Derek's Utricularia

From: Barry Meyers-Rice (bamrice@ucdavis.edu)
Date: Mon Feb 16 1998 - 10:14:23 PST


Date: Mon, 16 Feb 1998 10:14:23 -0800 (PST)
From: Barry Meyers-Rice <bamrice@ucdavis.edu>
To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com
Message-Id: <aabcdefg615$foo@default>
Subject: Derek's Utricularia


>Do only a few species of Utrics produce cleistogamous flowers, or is it a
>more or less common trait in the Genus? I'm trying to ID a Utric that
>doesn't appear to match any of the possible species it could be. (It is a
>Florida, USA native) It sent up an inflorescence a couple of weeks ago,

Hey Derek,

Yes, only a few species of Utrics produce cleistogamous flowers. Your
Florida plant is probably either U. subulata (perfectly round
cleistogamous flowers) or U. juncea (usually more elongated cleistogamous
flowers).

If you want to send me a few pressed or live plants I could verify your ID
for you.

For those uncertain about this "cleistogamous" term, it refers to a
certain type of modified flower. Instead of normal flowers (which are
called chasmogamous), the plant may produce flowers which never
open---they never progress beyond a bud. Still, they self fertilize and
produce seed.

Barry

------------------------
Dr. Barry A. Meyers-Rice
Carnivorous Plant Newsletter
Conservation Coeditor
bazza@ucdavis.edu
http://www.indirect.com/www/bazza/cps/cpn/cpn.html



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