#rhizophylls

[carnivorous-plants-nerd]

Plant Update 🌿 (5/26/2022)

Hello, friends! It's been a little while since you heard from me personally, so I wanted to share an update on how my own carnivorous plants are doing. ☺️

Felix, my oldest pitcher plant is doing very well! I had to stake him up again, actually, because he was getting so tall that he was tipping over once more. Anyway, I should have some pictures of him to share with you guys soon! (I took some the other night when I was redoing the stake, but the lighting was kinda ehhh so I want to redo it.)

Freya, my Drosera capensis, has sadly been a bit under the weather lately; she somehow ended up catching mites a little while ago and while they're gone now she's still a little unhappy. I'm hoping with a little time and TLC she'll bounce back. If anyone has any tips for perking up a sad D. capensis, feel free to let me know! I'm not as experienced with them in comparison to pitcher plants and Venus flytraps, so any advice is certainly welcome!

Minerva, another of my pitcher plants, is also doing well! So well, in fact, that I think I may need to re-pot her soon. 

And last but not least, I recently acquired another pitcher plant. His name is Shinji! He previously lived on a windowsill at work, eating the gnats that kept going after the pastry case until he got a little too big to grow happily there. I bought him and brought him home, he is now thriving.

Also, at some point in the near future I will hopefully be purchasing an Akai Ryū (Red Dragon) Venus flytrap plant! His name will be Mushu, at a friend's request. 

That's all for now about my plants! If you guys would like to send in asks/messages about your own carnivorous plants, I'd be more than happy to read and share them here on the blog. ☺️

Have a wonderful day! 🌿 💖

P.S. That educational post about rhizophylls is still on the way, I promise! 

#carnivorous plants #carnivorous plant show and tell #plant update #sorry I've been MIA guys #I'm hopefully going to be around more moving forward

[carnivorous-plants-nerd]

Carnivorous Plant of the Week (January 10th, 2021) - Genlisea hispidula

A corkscrew plant native to Africa, Genlisea hispidula is one of the larger Genlisea species. Like all carnivorous corkscrew plants, Genlisea hispidula utilizes pigeons traps (also sometimes called snare traps) to capture prey. These traps are actually below the soil line, and while they resemble roots they are in fact rhizophylls (often referred to as “snare leaves”).

Above the soil line, the plant is rosette-shaped, and when it blooms the flowers are small, dainty, and uniquely shaped; the flowers can vary slightly in color, but are generally pink-purple with green and/or white portions.

According to my research, Genlisea hispidula is fairly straightforward to grow and take care of; it apparently does well in greenhouses and terrariums as well as on windowsills, which make it a popular choice for carnivorous plant enthusiasts.

[Photo credit goes to Thomas Lendl (2005), CC BY-SA 3.0]

#carnivorous plant of the week #carnivorous plants #genlisea hispidula #corkscrew plants #genlisea #botany

[carnivorous-plants-nerd]

Carnivorous Pant of the Week (January 17th, 2022) - Genlisea aurea

Family: Lentibulariaceae

Native to Brazil, this plant (like most carnivorous plants) can be found in moist low-nutrient soils. Genlisea aurea is similar to other carnivorous corkscrew plants in that it is rosette-shaped above-ground and has no true roots below ground; instead, Genlisea aurea has rhizophylls, which are specialized subterranean snare leaves that function as the plant’s trapping mechanism.

In its native environment, Genlisea aurea blooms year-round and features brilliant yellow flowers; Genlisea aurea is widely considered one of the most attractive corkscrew plants on account of these lovely flowers.

In regards to cultivation, Genlisea aurea (and all corkscrew plants) require a well-lit location and warm temperatures; according to one of my primary research sources, summer temperatures should fall within 77 to 95 degrees (F), while in winter the temperature should not go any lower than 64 degrees (F). Because of this, most cultivators seem to have the greatest success by growing this species in either a hothouse or in a similar climate-controlled environment.

Additionally, when growing Genlisea aurea it’s important to keep the pot in a tray of water at all times; this allows for indirect watering through capillary action, which is important to keep the plant sufficiently moist and healthy.

Generally speaking, these plants seem to be fairly easy and straightforward to grow and take care of, it’s just important to make sure the plant gets plenty of sunlight and to always keep the soil thoroughly wet.

[Photo credit goes to Denis Barthel; CC BY-SA 3.0]

Anyway, if anyone out there has any personal experience with Genlisea aurea plants or would like to share pictures of your corkscrew plants, please do so! <3

~*~

[Coming up next week on Carnivorous Plant of the Week: Genlisea repens!

I will also be doing a Carnivorous Plants 101 post soon to discuss rhizophylls a little more in-depth, so keep an eye out for that as well. ;D]

[Enjoying my content? Please consider buying me a coffee. ☕]

#carnivorous plants #carnivorous plant of the week #genlisea aurea #corkscrew plants

[carnivorous-plants-nerd]

Fun Facts About Carnivorous Plants: Fact # 32

According to my primary research source (The Curious World of Carnivorous Plants), recent experiments have shown that the rhizophylls of Genlisea plants are underground traps for protozoans.

#fun facts about carnivorous plants #carnivorous plants #genlisea #carnivorous plant fact 32

[carnivorous-plants-nerd]

Fun Facts About Carnivorous Plants: Fact # 14

Genlisea plants do not have roots! What appear to be roots are actually known as “snare leaves” (also known as rhizophylls) that resemble roots thanks to their forked shape that spirals outward from the primary plant stem. Thanks to the inward-pointing filaments within the rhizophylls, the protozoans that the plant ingests can only go deeper in and be digested.

#fun facts about carnivorous plants #carnivorous plants #botany #genlisea #rhizphylls #snare leaves