A. - 80 De Puy, G. - 51 Dolatowski, L. - 4 Dwyer, P. - 8 Elzinga, G. - 69 Fleming, R. - 59 Flora, N. - 80 Gagliardo, R. - 5 Gibson, T. - 77, 82, 104 Hanlon, A. - 95 Hicks, G. - 31 Homick, M. - 5 Huber, D. - 29 Jacobs, J. - 3 1 Kusakabe, I. - 6, 31 Laminack, S. - 31 Lecoufle, M. - 6 Lowrie, A. - 88 Luhdorff, C. - 59 Mazrimas, J. - 28, 56, 59 Mellichamp, L. - 5 O’Neil, W. - 60 Owens, C. - 31 Randall, J. - 17, 19, 33, 34, 37, 45-48, 50 Rea, A. - 80 Savignano, M. - 5 Schnell, D. - 3, 5, 41 Shivas, R. - 57, 62, 65 Sikes, S. - 6 Smith, S. - 7, 32, 100 Temple, P. - 39 Thiede, C. - 8 1 Tolman, D. - 7, 15, 19, 33, 34, 37, 45-48, 50 Van Dragt, R. - 69 Wexler, J. - 32, 81 Wilson, J. - 7 Wistuba, A. - 99 Volume 12 • December 1983 103