Sarracenia oreophila

[jpyerry]

Got excited enough about this that I just had to tell people, for all of the carnivorous plant enthusiasts on the board, I'm sure you will totally understand.

A few months ago, I acquired some Sarracenia oreophila seeds (I acquired the necessary permits to get them). And I cold stratified them for a month, of the ten seeds sown, I got one germination (I'm glad I got any to do so, I know Sarracenia seeds are notoriously difficult to germinate).

I was checking on my little seedling today, and it now has two little pitchers! They are so small that they are difficult to see without magnification. I very much wish I could post pictures, but I don't have a camera adaptor for my microscope.

I am just so excited by this, I know it will still be a few years before I have a mature plant. But, this just feels like a major step.

Yours,
Justin

[jsehorn]

Yay! That's awesome! Last spring, California Carnivores was offering S oreophila as a free gift with large purchases. I don't remember the dollar amount you had to buy to get one, and I wanted one, but I couldn't afford to spend enough money to get one at the time, because you had to spend a lot. Something about giving them away rather than selling them gets around some of the restrictions on the species. Don't remember the specifics, but they explained it on the site.

[jpyerry]

Originally Posted by jsehorn

Yay! That's awesome! Last spring, California Carnivores was offering S oreophila as a free gift with large purchases. I don't remember the dollar amount you had to buy to get one, and I wanted one, but I couldn't afford to spend enough money to get one at the time, because you had to spend a lot. Something about giving them away rather than selling them gets around some of the restrictions on the species. Don't remember the specifics, but they explained it on the site.

Jsehorn,

Yes, since they are an endangered species, in general they cannot be sold, at least here in the United States. There is one exception, so long as they do not cross state lines they can be sold. If state lines are to be crossed (and the plants were legally obtained) then they cannot be sold, as a matter of fact the vendor cannot even charge for shipping for the item. But they can give the plants away so long as they do not charge shipping.

That being said, the rules change quite a bit for the seeds. The seeds can be sold within the USA. They can also be obtained internationally, so long as you have a small seed lot import permit. This is the route I went. The vendor, claimed that all seeds are harvested from plants that are in cultivation, which if true is fine by me. So I got the permit and ordered the seeds. I wish more had germinated, but I am happy with just the one.

Hopefully it will be big enough to post a picture soon. My only worry at this point is whether or not the plant is in fact S. oreophila. I know I've gotten mislabeled seeds in the past, only time will tell on this aspect.

Justin

[jsehorn]

I've never tried to grow Sarracenia from seed. I've read about the process, but just never tried it myself. I hope your little seedlings do great, and I look forward to seeing a picture in the future.

[BluPeaches]

You should visit this guy's site.

The Pitcher Plant Project | Sarracenia Addiction

[orchids4me]

Congrats on the germination even if only one!!

[1joyceh]

That is fantastic Justin!!
they are difficult and getting 1 to germinate on your first try is great odds!!
Congratulations, I can't wait to see the pictures

[jpyerry]

As promised, once the pitchers got big enough for a photo, I would post one. To give an idea of the size of the plant, it is in a 2" pot, and it has been about a month and a half since germination. So here you go: