There are about
50 species pygmy Drosera and they are
found primarily in southern Western Australia. Two species
are found outside that region. The widespread species Drosera
pygmaea is
found in extreme southern West Australia, south eastern
Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. The disjunct
species Drosera
meristocaulis is found only at an elevation of 1700
to 2200 m on the Cerro de la Neblina tepuis in south America
along the border of Venezuela and Brazil.
Most pygmy Drosera are generally found it areas with
wet winters and dry summers. During the winter and spring
the plants grow and bloom. During the summer they go dormant
and survive (or not) with only a stipule bud above ground.
Their long roots anchor the plant and bring up moisture from
deep in the soil. In the fall the stipule buds put out gemmae
before the winter leaves. Gemmae allow the plants to reproduce
asexually and to spread short distances. Some species such
as D. pulchella are found in areas that are cooler
and wetter in the summer so they don't generally form stipule
buds. D.
meristocaulis grows near the equator at high elevations.
It isn't known yet what the species does when exposed to
seasons.
As the name implies the pygmy Drosera tend to be
small plants. Typically they are 15 to 20 mm wide and hug
the ground but some of the larger species in the group can
get up to 50 mm across and grow 50 mm tall in one season.
After a number of years they can get to be quite tall with
the stem completely surrounded with dead leaves.
Pygmy Drosera are very easy to grow and make an
excellent addition to any terrarium. The ground hugging species
are especially spectacular when planted close together as
they can make a solid mat of glistening tiny leaves.
These plants also do well in pots outdoors and in fact will
probably do better outdoors than under lights in a humid
terrarium. In mild winter areas the plants can be grown outdoors
year round. In other areas, the plants can be placed in a
bright window or greenhouse during the winter.
Pygmy Drosera aren't very picky about soil.
However it is best to use a mix that is one part peat to
two parts sand or at least that has that much sand
in the top 3 cm. The biggest problem with growing pygmies
is having them get over grown with moss. The extra sand helps
keep the moss somewhat under control. Growing out doors in
the sun will also help keep the moss down. The plants appreciate
strong light and will tend to have more color and bloom more
under brighter light.
Most of the pygmy species will produce seeds if the flowers
are pollinated. Some will even self pollinate. The seeds
aren't listed on the Seed Bank site very often because the
flowers don't produce many seeds so it takes a
lot of flowers to stock the Seed Bank. The hybrids don't
usually produce seeds.
Sow the seeds on the surface of your favorite seedling
soil mix, lightly mist, and put the pot in plastic zip-lock
bag under florescent lights. A temperature between 20°C
to 25°C
(70°F
to 80°F) works best. After the seeds have germinated,
remove the pots from the plastic bags and put the pots
in a very bright location or terrarium. If you have a fungus
gnat problem leave them in the bags longer since the fungus
gnat larvae will damage if not kill the tiny plants. The
seedlings will be slow growing at first. Have patience.
Once the plants are large enough you can try feeding them
small insects or get some dried blood worms at a pet shop.
The dried blood worms can be dipped in water and placed on
the dewy leaves--don't feed a plant that isn't dewy. If the
food gets moldy, use less next time. A dab of 70% isopropanol
(rubbing alcohol) from a small paint brush will kill the
fungus.
Be careful about planting your seeds or gemmae too close as it is almost impossible to transplant pygmies without a high mortality rate. They tend to have one long root and do not readily put out new ones if it is broken.
If the plants are under a constant light cycle in a terrarium,
they will not make gemmae. This could be a problem in reproducing
the plants. It is normal to have a certain level of mortality
among your plants so you should always be thinking about
reproduction. Most growers trade around gemmae each fall
to get new species. Some start their collection over from
gemmae each year. What ever you do, when your plants are
in gemmae, plant the gemmae or give them away. There is only
a window of about a month when the gemmae are "good". They
dry out and die quickly.
To ship gemmae, put them in a folded piece of moist paper
towel in a plastic bag. Use paper towels that you find in
restrooms rather than ones for kitchens. For some reason
the restroom kind are less likely to get moldy.
Many gemmae traded around are incorrectly identified. The
reasons for this include incorrect ID in the first place or
sloppy or lost labels. The most common reason is gemmae
migrating between pots. When rain drops hit plants with gemmae,
the little plantlets explode out and can travel tens of cm.
It is best to protect plant with gemmae from rain. Please
see the pages on pygmy Drosera mug
shots to help identify your plants.
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