Giant Byblis photos

[gregallan]

I am very pleased with the way in which my Byblis are turning out this year, despite the British summer (which is notoriously poor even in a normal year) being the wettest on record so far. Here are a load of photos of my biggest forms. I have posted the odd one of these on other forums, but most of them are new.

Byblis guehoi- all of the photos with flowers are of a single plant. The photo showing two young plants illustrates the manner in which this species can (but does not always in my experimental conditions) branch at an early stage

[gregallan]

Byblis gigantea- most of these photos were taken when the illusive sun finally vanquished the clouds for a brief period in the late afternoon, making the Byblis positively glow. The photo of the leaf with prey clearly shows the fly enveloped in secretions. When B gigantea catches insects which adhere to the glands in such a manner that they touch the epidermis, fluid is rapidly secreted. A few days later, the prey is stuck fast to the leaf. The bodies of small flies seem to be completely annihilated. Prey which does not settle on the leaf surface is presumably not digested at all.

[gregallan]

Byblis filifolia- all of these are photos of giant plants raised from seeds from the Pago region of northern Western Australia. They differ from B guehoi and several other forms of B filifolia in that, inter alia, the pedicels are consistently shorter than the leaves. They are also very large and sturdy plants that have still not yet reached their full potential this year, judging by the new branches which keep appearing.

[fischermans]

Hello Greg
Very odd plants and pics.Haven´t you red how to cultivate them properly and how to take good pics of them?
Just kidding wonderfull plants and nice pics.
Thanks for sharing.
Alexander

[sweetpea]

Dear Greg-san,

Konnichiwa!

What a fantastic job you have done!

Kind regards

[abadei]

Beautiful plants!!!!!
Bye
Alessandro

[coline]

Simply impresive plants! I'm shocked!

[jdallas]

Stunning plants. What's you're technique on germinating Byblis gigantea seeds? As of yet their germination eludes me. I've tried the burning technique, and gibberellic acid, but no luck.

Jeff

[adamcross]

Gibberellic acid is not particularly effective for most Byblis. What conditions are you exposing the seeds to post-fire, and how are you conducting the burn?

[Not a Number]

As I recall Alan Lowrie recommends a 72 hour soak in GA3 for some Byblis species. For Cindy's B. 'Goliath' × guehoi and B. guehoi seeds a 24 hour soak in a 1000ppm GA3 solution does the trick. Germination within 3 days after treatment with 80-100% germination. Untreated seeds take months to germinate if ever - 0-5% germination.

[gregallan]

I used GA3 for all Byblis. In my experience, it works very well. I have, at one time or another, successfully germinated all species using GA3. I tend to find that B gigantea seeds benefit from 4-5 days of soaking.

I have also begun to suspect that some B gigantea seeds suffer reduced fertility as a result of inbreeding. Some seeds germinate extremely well with GA3, but some do poorly. I am attempting to build up a large bank of viable seeds for distribution. It is a slow process, though, although things are looking promising for this coming summer.

Greg

[coline]

And where do you guys buy AG3, I'm curious as I'm not having a good germination since 1 month ago that I planted B. liniflora seeds?

[jdallas]

Thank-you for the information. I only did a 24 hour soak. Also, if the GA3 is too strong will it inhibit germination? I have a powder sold for horticultural purposes (SuperGrow), and when I mixed it as recommend for seeds with the measure they included the TDS was actually much higher than 1,000ppm. ( I started with distilled water.)

Has anyone used smoke discs for Byblis germination?

Jeff

[Not a Number]

Hi Jeff

According to some sources too high concentrations will inhibit germination or may even kill the seeds. I recommend Norman C. Deno's paper "Seed Germination Theory and Practice". His paper and supplements are worth reading. He tested many Carnivorous Plant species. He looked at cold stratification and dark vs light during germination as well. He gives a methodology for applying GA3.

From other growers experiences with the hybrid and B. guehoi seeds 1000ppm or lower seems to be effective.

The papers are available from the National Agricultural Library of the USDA for download.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice
naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/41278/PDF
1st Supplement
naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/41279/PDF
2nd Supplement
naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/41277/PDF

Note: Deno misspelled Dionaea so it doesn't show up in text search.

-Warren

I have not tried smoke discs with Byblis. I have used them with tuberous and other winter growing Drosera with limited success.

[adamcross]

We have a manuscript currently under review for B. gigantea seed germination, particularly in response to 'smoke'. Will link when it becomes available.