Hints, Tips etc.

This section is for all the bits of information that don't fit into other categories. If you have any suggestions or requests, let me know.

Observation and Identification

To truly appreciate Utricularia, as well as to confirm the identification of many species, some sort of magnification device is a must. I use an inexpensive, but very good quality 20x microscope meant for elementary school students. I think it cost about CDN$120 or so. I have also used a small 5x or 10x hand lens with some success, but it takes a steady hand and quite a bit of squinting to make out important details of trap anatomy for identification purposes. Another option is a small pocket microscope. I good site for inexpensive magnifiers is American Science and Surplus.

Utricularia traps are tricky to observe, and even harder to handle. The best method I have found for viewing them under a microscope is to place a small specimen on a dark coloured plastic background, add a few drops of water so that you can arrange them, then draw off the water with a paper towel. The best source of material for this purpose is the strands of stolon or rhizoid that grow against the edge of the pot. I find that it is much easier to see the detail in the traps when they are dry.

Observation of trap shape and structure can be a valuable tool for identifying plants. A good example is a plant I received as "U. microcalyx". However, a quick look at the traps at 20x magnification rules out this possibility. U. microcalyx should have just a few long glands over the trap mouth, however, the plant in question has rows of densely placed glands above and below the trap mouth. My current theory about this plant is that it is a form of U. livida.

Other commonly misidentified species include:

U. steyermarkii - It has always turned out to be U. tridentata, in my experience. U. steyermarkii should have yellow flowers, and small pustulate (bumpy) leaves. I have never seen a true specimen of U. steyermarkii in cultivation.

U. pentadactyla - Usually turns out to be U. bisquamata or U. subulata. U. pentadactyla looks much like U. bisquamata but should have five clearly defined lobes on the lower lip of the corolla. If in doubt, look at the upper lip of the corolla: it should taper to the base, as opposed to U. bisquamata which will have a distinct constriction below the middle. I have not seen a true specimen in cultivation.

U. parthenopipes - There is a white-flowered clone of U. blanchetii that is often confused with U. parthenopipes. See the description of U. blanchetii on the Species page.

My Utricularia Graveyard

As rule most utrics are difficult to kill, but believe me, it's possible. It is important to keep an eye on the plants you are growing - too much moss, decomposing media, pest infestation can all kill plants quickly and suddenly if not watched carefully. The best defense against such unfortunate losses is distributing plants to other growers (like me, for instance...).

Some of the plants I've killed are:

U. menziesii - I bought this plant a few years ago as a dormant tuber from Alan Lowrie. I planted it in sphagnum moss and it grew quite successfully. However, when I tried to "encourage" it into dormancy it died back and dried out, but where the tuber should have been there was only a dry husk. If I were to grow it again I would probably put it on a windowsill in a sandy peat mix and keep it moist year round.

U. striatula - This was a fickle little plant from the very beginning. Sometimes it would grow quickly, sometimes die back. I would usually produce cleistogamous flowers, although once it did produce a chasmogamous one, but I did not have a camera at the time. What finally did it in though, was a dose of Diazinon meant to treat an aphid infestation.

U. nana - Like U. striatula, U. nana was done in by a Diazinon overdose. However, this plant had been growing like crazy for several years prior to its untimely death.

U. leptoplectra - This plant grew well for about a year, but then began to die off. I had been growing it like I did U. biloba, submersed under a few cm of water. I tried taking it out of the water and letting it dry out a bit, and this seemed to help for a while, but eventually it died. When U. biloba began to suffer a similar fate a few months later, I took it out of the water sooner and the treatment has brought it back. Closer attention to the seasonal requirements of these species is probably necessary.

Plant Labels

I use one of those electronic label-maker things to make labels for my plants. It addresses my desire for neatness and uniformity in my plants labels, allows me to put lots of info on the tag, is permanent and waterproof and is vastly superior to my childish grade-3 student handwriting. I just stick the labels onto plastic plant stakes and voila - my collection looks like a fancy botanical garden. Okay, maybe not, but it does look kind of neat.

My Terrarium

Want to see a picture of my terrarium?