You are here:
Carnivorous Plants/Flytrap
Advertisement
Question
Hi,
I have a mature Dente flytrap bought from your nursery about 2 or 3 years ago which is growing great here in San Diego Ca. I was just looking at all of my flytraps and noticed on this particular one a juvenile flytrap growing in place of one of the flower buds on the flower stock! This is extremely weird to me. The rest of the flower stalk has about four more flowers that have already bloomed and are now turning black like normal but one of the flower buds is again actually a new flytrap rhizome with about 4 healthy small traps emerging. I have been growing many varieties of carnivorous plants now for about 5 years and have never encountered this. Is this normal or have you ever encountered this. Thanks again.
Hi Justin,
What you're observing is called vegetative apomixis. It happens to Venus flytraps often when their dormancy is a bit shorter than normal. That is quite possible since you live in San Diego. It's kind of fun to watch them develop, since it will produce a viable plant that you can later detach and plant.
Now, here's the dark side. We've found that the mother plant often dies after this process, just like when Bromeliads bloom. So if you let the plantlet develop, be sure to plant it.
Good Growing!
Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com
- Ask a Question
| Rating(1-10) | Knowledgeability = 10 | Clarity of Response = 10 | Politeness = 10 |
| Comment | Thanks for the quick and informative response! | ||
Related Articles
Answers by Expert:
Sarracenia Northwest
Expertise
If your plant is showing poor growth, discoloration, abnormal leaves or possible infestation, the growers at Sarracenia Northwest can help! Carnivorous plant experts Jeff Dallas and Jacob Farin will help you diagnose the problem and get your plants on the right track. Their no nonsense approach has helped thousands of growers all over the world. They can help you too!
Experience
With over 40 years of combined experience, Jeff and Jacob has definitely taken a straight forward approach to growing carnivorous plants. They have encountered many types of diseases, abnormal growth and infestations related to carnivorous plants, and they know what it takes to get plants looking beautiful and healthy again. Get the straight facts from the guys who grow and propagate thousands of these plants every year.
Education/Credentials
Authors of Secrets to Growing Beautiful Carnivorous Plants for Your Home and Garden and producers of the Grow Carnivorous Plants! DVD Series. They also produce a monthly video podcast to illustrate how plants cycle through the seasons.
No terrariums. No myths. No nonsense.
PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR QUESTION:
We no longer answer how-to questions (i.e. How do I propagate...?; How do I grow...?).
Instead, we help growers by diagnosing a specific plant problem and offering solutions (i.e. Why is my sundew not producing dew?; Is now a good time to divide my Sarracenia?; Why are the traps turning black?; What's a good substitute for perlite?; Why didn't my seeds germinate?; Can you identify this carnivorous plant for me?)
If you are looking for general care and specific how-to information, please visit the following pages on our main website:
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets
For business questions:
http://www.cobraplant.com/contact
Monthly Carnivorous Plant Care
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.