Pollinating Sarracenia
 

I was recently honored by David by being asked to write an article about pollination of sarracenia. This is a great honor and I hope that I can explain it well enough for all of the members of this forum.

First, every spring as they come out of dormancy, sarracenia produce one flower per mature growth point. The flower is the first thing to appear and in most species develops before the pitchers to protect pollinators. The flower will grow taller until it is 6 inches in the shortest species to 2 feet in the tallest. When it is done growing the bud will turn downwards and begin to swell. Soon, it will open. Typical flowers have 5 petals and 5 sepals. There is also an umbrella shaped structure at the bottom of the flower. The pollen, when ripe will collect on the umbrella structure. At the tips of the umbrella where it is closest to the rest of the flower are 5 bumps, one for each point. These are the stigmas of the flowers. When you lift the petals of the flower you will be able to see ripe pollen and the stigmas. Take the pollen with a swab and apply some to a stigma. Repeat to ensure pollination and a heavier seed set. The flower will lose its petals and turn upwards when it is pollinated. Several months later the pod, located above the umbrella will swell and crack open. There can be as many as 200 seeds. There is a way to get mature plants very fast by growing under light 24 hours a day for 2 years, but that is for another article.

Here is an example of a flower. This one is from S. minor "okee giant."
http://i558.photobucket.com/albums/s...n/CIMG0696.jpg

Here, you can see the umbrella structure.
http://i558.photobucket.com/albums/s...n/CIMG0701.jpg

Here, you can see the stigma and antlers where pollen is produced. The tiny bump on the left is the stigma while the yellow sacs are the antlers. They will produce pollen when ripe.
http://i558.photobucket.com/albums/s...n/CIMG0704.jpg

I hope you enjoyed my article and learned a little more. Thank You.

Re: Pollinating Sarracenia
 

Thank you for writing this article. Appreciate it. Hope members have a better understanding on how to polinate saracenia flowers. Do ask if you still have any questions or doubts.

Re: Pollinating Sarracenia
 

Hello, thanks for the nice article.

I was just wondering, do non pollenated Sarracenia flowers make Seeds?

Also is it ideal to sow or germinate the seeds as soon as they are ripe? No stratification? Or still better to stratify?

TTFN
Arvin

Re: Pollinating Sarracenia
 

Nonpollinated flowers will not make seeds, however if you grow your plant outside chances are a bee or wasp will pollinate it for you. The seeds have a coat that repels water and prevents germination. Cool and wet conditions, straftication, will break down this coat. The recommended straftication period is 4 weeks, give or take.

Re: Pollinating Sarracenia
 

here is the sarrasenia flower structure
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sa...r_notitles.svg

For stigma, im still not really see it at my sarrasenia flower.:shy: anyone can show me a light? thanx...

Re: Pollinating Sarracenia
 

It should be at the tips of the style. They are very small bumps, about a 1/4 of a millimeter long. Look around, you'll find them.

Re: Pollinating Sarracenia
 

Do they self-polinate?

Re: Pollinating Sarracenia
 

They do not self pollinate. Pollinators are needed. The stigmas and antlers never touch each other in sarr flowers.

Re: Pollinating Sarracenia
 

There is a term problem with "self pollentating" May I ask for clarification. From what I understand, self pollentating, means no need for external or 2nd party organism to help pollenate, like say Drosera Burmanii and Spatulata. But there are plants that can take it's own pollen, and some do not. What do we call those?

Sarracenia flowers, as I understand it has evolved so that the entrance is where the style is, and it will get pollenated from an insect entering, then the exit is a different route, preventing it's own pollen to pollenate the style.

At the end of the day, because Alcran confirmed that not pollenated flowers will not produce seeds, and my experience, using their own pollens works.... but dont' know about germination of the seeds, some might not germinate.

Thanks also for confirming the need for stratification... too bad I sowed the seeds I got from the flower that I found "ripe". Hehehe might try to pick them one by one tomorrow :)

TTFN
Arvin

Re: Pollinating Sarracenia
 

with the picture .. i got more clue on that...