Pygmy Drosera Curiosities

Non germinating gemmae

Pictured below is a Drosera Dichrosepala gemma that was photographed in late December 2008.It was produced earlier that year in May.Obviously it has not germinated and the fact that it is still alive means that it has had reasonable conditions for growth.This suggests that some pygmy drosera gemmae do not always germinate due to a possible lack of plant hormones within.In cultivation it is common to see that not all gemmae germinates and that some gemmae germinate faster than others.Another interesting thing is that this particular gemma is at least 7 months old and still looks reasonably healthy which shows just how long they can last given good conditions.

Pygmy Drosera Curiosities

Drosera Pygmae Clumps

Pictured below are Drosera Pygmae clumps growing near the shores of Lake Lysterfield in South East Australia.Several of these clumps were observed in October 2008 each containing numerous plants.They appear to be the result of numerous gemmae germinating close to one another.The gemmae were produced earlier in May.This sort of clumping is certainly not common and if you let it happen in cultivation it almost always results in the death of many of the plants in the clump.A possible explanation regarding the formation of the clumps is that the young pygmy drosera could only get a foothold on the peaty mounds (which are higher than the surrounding soil) due to a higher water level in winter.

Crestate pygmy drosera

The crestate growth habit has been observed in pygmy drosera.Drosera Leuoblasta crestate is pictured below.A typical sign that a plant is crestate is that it has a broad area of new growth as this pygmy does.The plant was previously normal for over a year and after gemmae production developed the habit.Some other plants in the same pot also went crestate suggesting the condition is caused by a virus which can take hold if the plant is weakened.

Elongated stipule buds

Pictured below are elongated stipule buds belonging to D.Parvula subs Parvula plants.They were produced in spring,a time when there should be no stipule buds anyway.The plants are 2 or 3 years old have no leaves(or have stunted leaves) and are otherwise healthy as is indicated by the flower stalks.Apart from being longer than normal the buds contain plenty of green within which probably allows the plant to photosynthesize and stay healthy.Certainly an unusual mode of growth for pygmy drosera. A possible explanation of this temporary non-carnivorous habit is that the plant may have enough nutrients available to it momentarily and it is not necessary for it to produce the carnivorous part of the leaf.This type of temporary non carnivorous habit has been observed in other carnivorous plants such as Triphyophyllum,Pinguicula,Nepenthes and even other drosera.Although it may be occuring for other reasons.

Gemmae and flowers

Below are some pygmy drosera producing flowers and gemmae at the same time.As well as that there are aerial plants being produced from the flower stalks which are mature and producing gemmae themselves.This type of thing is easily explained as it is just another method of propagation.Plants emanating from flower stalks have been observed in other drosera and carnivorous plants and the phenomenon is fairly commonplace.There seems to be no major disadvantage to the parent plant when they produce gemmae as well.The plants in question are D.Patens X Pulchella which are one of the largest and more robust types of pygmy drosera and hence can happily support smaller plants when the conditions are good.It is also no surprise that both parents commonly grow in wetter environments than most pygmy drosera which can be expected to support plantlets in summer as well as other seasons.