Catopsis berteroniana

[Jeremiah]

I would love to here from anyone growing this plant. If you know a source for one please let me know. I can only remember seeing it on a few CPer grow lists, I think it was Hakan Murevarn from Sweden for one but don’t know for sure. But I don’t remember anyone in the USA growing it.

Thanks
-Jeremiah-

[vicbrown]

Hi Jerry ,
I've been growing Catopsis berteroniana for nearly three years now and find it an easy plant under my conditions. My plant sits in my lowland Nepenthes terrarium, min. temp. 20^oC, max. temp. 35^oC, humidity always more than 90%, lighting is a mixture of shaded natural light, supplemented with 13hrs/day flourescent tube. The compost is a mix of Peat, LF Sphagnum and perlite, kept damp and I keep the well of the plant topped up with water. Last year, following flowering, the plant produced three 'pups' (offsets) which I removed and potted separately; two are now with other growers and the other I kept. The mother plant lingered on for about six months before it eventually expired.



I'm not sure if this species requires lowland conditions, I imagine that it would probably do just as well with humid, highland conditions.

Andreas has Catopsis available at www.wistuba.com - so you should be able to get one in the US through him.

Vic

[BarryRice]

Nice plant, Vic!

I've been looking for Catopsis for a while too, for our UCDavis collections. (We've got Brocchinia reducta that we could offer anyone in the USA in trade....)

Unfortunately, Wistuba is sold out. So I'm still looking.

I'm intrigued that your plant is making pups. McPherson says that this plant usually only makes one replacement pup when the parent plant dies. Good to hear there are some proliferating clones in cultivation!

Cheers

Barry

[Deleted]

Hi guys,
I grow plants from C. Klein. These plants are very powerful. I will see if I can post pics soon.

[Deleted]

Hi,
here is the promised picture of one of my plants, grown epiphytic:

[stevestewart]

Hello all,

I've been reading about Catopsis berteroniana by various authors lately and would like to make this point.
C. berteroniana is Not dioecious or monoecious!
Please excuse the poor quality photographs, but I am posting them so that all can see that when grown properly, this species is very capable of self pollination and production of large amounts of viable seed.
germinating seed

Seed that has the plumose appendages burned off to prevent fungus

Flowering plant with basal


I think it is important that investigators of plants take published material as guidelines, and not assume that what they are reading is undeniable fact. Read your plants after you finish your books and websites!!

Take care,
Steven Stewart

[Aidan]

The plant appears tolerant of quite a wide range of conditions. I've been growing it on a windowsill for a couple of years and it has now been in flower for at least six months. Unfortunately, having flowered it does look as though it is on its way out without so far having produced any offsets.

[stevestewart]

Aidan,

The Catopsis I have grown began to look really bad after flowering as well. They seem to need to become a little drier during and after flowering. I have trimmed the brown leaves off of plants until I had almost given up, only to be surprised by an offshoot at seemingly the last possible days.
Have you, or do you think you are, getting seed to set?

When the brown capsules are completely ripe they can be split into thirds, I have set them on a hot dark surface (black topped desk) in full sun in the greenhouse, to get the seed to dehisce in good form. I then fluff all the seeds, with plumose appendages attached, into a loose mound and put a flame under it. Be Careful they are very flammable! Clean seed ready for planting will be left behind on the work area. I always grew them on milled Sphagnum.

[Aidan]

Steve - Until your earlier post I was unaware that the plant could be selfed and so made no attempt to do so. Unless a little six-legged beastie got to the flowers and that seems unlikely, I will be out of luck. There is certainly no sign of seed capsules.

[SilverKiento]

Looks like there are some seeds on eBay... that's all I know. :/

[Aidan]

aidan said:

...it does look as though it is on its way out without so far having produced any offsets.

The sad truth is now revealed. Stripping the dead leaves uncovered three small offsets. Yippee! It also revealed that the base of the stalk of the mother plant had rotted away. Boohoo...

The offsets are attached to the still living upper section of the mother plant. Survival depends upon whether or not they develop enough to live independently.

[stevestewart]

Aidan,

It's good to read that you have offsets! I can't say that I ever felt that I had perfected the growing technique of this species, even though over time, I produced hundreds of them. Even if only one of your offsets survives, you will have a good chance for seed later. Keeping seedlings alive was more difficult for me than the offshoots.
A friend in Daytona Beach has a plant that I gave him growing like a weed in his lowland Nepenthes greenhouse. The seed germinates in and on pots around his original plants. It always pays to spread species and cultivars around to others, when you can! I no longer have Catopsis myself.

Take care,
Steven Stewart

[shartmeyer]

Here is a picture of my Catopsis berteroniana (3 shoots) that I grow since 1988 under Nepenthes lowland conditions on a corc, filled with clay-pearls (Seramis). At the moment the 3 shoots are 30 cm high and 40 cm in diameter. The plant is very successful in catching flies.

[Aidan]

Siggi - A fine specimen... and it seems we share similar tastes in headwear!

[stevestewart]

shartmeyer,

I agree with Aidan, you have a beautiful C. berteroniana specimen! You write that you have been growing your plant(s) since 1988. Have you, or any others here, had their plants flower and set seed for them? I think lowland Nepenthes conditions are perfect for the formation of flowers and seed in this species. Your photograph looks like it was taken indoors. Do you grow your Catopsis under lights or in a greenhouse?

Take care,
Steven Stewart