Jan:
>From your description of the _D.dielsiana-aliciae-natalensis_ trio, I
>guess
your key would read as follows?
1)Styles 3, each basally bifurcate into two linear segments, stigmas entire;
seeds ovoid.
.............................................._D.dielsiana_
1)Styles 3, each dichotomously branched to more than four terminal points;
seeds fusiform.
...............................................2)
2)Petals purplish; leaves broad.
.........................................._D.aliciae_
2)Petals pink; leaves narrower.
.........................................._D.dielsiana_
I am not impressed with the diagnostics used between _D.aliciae_ and
_D.dielsiana_, especially since they are variations easily induced by
heat and lower light levels. And especially if there are as many
intermediate specimens as you suggest. The next question on my mind is
how do the plants _D.burkeana,trinervia,cuneifolia,collinsiae_ and
_D.admirabilis_---if that latter species is S.African, that is---fit
into this mess. I'm looking forward to your key.
My _Sarracenia_ are already producing flower buds. I removed them from
plants I wanted to encourage into vegetative growth. I was pollinating
more North American Pings this weekend and verified their perfumes. I
also noticed that as usual my heavily flowering _P.planifolia_ was
producing withered stamens lacking pollen. This irritated me to no end
last year. Then I found that a single _P.planifolia_ was producing
plenty of pollen. This is a plant I have been growing in the same tray
as my big _Sarracenia_ for the last year or so. When I water the
_Sarracenia_, this plant in its little pot stays submerged almost
perpetually. It is growing well, in fact I could argue better than the
others based on pollen production!
B
P.S. Hah! Synchronicity indeed. I had just finished typing this
letter when I heard a scratching on my office door. I opened it and
there in the hallway stood a great bull moose, dripping water and muddy
pondweeds (_Potamogeton_linearis_, I think). It had a soggy parcel in
its mouth. It gave it to me then split---presumably back to the frozen
boreal world of Canada. In the bag I found a few goodies from our
ingenious tundral colleague Rob Maharajh (note the trailing "h" of his
name). One of them is Obermeyer's work on S. African Drosera. (Rob, if
this message gets past the rattlesnakes and cacti, and you can chip
enough ice from your terminal to be able to read it---thanks!). I see
that the sundew trio above are treated quite nicely. I have a bit of
bedtime reading now---albeit a bit musky-beslimed!
think,