The 6th Conference of
International Carnivorous Plant Society
June 1-5 2006
Sponsored by
Department of Biology
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Frostburg State University
Maryland USA
Co-Sponsored by
Indiana University Southeast
Also sponsored by:
USDA Forest Service, 180 Canfield Station, Morgantown WV, 26505.
The Carnivorous Plant Nursery (http://www.carnivorousplantnursery.com/)
Meadowview Botanical Research Station (http://www.pitcherplant.org/)
Scott Bennett and Doug Darnowski at Indiana University Southeast
Teresa Golembiewski at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Siggi and Irmgard at www.hartmeyer.de
Mike Wilder at www.3dsyndrome.com
And
The 6th ICPS Conference
Tentative Program
Date
Time
6/1/06
13:00-17:50
Thursday 18:00 18:30 -
6/2/06
Friday
6/3/06
Saturday
6/4/06
Sunday
6/5/06
Monday
Location
CH 2nd Atrium
CH 3rd Atrium
CH 2nd Atrium
Activities
Registration
Dinner (meal plan holders)
o Reception offered by the College of Liberal Arts &
Sciences, FSU. Free to registered, cash bar for wines.
o Open Ceremony
19:30 CH 226
o DVD: Drosera: Snap-Tentacles & Runway Lights
o DVD: The Carnivorous Syndrome in 3D
o Movie: Little Shop of Horrors
07:30-08:45 Appalachian Station Breakfast (meal plan holders)
Vendors and display booths.
09:00-13:00 CH 2nd Atrium
Poster session
09:00-11:50 CH 328
CH
358
Educational Workshop-1
09:30-10:20
Educational Workshop-2
10:30-11:20 CH 358
12:00-13:00 Appalachian Station Lunch (meal plan holders)
Sessions 1: Student research Symposium
13:00-14:30 CH 226
Break
14:30-15:00
15:00-16:30
Sessions 2: Morphology, evolution, and phylogenetics.
CH 226
16:30-18:30
CH 2nd Atrium
 Vendors & Booths.
 Show for the Best Plants
18:30Appalachian Station. Dinner (meal plan holders)
19:30-22:30
CH 358
Art Workshop
07:00-08:15 Appalachian Station Breakfast (meal plan holders)
Sessions 3: Herbal Medicinal Research Symposium.
08:30-09:30 CH 226
Break
09:30-10:00
Session 4. Ecology Symposium (IUS sponsored)
10:00-11:50 CH 226
12:00-13:00 Appalachian Station Lunch (meal plan holders)
Vendors and display booths.
12:00-13:00 CH 2nd Atrium
13:00-14:50 CH 226
Session 5: Physiology & development
Break
14:50-15:00
15:00-16:50
CH 226
Session 6: Conservation
16:50-18:30
CH 2nd Atrium
 Vendors & Booths.
 Public Auction.
18:30Appalachian Station. Banquet (separate fee) with Dr. Martin MacKenzie
DVD: Nepenthes@Borneo Exotics
07:00-08:00 Appalachian Station Breakfast for people with meal plan.
Session 7: Horticulture – Research -Education
08:30-09:30 CH 226
09:40-18:00 Local Field Trip with lunch at the Deep Creek Interpretation Center.
12:00-13:00 Lunch at Appalachian Station for other meal plan holders.
Shuttles to the BWI Airport for participants who reserved for the shuttle.
6:30 amEastern Field Trip
Shuttles to the BWI Airport for participants who reserved for the shuttle.
* The schedule may be changed with announcement at the conference.
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Presentation Sessions
(All presentations are in CH 226)
1. Student Research Symposium, 13:00-14:30, Friday, 6/2/06. Hongqi Li presiding.
13:0013:30
The use of Nepenthes madagascariensis in traditional medicine and healing among the
people of Fort Dauphin, Madagascar. Tara Schoenwetter, *Linda M. Lyon, Linda H.
Hardesty, William Seddon. Department of Biology, Frostburg State University, Frostburg, MD,
21532. USA. Email: llyon@frostburg.edu
For centuries people have managed and modified the environment for pharmaceutical purposes
(Frei et al. 2000; Alcorn 1984; Posey 1985; Frechione et al. 1989; Voeks 1996; Heinrich et al.
1998; Heinrich et al. 1998). The biodiversity of Madagascar has long allowed the island to be
seen as an oasis of pharmaceutical possibilities. However, this biodiversity is constantly being
threatened by expanding human population using inappropriate agricultural technology and
subsequent encroachment on forested areas (Richard and O’Conner 1997). This research
examined the use of Nepenthes madagascariensis in traditional medicine and healing among the
people of Fort Dauphin, Madagascar. Random interviews were conducted with local residents to
ascertain the number of people either actively using N. madagascariensis or at least familiar
with its healing properties. Only 8% of the 400 local residents interviewed for this study could
be placed in either of these categories. These results could be due to the limited native range of
the plant that separates it from the urban city of Fort Dauphin by 25km. Although the native
range of this plant might keep it safe from over harvesting by the Malagasy people, its habitat is
quickly being encroached upon by an international mining company investing in the rich soils
surrounding Fort Dauphin.
13:3014:00
Meadowview, Ten Years of Progress – Phil Sheridan*, Meadowview Biological Research
Station, 8390 Fredericksburg Tnpk., Woodford, VA 22580, USA. Email:
meadowiew@pitcherplant.org.
Meadowview Biological Research Station is a non-profit 501-(c)(3) organization started in 1995
to preserve and restore pitcher plant wetlands and associated ecosystems in the states of
Maryland and Virginia. Our methods involve a five step process that includes discovery,
propagation, research, reintroduction, and education. Over a ten year period we have: discovered
several new pitcher plant populations; developed an extensive and novel propagation system;
performed significant published research on pitcher plant and associate species genetics,
biochemistry, phytogeography, and ecology; reintroduced Sarracenia flava L. and associate taxa
to most of their historic range in Virginia and developed state guidelines for rare plant
reintroduction; involved a variety of students in both scientific and reintroduction work and
maintained a continuous educational outreach to the general public. We have now met out ten
year goal by purchasing our first pitcher plant preserve in southern Virginia known as Joseph
Pines Preserve.
14:0014:30
Using SEM LAV model to observe carnivorous plants. - Michael Gould* and Hongqi Li,
Department of Biology, Frostburg State University, Frostburg, MD, USA, 21532. Emails:
mgould0@frostburg.edu and hli@frostburg.edu.
Previously it is expensive and time consuming to prepare SEM samples, because we have to dry
the samples and coat them with desired carbon, gold, or other material, before we can observe
the plant material with SEM. This requirement made it more difficult to handle pollen or tiny
plant seeds. However, the new JOEL SEM has a Low VAC model that can allow us to directly
put a plant specimen, even a tiny fresh flower, into the SEM sample chamber and observe it.
Once we adjust the model to the best setting, the images come out very clearly. We will share
some SEM photos of pollen and seeds of several Sarracenia species and Dionaea (Venus Fly
Trap), and structures of other carnivorous plants.
14:30-15:00 Break
2. Morphology, evolution, and phylogenetics, 15:00-16:30, Friday, 6/2/06. Jan Schlauer Presiding.
15:0015:30
New species of Heliamphora. Andreas Wistuba; Mudauer Ring 227; 68259 Mannheim;
Germany. Email: andreas@wistuba.com
The genus Heliamphora is one of three genera of the family Sarraceniaceae. Currently
Heliamphora consists of thirteen species generally accepted. Seven of these were published
within the last decade. These publications resulted from analysis of the collected material in
various herbaria and field studies done by various groups of researchers. Most species of
Heliamphora are growing on the flat tops of a group of remote and isolated table-mountains
2500 to 3000 m high with almost vertical walls, so-called Tepuis. These sandstone mountains
are located in the Guyana Highlands of Venezuela near the Borders to Brazil and British
Guyana. Many of them have just been explored in recent years, some not at all so far. Due to
isolation, a lot of endemic plants and animals, among them the different species of the genus
Heliamphora, could evolve on their plateaus. In this talk an overview of the genus will be given
with some emphasis on the newer species. The natural habitats and ecologic preferences will be
presented and discussed.
15:3016:00
Comparative study of the fossil Archaeamphora with sarraceniaceans. Hongqi Li,
Department of Biology, Frostburg State University, Frostburg, MD, 21532. USA. Email:
hli@frostburg.edu.
After I reported a new and the only fossil pitcher plant, Archaeamphora longicervia, from the
Jianshangou Formation, Low Cretaceous (225 million years ago), at Beipiao, western Liaoning,
China, in 2004-2005, my further biochemical and morphological (in both vegetative and
reproductive organs, as well as associated organisms) comparisons suggest a close relationship
with modern sarraceniaceans, especially with Sarracenia purpurea. Because Sarraceniaceae
belong to the crown group of eudicots, the discovery of the pitcher plants among the currently
known, earliest fossil angiosperms suggest that the early flowering plants should have originated
much earlier, possibly in early Mesozoic and even in the Late Paleozoic.
16:0016:30
Recent Developments in Carnivorous Plant Systematics. Jan Schlauer, University of
Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany. Email: jan.schlauer@unituebingen.de
Based on predominantly genetic studies performed by several independent research teams both
the systematic placement of the major carnivorous plant clades (Caryophyllidae-Nepenthales,
Rosidae-Oxalidales, Asteridae-Ericales, and Asteridae-Scrophulariales) in the plant kingdom
and the phylogenetic relationships between the species within these families have been clarified
to a considerable degree during the last decade. The paper will outline the most remarkable
conclusions, limits of present knowledge, and future challenges.
16:3017:00
A Carnivorous Plant Trip to the European High Arctic: The Quest for Pinguicula villosa.
Jan Schlauer, Germany & Heiko Rischer, Finland. Email: jan.schlauer@uni-tuebingen.de
During a brief expedition by car beyond the Arctic circle in Scandinavia in 2005, several
carnivorous plant habitats were visited. The observed species included Pinguicula villosa, P.
alpina, P. vulgaris, Drosera rotundifolia, and D. anglica. Most attention was devoted to P.
villosa, which is the only true arctic species of carnivorous plants (not known S of 60º N in
Europe). This will be presented with a DVD show.
17:00-18:30 Vendors, Booths, and Show for the Best Plants in the Atrium on the second floor.
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3. IUS Sponsored Molecular & Medicinal Research, 8:00-9:50, Saturday, 6/3/06. Kenneth Skau
presiding
8:309:00
Historical Aspects of Carnivorous Plants in Medical Practice. Kenneth A. Skau*, College of
Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, 3223 Eden Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA. Email:
Ken.skau@uc.edu
Carnivorous Plants (CP) have often been described as having medicinal value. This property has
been difficult to substantiate with evidence for effectiveness. In this talk I will review some of
the literature that attributes healing power to CP primarily from a historical perspective.
Although there are anecdotal references to Venus’ Fly Trap extract (Dionaea), Pitcher Plants
(Sarracenia) and Butterwort (Pinguicula) extracts the most frequent references are to sundews
(Drosera species). As early as the 16th century extracts of ros solis (dew of the sun) appeared in
herbals with suggestions that these extracts had medicinal value. Drosera extracts have been
used in Hindu medicine as rubefacients. In the United States, during the 19th century, a medical
philosophy called Eclectic Medicine advocated the use of specific herbal preparations to treat
common diseases. The Phytoid Medicinal Extract of Drosera was advocated for disease
conditions including cough, measles, pertussis and nervous conditions. A decoction of Drosera
was once used in Mexico to relieve toothaches. Extracts of Drosera were once considered
“official” in the US and descriptions appear in texts such as “Pharmacognosy” by Claus and
Tyler. In modern times science is attempting to isolate specific substances with pharmacological
activity
9:009:30
Using THz Spectrum to Examine Dynamic Inter-Change between Naphthoquinones and
Glutathione. Weining Wang1 and Hongqi Li2. 1Department of Physics, Capital Normal
University, Beijing 100037, China. 2Department of Biology, Frostburg State University,
Frostburg, MD, USA, 21532. Emails: wwn-phy@mail.cnu.edu.cn and hli@frostburg.edu.
Plumbagin is a naphthoquinone, commonly found in Plumbago, Nepenthes and Drosera, with
antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. It is reported as an anticancer agent because it
can induce cell apoptosis. However, it is also a strong oxidant, leading to the formation of the
superoxide that causes the cytotoxicity and thus necrosis. This limits the chemotherapeutic use
of plumbagin. Previous reports suggest that the cytotoxicity is due to the oxidization of
glutathione (GSH) into GSSG, while another naphthoquinone, juglone, could combine GSH into
another molecule rather than resulting in GSSG. Decreasing GSH will cause various diseases
because it is our body A.I.D. (Antioxidant, Immune system, and Detoxifier). The highly
sensitive Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy (THz-TDS) appears to be a desirable technique,
normally within the range of 0~10 THz, to be used to select more effective and safe anticancer
agents. Although plumbagin, menadione, and juglone all belong to naphthoquinones with the
same basic molecular structure, we have found that they have different absorption peaks in the
range of 0.2~2.5THz with THz-TDS. This indicates that THz-TDS is very sensitive in
distinguishing these similar naphthoquinones just based on their functional branch-groups. On
the other hand, GSH has been found with four absorption peaks centered at 0.85, 1.20, 1.52, and
1.64 THz, while GSSG has no absorption peaks. With THz-TDS, therefore, when GSH reacts
with naphthoquinones in different dosages respectively, we could comparatively trace the
changes of the absorption peaks of each molecule to find out the correlations between the peak
changes of naphthoquinones and the peak disappearances of GSH. In this way, we can
understand the chemotherapeutic mechanism of naphthoquinones so that we can select more
efficient anticancer agents from naphthoquinones, and even from other chemicals in the future.
9:30-10:00 Break
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4. IUS Sponsored Ecology Symposium, 10:00-11:50, Saturday, 6/3/06. Stephen Willams presiding
10:0010:30
Experimental ecology of aquatic carnivorous plants. Douglas W. Darnowski, Department of
Biology, Indiana University Southeast, 4201 Grant Line Road, New Albany, IN 47150, USA.
Email: ddarnows@ius.edu.
My laboratory has been working on both genera of carnivorous plants which include aquatic
species, Aldrovanda and Utricularia. These studies have included both work on plants’
preference for abiotic environmental conditions such as mineral ions and work on the prey
preferred by different species of aquatic carnivorous plants. This work will be reviewed with
particular reference to differences among common species and between the two genera of plants.
11:0011:30
The Utricularia of Michigan. Michael Chamberland, United States Department of Agriculture,
U.S. National Arboretum, 3501 New York Avenue, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002.
Michigan’s natural landscape features many wetlands, ponds, and lakes. These habitats are
home to nine species of Utricularia (Lentibulariaceae). All are aquatic or amphibious in habit.
Several species are common in wetlands across the state. Others are rare, and two are State listed
Threatened and Endangered species. The Utricularia present in Michigan all have wide ranges
and many are circumboreal in distribution. The rare species are either at the edge of their range,
or are particular to certain habitats which are disproportionally impacted by human activities.
Utricularia are delicate plants. The Michigan natives have several strategies for surviving
prolonged freezing in winter.
5. Physiology and development, 13:00-14:30, Saturday, 6/3/06. Doug Darnowski presiding
13:0013:30
Cytokinins Promote Tuber Formation In Vitro on Detatched Leaves of the tuberous
Australia sundew Drosera peltata-Alan D. Tate* and Douglas W. Darnowski, Department of
Biology, Indiana University Southeast, 4201 Grant Line Road, New Albany, IN, USA, 47150.
Emails: alatate@ius.edu and ddarnows@ius.edu.
The action of cytokinin hormones, specifically benzyladenine (BA), on detatched leaves of
Drosera peltata was studied in vitro. Tuber formation was optimal at 0.1 mg l-1 BA ion 1/5
strength MS medium with Gamborg’s vitamins (1/5 MS/B5). The histology of tuber formation
was followed over six weeks, along with tuber outgrowth after formation. Tubers formed just
below glandular hairs, similar to shoots formed on leaf cuttings of other types of sundews.
13:3014:00
Carnivory at the Time of Flowering in Triggerplants (Stylidium; Stylidiaceae): 300+ New
Carnivores-Douglas W. Darnowski1,5, Deborah M. Carroll2, Bartosz Plachno3, Elizabeth
Kabanoff4, and Emily Cinnamon1, 1 Department of Biology, Indiana University Southeast, 4201
Grant Line Road, New Albany, IN 47150, USA; 2 Department of Immunology and
Microbiology, Rush University Medical Center, 600 South Paulina St. Suite 440, Chicago, IL,
60612, USA; 3 Department of Plant Cytology and Embryology, Jagiellonian University, 52 ul.
Grodzka, 31-044 Krakow, Poland; 4 Microscopy and Image Analysis Centre for Horticulture
and Plant Sciences (CHAPS), University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury Campus, Bldg S8,
Locked Bag 1797, Penrith South DC, NSW 1797, Australia. Email: ddarnows@ius.edu.
Australia’s Triggerplants (Stylidium spp.; Stylidiaceae) 1) share habitat (wet, low nutrient soils)
with accepted genera of carnivorous (Drosera, Utricularia, Cephalotus) and subcarnivorous/
protocarnivorous (Byblis) plants and 2) possess glandular hairs which trap insects and which
secrete material that can support enzymatic digestion. Several lines of evidence were found to
support the hypothesis that triggerplants are carnivorous: 1) trapping rates (prey m-2) for
triggerplants and for accepted genera of carnivorous and subcarnivorous plants were very
similar at three sites separated by 1500 km; 2) triggerplants, like Drosera capensis and unlike
non-carnivorous plants, produced proteases in an inducible fashion when prey-trapping was
simulated using yeast extract. This was true for plants flowering on soil as well as for plants
flowering in vitro, the latter possibility excluding digestion by microorganisms on the plant
surface. It is very interesting that this carnivory is timed to just before and during flowering
6
14:0014:30
The Snap Tentacles of Prostrate Species of Drosera and the Special Appendages of Drosera
hartmeyerorum-Siegfried Hartmeyer* and Irmgard Hartmeyer, www.hartmeyer.de. Email:
S.Hartmeyer@t-online.de.
A DVD film has been prepared which clearly demonstrates the snap tentacles found at the leaf
margins of various sundews undergoing prostrate growth, whether this growth is continuous
throughout the life of the plant or is simply a portion of the lifecycle. An explanation has been
derived to explain why small, prostrate species should develop such extra mechanisms for
holding their prey but not upright species which catch flying prey. Also, an explanation is
presented for the special yellow appendages which are unique, as far as is known to date, to D.
hartmeyerorum.
14:3015:00
A New Film on Development of Various Carnivorous Plants Shot in Three Dimensional
Time Lapse-Mike Wilder, www.3dsyndrome.com. Email: it_290@hotmail.com.
A DVD film has been produced which examines the development and physiology of several
genera of carnivorous plants using a unique three-dimensional time lapse technology based on a
Lego™ robot. Many phenomena are shown including leaf development and secretion of
digestive fluid. The film opens with an animated description of why carnivorous plants are
carnivorous and then proceeds to examine various carnivorous plants.
15:00-15:30 Break
6. Conservation 15:30-15:30, Saturday, 6/3/06. Phil Sheridan presiding
15:3016:00
Conservation issues at the Watson Pinelands Preserve, Tyler County, Texas. – Michael
Howlett,* Naturalist, Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center, 20634 Kenswick Dr., Humble, TX
77338. E-mail: mhowlett@hcp4.net.
The Watson Pinelands Preserve is a 12-acre privately owned facility nestled in the Big Thicket
of East Texas, and is home to many species of carnivorous plants. Development and
maintenance of the preserve as a living record of the rich diversity of East Texas herbaceous and
woody plants has not been an easy task, and has had its share of conservation issues as well.
This presentation will discuss some of the many conservation issues that affect the Watson
Pinelands Preserve, and what can be done to reduce and/or remove some of these effects.
16:0016:30
The Making of a Public Carnivorous Plant House. Steven R. LaWarre, Frederik
Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Horticulture Department, 1000 E Beltline NE, Grand Rapids,
MI 49525; slawarre@meijergardens.org or www.meijergardens.org
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, a spectacular botanic garden and world–class
sculpture park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, opened the Kenneth E. Nelson Carnivorous Plant
House on October 31, 2001. This 40 square meter indoor habitat was designed to display dozens
of temperate and tropical carnivorous plants from around the world. This design included
elaborate simulated trees and rockwork as well as waterways that spill into bog-like collection
pools. Many challenges needed to be addressed in the planning of this permanent display; water
filtration, planting media, hardscape materials, educational focus, signage, collections support
and marketing, to name a few. The completed room is now arguably the most unique public
carnivorous plant display in the Midwest.
16:30-18:30 Vendors, Booths, and Public Auction in the Atrium
18:30-
Banquet DVD: Nepenthes@Borneo Exotics
A historical study of the local floras of Sarracenia purpurea, by Dr. Martin MacKenzie, Forest
Pathologist, USDA Forest Service, 180 Canfield St., Morgantown WV, 26505. Email:
mmackenzie@fs.fed.us
The pharmacist, Joseph E. Harned (1870 - 1951) who practiced in Oakland MD, will be best
remembered as the author of the “Wild Flowers of the Alleghenies” (Harned, 1ST ed 1931). The
7
2nd edition of his book (1936) had 5 extra pages and one entry in particular will interest members
of the ICPS, this entry set the scene for a locally unfolding carnivorous plant detective story. In
1936, Harned lamented the extirpation of showy lady’s slipper orchid (Cypripedium reginae
Walt) from his area of study and this tragedy appeared to influence his response to the discovery
of a local natural population of Sarracenia purpurea L. To set the scene for this talk the
following quote is taken from his book.
“During a period of thirty years’ botanizing in swamp areas of MD, WV, and PA
wherein the pitcher plant was most likely to grow, I made diligent search, following
suggestions of natives who thought they had seen such a plant. In each instance my
effort proved futile. Finally, about three years ago a small boy presented for my
examination a herbarium of native plants in prize competition. In this collection, to my
great surprise, was the long–sought pitcher plant. Personal contact with the boy resulted
in his leading to the source from which he had obtained his specimen. For the sake of
wildflower preservation I deem it best to withhold both the name of the boy and the
exact location of the swamp wherein the plant grows.”
As a preamble to the local field trip, to visit the descendants of the Harned population, this talk
will outline the re-discovery of where the population once was and where some of the
descendants are now growing.
7. Horticulture – Research –Education, 8:30-9:30, Sunday, 6/4/06. Michael Szesze presiding
8:309:00
An Examination of the Spatial Pattern of Transplant Sarracenia purpurea Populations in
Southwestern Pennsylvania and West Virginia. A.M. Hnatkovich, Frostburg State University,
Department of Biology, 101 Braddock Road, Frostburg, MD 21532;
AmHnatkovich0@frostburg.edu
Approximately 60 years ago, in an effort to preserve the last known, native population of
Sarracenia purpurea in the western Maryland, southwestern Pennsylvania, and West Virginian
region, individuals were transplanted to Spruce Flats Bog (PA), Mount Davis Bog (PA), Big
Run Bog (WV), Helmick Run Swamp (WV) Cranesville Swamp (WV), Cranberry Swamp
(WV), Rock Lodge wetland (MD), and the University of Maryland’s 4-H study area (MD).
These transplant populations present unique circumstances for a comparative study of
population development histories and plant population dynamics of S. purpurea. We
hypothesize that all study populations are arranged in aggregated patterns, and that density of S.
purpurea varies significantly among these populations. In a pilot study, we have examined the
spatial patterns of S. purpurea at the three largest S. purpurea populations at Mount Davis Bog,
Spruce Flats Bog, and Big Run Bog using nearest-neighbor methods. Our study will continue at
the remaining five transplant populations. Determining spatial pattern of these populations will
aid in developing appropriate sampling strategies to obtain precise estimates of S. purpurea
population density.
9:009:30
The cultivation of Roridula. – Matthew R. Opel* Department of Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Ct 06269, USA. Email: matthew.opel@uconn.edu
The two species of Roridula (Roridulaceae) are South African endemics with adhesive leaves
that trap insects and other prey. Cultivation of these carnivorous shrubs has proven to be
difficult for most who have attempted it. A consideration of the native environment of Roridula,
in the mountains of the Western Cape, provides clues to its cultural needs. Minimal
requirements seem to be intense sun, good air circulation, and moderate humidity levels. Since
wild Roridula plants depend upon symbiotic assassin bugs to digest their prey, supplemental
foliar feeding may be required for plants cultivated in the absence of assassin bugs. Propagation
is primarily via seed, which benefits from treatment with smoke.
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Posters and Display:
Ecological characteristics of Utricularia ochroleuca and U. intermedia in the Czech Republic. Lubomír Adamec, Institute of Botany of the Acad. Sci. of the Czech Republic, Section of Plant Ecology,
Dukelská 135, CZ-379 82 Třeboň, Czech Republic. Email: adamec@butbn.cas.cz.
Utricularia ochroleuca (incl. the taxon of U. stygia) and U. intermedia are aquatic carnivorous plants
with distinctly dimorphic shoots. Physical and chemical habitat factors were measured in dense stands
of both species in shallow dystrophic waters at some prolific sites in Třeboň basin, Czech Republic,
and plant morphometric characteristics were estimated. Out of all water chemistry factors studied, the
only statistically significant difference between the 1-3 cm deep free-water zone with green
photosynthetic shoots and the 10 cm deep loose sediment with chlorophyll-free carnivorous shoots
with traps was found in [O2] (range 1.7-7.2 vs. 0.0-0.8 mg.l-1). The waters can be characterized as
mesotrophic. Total dry biomass of both species in dense stands ranged between 2.4-97 g.m-2. The
proportion of carnivorous shoots to the total biomass as investment to carnivory ranged from 40-59 %
and that of traps from 18-29 % in both species. As the mean length of main carnivorous shoots and
the trap number per plant in carnivorous shoots in both species were highly significantly different
between sites, it is possible to conclude that the quantitative development of these carnivorous organs
as investment in carnivory are under ecological regulation in both species as the structural and
maintenance costs of their traps are very high. Givnish et al. (1984) postulated for terrestrial
carnivorous plants that carnivory is only beneficial in nutrient-poor, moist, and sunny habitats. It is
evident that many aquatic carnivorous plant species in their typical habitats do not obey this principle
due to shortage of light and sometimes also free CO2.
Trap gland morphology and its systematic implication in Taiwan Utricularia. Yi-Shan Chao*, HoYih Liu, Yuen-Po Yang. Department of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University,
Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 80424; E-mails: d932010006@student.nsysu.edu.tw, hoyih@mail.nsysu.edu.tw and
ypo@mail.nsysu.edu.tw
In aquatic carnivorous plants genus Utricularia, highly specific glands play a very important role in
digestion and absorption. However, there were few morphological studies in this genus. In this study,
the scanning electron microscope was used to investigate the gland morphology of Taiwan
Utricularia. Eight species were recorded in Taiwan, and six species were studied: U. aurea Lour., U.
australis R. Br., U. bifida L., U. caerulea L., U. gibba L., and U. striatula Sm. The glands on both
outer and inner surfaces of the trap were fully examined. There are three types of external glands and
two types of internal glands. The external glands had little diagnostic value, but the internal glands
could be used in species identification. Furthermore, the evolution transformation series of gland
character can be inferred from known molecular phylogeny. The systematic value of gland
morphology was discussed.
Differentioal allocation of heterotrophic versus autotrophic carbon during inflorescence phenology
in the Venus flytrap, Dionaea muscipula-Erica M. Waters* Doug Darnowski‡ and Maxine A. Watson*
*Department of Biology, Roberts Hall, Indiana University Blomington, Bloomington, IN, 47405 and ‡
Department of Biology, Indiana University Southeast, 4201 Grant Line Road, New Albany, IN, USA,
47150. Emails: watsonm@indiana.edu and ddarnows@ius.edu.
Radioactive amino acids were fed to flowering Venus Flytrap plants in the Spring of 2006 to
determine the routes taken by nutrients from prey. Plants were dried and examined both by
autoradiography and scintillation counting. Though the sample size was limited, amino acids could be
determined to have been maximally absorbed during inflorescence development, and no nutrients
were shared with mycorrhizal fungi. More label was taken up autotrophically than heterotropically.
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Vascular Land Plant Evolution. Jon Wallace, High School Science Teacher Meriden, CT, Another
School Program. 169 Colony St., Meriden, CT 06451. Email: fjwallace@snet.net
This display is presented in order to put insectivorous plant evolution into perspective. Starting about
400 million years ago in the Devonian Period, the display exhibits fossils of simple land plants which
appear in the geologic record. This display shows examples of these fossils from the Rhynie Chert
and then explores the continued evolution of land plants. Particular attention is paid to the
Carboniferous Period which occurred about 350 million years ago and many examples of fossil plants
are shown. Coal ball peels from fossils of this period are exhibited and their importance is explained.
Plant examples are shown from the Devonian to modern plants which exemplify the tremendous
diversity of this kingdom.
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