ISSN 1033-6966 VICTORIAN CARNIVOROUS PLANT SOC IETY Inc. September 2007 No. 85 Utricularia campbelliana Drosera roraimae Heliamphora tatei ‘Avispa’ Nepenthes rajah Heliamphora ionasii Utricularia humboldtii Heliamphora pulchella Heliamphora chimantensis Utricularia humboldtii Heliamphora pulchella VICTORIAN CARNIVOROUS VICTORIAN CARNIVOROUS PLANT SOC IETY Inc. PLANT SOC IETY Inc. Annual Subscriptions Issue No. 85 September 2007 Office Bearers: July 2007 – June 2008 Australian membership $25.00 Overseas membership $25.00 Payment from overseas must be in Australian dollars. President Stephen Fretwell All cheques or money orders should be made payable to the Victorian Carnivorous Plant Society Inc (VCPS). Vice President Sean Spence Payment by credit card is NOT available at the time of this journal issue. General/Member Secretary Peter Bloem Correspondence Minutes Secretary Sean Spence Please forward all correspondence regarding subscription, change of address, Other Publications Gordon Ohlenrott articles for the journal and back issues to: The Secretary VCPS Journal Editor Stephen Fretwell P.O. Box 201 SOUTH YARRA 3141. Assistant Journal Editor Sean Spence AUSTRALIA Internet Co-ordinator Peter Wolf Journal articles, in MS-Word, ready for publication, Treasurer Ken Neal may be Emailed to the Editor or Secretary. Librarian Andrew Gibbons Meetings Seedbank Administrator Ron Abernethy Most VCPS meetings are held in the hall at the rear of the Pilgrim Uniting Church on the corner of Bayview Road and Montague Street, Yarraville – Melway map reference Hardware Co-ordinator Andre Cleghorn 41K7. These meetings are on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 8 PM. Event Co-ordinators Peter Anderson, However, some meetings may be at the home of members during a weekend. Gordon Ohlenrott Details of meeting dates and topics are listed in each journal. If unsure of the location or date of any meeting, please ring a committee Field Trips Organiser Julian Weston person for details. The VCPS Annual General Meeting, usually held at Yarraville in June, provides Public Officer Alexander Whitehouse substantial benefits for each and every member able to attend. Sales Administrator Ron Abernethy 2 – VCPS VCPS – 3 Contents MEETING TOPICS & DATES for 2007 VICTORIAN CARNIVOROUS P LANT SOC IETY FRONT COVER: Heliamphora pulchella . This year we have scheduled the following discussion topics, and events: Photo: Stewart McPherson January (20th) New Year BBQ at President Stephen Fretwell’s House 12pm Sunday , Darlingtonia , Dionaea . (Contact for details) Brocchinia reducta on the Summit of Jaua Adua . BACK COVER: Photo: Stewart McPherson Clockwise from top left: February (27th) Sarracenia species and hybrids, beginners night. I Utricularia campbelliana . Photo: Stewart McPherson March (26th) Nepenthes and Heliamphora . Carnivorous Plants of the Guiana Highlands 6 I Drosera roraimae . April (23th) Drosera , video and information night. Photo: Stewart McPherson Nepenthes in the (tame) wild 12 I H. tatei ‘Avispa’ . May (28rd) Growing conditions, pygmy Drosera gemmae Photo: Stewart McPherson collection, 'best' and 'worst' plants. Greenhouse Inspiration: 16 I Utricularia humboldtii . June (25th) AGM, plant give-away, any CPs. How to build a greenhouse – Part 2 Photo: Stewart McPherson July (23th) Seed growing and tissue culture, potting I Utricularia humboldtii . Photo: Stewart McPherson demonstration, any CPs. Seed Bank I Heliamphora chimanten - August (27th) Tuberous/Winter growing Drosera , show We now have a huge collection of N EW fresh CP seed available, and sis . preparation, displays, and companion planting. our seed list has become quite extensive. Photo: Stewart McPherson September (24th) Cephalotus, Brocchinia, Catopsis and swap night. With over 250 varieties of CP’s, we are now providing the list in I N. rajah . PDF format on our website, www.vcps.au.com. Photo: Stephen Fretwell October (22th) Field trip to Triffid Park, any CP’s. The new seed consists of over 200 types of Sarracenia species and I Heliamphora ionasii hybrids, Darlingtonia seed obtained from the US and Drosophyllum . (Centre) . November (26th) Byblis, pygmy Drosera, Drosophyllum, Genlisea, Seed was collected from plants late 2006, so be quick, while Photo: Stewart McPherson Pinguicula, Roridula, Utricularia . stocks last. For inquiries or to order seeds, please contact our Seedbank Officer. December (TBA) Annual show at Collectors Corner. Journal Design: The articles that are found within are copyright but can be copied Stephen Fretwell Please note: All meetings, other than those where a specific venue is given, will freely if the author and source are acknowledged. The views are of the Printed by: be on the FOURTH WEDNESDAY of the month in the hall of the Pilgrim Uniting authors and are open to review and debate. Please send all material to Church in Yarraville – corner Bayview Road and Montague Street, Melway Map Snap Printing (Box Hill) the editor for consideration to be included in our quarterly journal. Reference 41K7. 4 – VCPS VCPS – 5 other terrestrial mountain range – where as the side slopes of ordinary mountains permit the gradual introgression of plant and animal species between differing altitudinal zones, the abrupt vertical cliffs of the Tepuis physi - cally isolate the summits of the Tepui from the surrounding flatlands. Although seeds, birds and insects may occasionally be trans - ported by the wind between the two habi - tats, few species are versatile enough to survive the transition and consequently the highland and lowland biomes of Guiana exist The tepuis – islands above the clouds. and have evolved largely independently from result is a landscape dominated by bare rock, one another. The summits of the 100 or so typically capable of supporting only small, Tepuis distributed across the Guiana region slow growing plants and a spare population therefore represent climatically similar yet of small animals – and an environment that locally isolated ecological ‘islands’ that stand celebrated Tepui explorer Uwe George above a ‘sea’ of the tropical rainforest or hot, aptly described as a ‘rain desert’. dry savannah. Heliamphora neblinae Photos: Stewart McPherson Plants growing in the rain deserts of the The fragmentation of plant and animal Tepui summits continually face the acute populations between the Tepui summits shortage of phosphates and nitrates. Carnivorous Plants of the and the lowlands and also on the separate Carnivorous plants however, inherently mountain summits has encouraged rapid have an alternative source of sustenance and evolution of wildlife to better suit inherent so possess a natural advantage over regular Guiana Highlands climatic and ecological differences and con - non-carnivorous vegetation in surviving in sequently, an extremely diverse array of such conditions of adversity. Paradoxically STEWART MCPHERSON Many reasons can be suggested to explain plants and animals has emerged in a rela - they are generally most numerous in the this remarkably high rate of diversity and tively small geographic area. most barren and inhospitable of habitats he Guiana region of southern endemism. The topography of Guiana Carnivorous plants are particularly preva - where few other (non-carnivorous) plant Venezuela, northern Brazil and Highlands is diverse and dominated by gigan - lent in the Guiana Highlands directly as a species can survive or compete. T Guyana is one of the richest hotspots tic sandstone plateaus known locally as result of the unique advantages that the car - Three genera employ the ‘pit fall’ for carnivorous plants in the world. Over ‘Tepuis’ (also spelt ‘Tepuyes’) that provide a nivorous adaptation offers – namely an abil - method of carnivory – Brocchinia, Catopsis fifty species belonging to six genera multitude of habitats and ecological niches ity to survive where insufficient nutrients and Heliamphora . These pitcher plants trap (Brocchinia, Catopsis Drosera, Genlisea, that have driven species diversification and prevent other plants from existing. Despite insects through essentially the same trap - Heliamphora & Utricularia ) are found in this further evolution. Additionally, increased high rainfall, a mild climate and strong tropi - ping process – insects and other small ani - small corner of South America and one fur - oreographic rainfall, as a byproduct of the cal sunlight, the complexity of the ecosystem mals fall into water containing reservoirs ther genus (Aracamunia) found in the south varied topography, has given rise to a greater on the Tepui summits is constrained by a formed from the plants’ foliage and are pre - of Venezuela is also suspected of having car - prevalence of wetland habitats that naturally chronic lack of nutrients. The Tepuis receive vented from escaping, drown and die. nivorous traits. Around three quarters of all favour carnivorous plants and so enabled a up to 11,000 mm of precipitation annually Heliamphora is the largest genus of of the known species of carnivorous plants particularly high density to emerge. Perhaps and this extremely high level of rain results in Guianese pitcher plants and contains at least found in the Guiana Highlands occur no most significantly, the biogeography of the organic matter washing away before sedi - fifteen species although several further where else in the world. Tepuis is more akin to that of islands than any ment can accumulate and form soils. The 6 – VCPS VCPS – 7 undescribed taxa await classification. Within collectively forms a hollow vessel – how - the genus, the