Burn! Burn! Burn!

[BarryRice]

Hey Folks,

Yesterday I pulled one of our grandparent Drosophyllum plants out of the collection. After several years of growth, it had given up the ghost.

However, despite the fact that all of its several branches were completely dead, it seems that the base of the plant was still fairly thick and not entirely dried out. Also, the plant seemed rooted and not rattling about in the pot.

As a mad experiment, I set fire to the plant! It was great! I got a flame length of about 100 cm from the dead foliage!

Afterwards, the flames settled down, revealing the plant's skeleton. I'm confident that, like every other plant in my experience, this thing will stay dead. But wouldn't it be cool if it arose from the ashes like a Phoenix?

In any event, it was a fun experiment. I'll give the pot a few more months before I toss it out.

[Aidan]

Now we know who was responsible for all those fires!

Anyone seen Arnie? ;D

[picrophyll]

Aiden
I have duly advise the US authority and state administrations that a certain Mr Barry Rice, should be stopped and searched when or where ever seen. They have been advised that all combustible materials such as matches, lighters, flints, rubbing stick and any accelerants should be immediately seized and this Person of Interest detained as possible suspect for firebugging CP sites.
Phill Mann
West Australian Fire Control Centre for the Preservation of all CP's.

[rsivertsen]

The Phoenix effect is well known in many plants, especially CPs. In the NJ Pine Barrens, and the Pine lands of the Gulf Coast I've noticed that Drosera were among the first plants to emerge from the barren charcoaled black and grey sandy ashes from recent flash fires in massive red carpets in the newly cleared and open areas. In fact, many plants' seeds won't germinate unless there is some fire that denatures a growth inhibitor within the seed.

I recall some comments in the earlier pages of CPN mentioning this regarding Drosphyllum and even Byblis seed germination.

So, the interesting, and cool thing would be to notice if all those seeds that the plant produced, waiting in the sand just below the surface, all around this dead ghostly skeleton bush suddenly burst into germination of hundreds of seedlings, giving rise to a new generation of life.

It’s always been a mystery to me why some plants suddenly go into senescence, and just crash and die for no apparent reason, such as Drosophyllum; even when the flowers are removed, which often drains the plant’s strength, and sets off the “death cycle” after seed-set.

[sarracenialover]

very interesting indeed

[BarryRice]

Hey Folks,

It has been two months, and as expected, this Phoenix never emerged from its ashes.

Barry

[Deleted]

thats sad........ i was hoping to hear that it came back to life some how.......okay back to setting more fires i guess...lol...i hear that if you set one now when the rains come youll get a nice mud flow into the homes....lol jk.....but it is cool that some plants do better when there has been a fire......but it makes sence... i was watching planet earth and they showed that not only does a fire break down some of the germination inhibitors in the seeds it ( or whatever it is)clears a path as so that sunlight can reach the seeds, and the reason why some of the plants sprout so quickly after fires is that its an evolutionary thing that helps them to compete with space and light ....if they sprout first before other plants can they have better chances at survival becuase they will have more sunlight then the other smaller plants beneath them.....

[BarryRice]

...and of course, many plants have woody fruits that stay firmly shut until a fire passes through. After the fire, the fruit open and disperse the seeds. I believe this is often the case for species of pine trees (Pinus) that do not drop their cones.

Later

Barry

[chelo]

I live in Portugal, in the council of Valongo, nearby the Oporto and I am it study some populations of Drosophyllum that here exist. In fact the fire is an important element for the conservation of these populations. When the density of the species that compete with her grow, to Drosophyllum "extinguishes itself" in that localities, barely stayed the bank of seed, when the next fire come back, plants will be to the thousands. The fire has an another advantage, to a temperature of around 40 to 50 ºC the fire is going to open the seed of natural form. And the most interesting one is that when adult the Drosophyllum are calcifugas and when the fire burns the vegetation soil stayed him temporarily calcified because of the ash. The fire also disposes the minerals of form more quick and they absorbed. Already you observed the roots of the Drosophyllum to the microscope? You go to see that they are filamentares or be flattened, becoming extremely efficient in the absorption of the present mineral and that are by norm quickly remove from soil. In the local where carnivorous plants existed and while occur an fire, nobody will know that are thousands of them under the form of seeds. By that is dificil we elaborate a map of presence of this sort, because we needed to burned the entire country!!! Another important factor is the fotoperiodo, therefore the brilliance and to refracção of the light is very important for the capture of the insects. The smell of the Drosoplyllum contributed very little for the capture of the insects, we can see that itself compare them to the n.º of insects captured in an isolated plant without vegetation it involves her and in another one in that this involved by vegetation, in that the bright aspect is camouflaged.
Here in the council of Valongo exist 4 species of carnivorous plants: Drosophyllum lusitanicum, Drosera rotundifolia, Drosera intermedia and Pinguincula lusitanica.

I apologize by the English!!!

Fulfillments

Chelo Meneses

[ICPS-bob]

Thank you for the interesting information, Chelo. Your English is quite understandable.

[Brian Barnes]

Thanks for your insights, Chelo. It's a real treat to hear from someone that lives near these remarkable plants! More! More!
Happy Growing,
Brian.

[timv]

I did what Barry did a couple years ago, and the plant stayed dead. I did start a thread on the CPUK forum also a year or two ago called "Remember the matches". When I sprinkle Drosophyllum seed in the pot, and pick out those which have germinated over the weeks they take to come up, when they finally stop germinating I take some dead grass and put it on the top of the pot, then light it with a match. After than, lots more seed come up.