New member (introduction) and a question about N. alata

From: michiel van bennekom (Michiel.vanBennekom@STUDENTEN.TBPT.WAU.NL)
Date: Fri Feb 27 1998 - 04:15:46 PST


Date: Fri, 27 Feb 1998 13:15:46 +0100 (CET)
From: michiel van bennekom <Michiel.vanBennekom@STUDENTEN.TBPT.WAU.NL>
To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com
Message-Id: <aabcdefg775$foo@default>
Subject: New member (introduction) and a question about N. alata

Hello CP friends,

It is customary for new subscribers to eventually post a self-introduction,
so here it is.
My name is Michiel van Bennekom, 22 years old and I'm a horticultural student
at the Wageningen Agricultural University (the Netherlands). It is my fourth
year here and I'm enjoying my study. I'm interested in almost every
plantspecies; I often visit gardens (botanical ones) and I have a job at a
gardencenter (part-time) where I help out and give customers advice on
different plants (position in the garden, soiltextures and other questions)
and other things you can put in your garden.
My interest in carnivorous plants started with a gift I received a few years
ago (a venus-flytrap). From there it went quickly, I got a young
nepenthes-cutting (alata; which is doing terrible at the moment) and another
nepenthes (more mature plant, also alata; a have a question about this plant
later). Now I have a Pinguicula 'Weser', Drosera capensis both the red and
white hairs ('alba'), Drosera binata (still very small but I already have it
for about a year!), Drosera spathicula (not the correct spelling but the
exact name I forgot) and the Dionaea muscipula (both young and old plant (old
one isn't doing so well). Then in this spring I will use the seeds I have of
Sarracenia flava (the green ones with the small and high pitchers). Also I
have some Dionaea seeds which won't germinate, some Drosera capensis seeds
(haven't tried them yet) and some Drosera 'spathicula' seeds that already
germinated (really small but beautiful plants).
I'd wish I had more species and plants but some died after a while (for
instance: pinguicula moranensis dies every time; the little plants will not
grow big and one time one did and also flowered but after that died also).

I joined this group because my interest in carnivorous plants is still
growing and because I have a question which I couldn't find an answer to (I
still don't have literature on the subject of cp plants and in the library I
couldn't find it).

My question is:
My Nepenthes (alata) suddenly started flowering at the beginning of this
week. I've had it for over 2 years (it's a big plant). I believe it is most
unusual for the Nepenthes to flower in a living/sleepingroom (my studentroom
in Wageningen). Especially because I don't pay to much attention to it (no
special environment, it just hangs at my window)
I went to a person at the University who told me the Nepenthes needs another
plant (of the opposit sexe) to produce seeds. I don't know the sexe of my
plant (the flowers aren't open yet; still little knots on the stem). My
question now is: How can I find out the sexe of my plant and when it is a
female plant where can I get some male pollen to cross it with? (is it
possible to cross it?)

I hope I can get an answer to mij question and thank you for reading my
introduction,

Greetings, Michiel

e-mail: Michiel.vanBennekom@studenten.tbpt.wau.nl



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