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May 4, 2007 4:27:32 GMT
Post by pinglover on May 4, 2007 4:27:32 GMT
Anyone else getting visions of cottage industries going out there and plucking purty pitchers from natural areas for floral arrangements?
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Scary
May 4, 2007 11:37:52 GMT
Post by maraxas on May 4, 2007 11:37:52 GMT
Yeah it seems like every year, at the Philadelphia flower show, more and more plant arrangements have pitchers mixed in. Ashame really...
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Clint
Full Member
Posts: 808
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Scary
May 4, 2007 14:10:54 GMT
Post by Clint on May 4, 2007 14:10:54 GMT
I've seen silk pitchers for sale on I think 3 occasions so that's good.
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Scary
May 5, 2007 4:42:09 GMT
Post by pinglover on May 5, 2007 4:42:09 GMT
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May 5, 2007 16:22:57 GMT
Post by ICPS-bob on May 5, 2007 16:22:57 GMT
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May 5, 2007 21:10:45 GMT
Post by pinglover on May 5, 2007 21:10:45 GMT
I have no knowledge whatsoever of any certified farm-grown pitchers.
If pitchers were grown as an agricultural crop and if the product was certified as not having been field collected, I suppose it would be ok. Would these people be willing to wait the number of years requisite for the plants to mature and pitcher though? Doubtful.
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Scary
May 8, 2007 2:02:41 GMT
Post by Dave Evans on May 8, 2007 2:02:41 GMT
Dear Bob, A couple thoughts: There are no pitcher plant farms. There could be, infact it would be quite easy to create such a farm, just by not developing a tract of land down south as the land is already well suited for Sarracenia and other bog dwellers. I would think, most of the people that partake are basically using their land the way they see fit. The plants are growing in their backyard and they can cut the leaves and sell them. Is this very different from having a bunch of wild berries and charging a head fee so people can collect them? This practice is not particularly harmful to Sarracenia luecophylla, however with it gaining popularity and S. l. loosing 95% of it's land to development this practice is starting to resemble a seal hunt more than some folks collecting pretty flowers. I think cut flowers are gross and don't like them at all. So I would not buy them, nor sell them. The whole thing is some kind of cultural weirdness, like celebrity worship. Good Growing, Dave Evans
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Scary
May 9, 2007 2:06:46 GMT
Post by Jeremiah on May 9, 2007 2:06:46 GMT
Hey guys, I like the look of them here are a few using my plants.
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Scary
May 9, 2007 11:06:00 GMT
Post by stevestewart on May 9, 2007 11:06:00 GMT
My avatar is a sketch of an arrangement that my ex made from freeze dried Sarracenia, Heliamphora and Darlingtonia species and hybrids. I still cut and freeze dry the majority of my pitchers (Sarracenia, Heliamphora and Nepenthes) when they start to turn brown, rather than simply throw them out. I think the practice should be encouraged rather than condemned. It would not take years to start and finish a greenhouse full of tc grown Sarracenia x 'Judith Hindle' (one example) for cut flower arrangements, only a couple of months.
Take care, Steve
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Scary
May 9, 2007 17:12:32 GMT
Post by mannyherrera on May 9, 2007 17:12:32 GMT
Interesting topic. I remember Clyde Bramblett telling me of a unique scenario he encountered while bogging with Bruce Bednar in south Alabama. According to him they found a farmer and several of his young sons harvesting leucophylla pitchers from their field. They would cut all the pitchers off and pile them on the side of the road. Clyde said the gentleman was very polite and explained to him how they sell them to the floral industry. The farmer would purposely leave the plants as these were the source of his harvest. Apparently he would harvest pitchers several times a year. I suppose this ensured the "protection" of this stand, but at what cost? How long can a population of Sarracenia endure this? Maybe it doesn't affect them in a negative way at all.
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Scary
May 9, 2007 22:42:36 GMT
Post by stevestewart on May 9, 2007 22:42:36 GMT
Manny,
Back when Clide was a kid, I don't think the number of potential sales from wild Sarracenia cut leaves would have posed as large a problem as it would in todays Mega mart outlets and the Martha Stewart type fad culture. Wild plants might tolerate being cut for quite a while, but I fear the ecosystems that surround Sarracenia would be impacted in a bad way. Not to mention the laws and permitting that a company would need to adhere to.
I would like to see tissue cultured plant material being utilized in a greenhouse or screenhouse setting. Sarracenia that are full of insects can be really nasty, as anyone that has grown them knows. There are so many beautiful Sarracenia hybrids and cultivars now being tc'd and easily cultivated, on benches, leaf shapes and colors can be changed on a whim.
I see no incentive nor need to wild collect leaves full of bugs, cut at ankle height. (it hurts my back just thinking about bending over like that all day!)
Take care, Steven Stewart
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May 9, 2007 22:59:43 GMT
Post by ICPS-bob on May 9, 2007 22:59:43 GMT
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May 10, 2007 3:04:40 GMT
Post by maraxas on May 10, 2007 3:04:40 GMT
Interesting link. Thanks for sharing.
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Scary
May 10, 2007 6:44:08 GMT
Post by mannyherrera on May 10, 2007 6:44:08 GMT
Steve,
I wholeheartedly agree. I would not like to see wild Sarracenia stands plundered this way. I might add, however, that according to Clyde this was taking place as late as the 90's. Not in his childhood. Either way, I agree that with the ability to tc plants there is no need for wild harvesting. Perhaps this is an unexplored business opportunity.
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Scary
May 10, 2007 16:32:28 GMT
Post by BarryRice on May 10, 2007 16:32:28 GMT
Hey Folks,
The proponents of pitcher collecting claim they only take something like one out of three pitchers, so the plants are not too damaged. However, reports I have from people who have seen sites after the pitchers have been harvested tell me that it looks more like a complete mowing---all the pitchers have been taken.
I know that plants in cultivation are heavily damaged when all the pitchers are removed. For example, three years ago one of the volunteers at UCDavis decided, inexplicably, to cut all the pitchers off a S. minor in the fall, when the pitchers were all still in fine shape. Even though this was done in the fall, the plant was very upset (perhaps because the photosynthates from the leaves were going to be relocated back into the plant). For the next year, the plant produced only distorted, phyllodium-like leaves. The second year, it produced only 1/2-size leaves. This is the first year it appears to be growing normally, although the crop of leaves is still a little sparse.
If I remember correctly, in his book, Nick Romanowski gave an interesting cost analysis of what would be necessary to maintain a sustainable pitcher harvest for cut leaves. Interesting.
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