Expert: Sarracenia Northwest - 1/20/2012

Question
Is it possible to vegetatively reproduce Drosera Burmannii via leaf cuttings or root cuttings? Does it grow little plantlets that you can separate from the mother plant? Or is the only way to get more of them to actually have it seed?

The reason I was asking is because mine has gone through about... 7, soon to be 8 flowers, but they only open one at a time. How are they going to get pollinated if only one flower opens at a time? Does it somehow self-pollinate or is it impossible unless you have two or more Drosera Burmannii flowering at the same time?

Thanks for your time!

Answer
Hi Devon,

Many, if not most, sundews have a type of flower called a raceme where the flowers develop from the bottom of the stalk and keep opening one at a time until all have bloomed.  Most sundews open a single flower for only one day.  Many of them, including Drosera burmanii, self-pollinate; they don't need a second flower.  You'll discover very quickly with Cape Sundews and Spoon-leaf Sundews how well this mechanism works.  You can, however increase seed set by taking a toothpick or small paint brush and tickle the floral parts to increase the transfer of pollen.  D. burmanaii and D. indica are both annuals that only reproduce by seed.  All the literature says that leaf cuttings fail, and their roots are almost too tiny to work with.  That has been my experience also.  

They do produce seed very readily, however.  It is very, very tiny, and they are round, so they roll.  Collect seed by taking a dried stalk and tapping it over a white piece of paper.  They can be sown immediately.

I also wanted to give you some links to information that will be "gold in your hands" and well worth the investment:  http://www.amazon.com/Savage-Garden-Cultivating-Carnivorous-Plants/dp/0898159156    http://www.amazon.com/Carnivorous-Plants-Adrian-Slack/dp/0262690896/ref=sr_1_3?s    http://www.amazon.com/Insect-Eating-Plants-How-Grow-Them/dp/0295966378/ref=sr_1_  The last book is a gem, and hard to find.  I was surprised to see some used copies available at a reasonable price.  Adrian Slack published this right before he had his stroke and had to close Marston Exotics in England.  It has wisdom in it that I refer to to this day.  Apart from the Savage Garden, no book I've seen published recently even comes close as a growing guide.  I recommend these because they can give you valuable natural history (such as how sundews bloom and set seed) along with growing information.  The internet is not the be-all, end-all, and learning from some of the masters can help you understand these plants at a much deeper level.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com