Drosophyllum seedlings

[adamcross]

I was given a few Drosophyllum seed at the ICPS conference this year, and thought I'd give them a shot. Having never grown the species before I was a little skeptical about success, but tried finely nicked the seeds and treating with a smoke agent before sowing them outdoors in a peat/sand/charcoal/perlite mix (in early summer). To my surprise seven of the eight seeds germinated after 3-4 weeks, along with one of the two Roridula dentata seeds I threw in with them, and proceeded to grow extraordinarily quickly.

They're growing outdoors in full sun (Perth, Western Australia), in very low humidity and experiencing 32-40ºC days at the moment. The pot is large, and tray watered. Neither the high temperatures nor the low humidity seem to worry them in the slightest.

Here's a photo of the largest seedling after just two weeks:

[bananaman]

Great job!

[vinnymc]

Woah!

[coline]

Great! keep updating how they develop!

[adamcross]

Work has taken me out of state for a few weeks, unfortunately during Perth's hottest spell of the year (nearly two weeks over 40ºC). I'll post an update when I make it back home, but there is every possibility the plants will have burst into flame by then!

[adamcross]

To my complete surprise, after a week of 40+ºC all the seedlings are not only still alive but flourishing- supporting just how resilient Drosophyllum appears to be. Photo below of the largest seedling, now three weeks old and a near-arboreal 6 cm tall.

[coline]

Great! they seem then to be resistent to high temperatures, maybe the only problem they have are the roots!