Carnivorous Plant Clone Wiki
Awaiting Mike's review. This entry was AI-extracted from forum posts. Treat specifics as a working draft until reviewed.

sarracenia alata

Sarracenia alata GIANT (Art Junier source, no locality)

Collector
Art Junier (Mike's friend; supplier)
First described
2024
Into cultivation
2003
Type
single clone

Origin

A S. alata clone with no surviving locality data — original tag read only "S. alata". Acquired by Mike from his friend Art Junier ~2003. Mike speculates the clone is wild-derived.

History

  • ~2003: Mike acquired from Art Junier; nothing notable for ~15 years.
  • One year (~2018-2019), the clone unexpectedly produced GIGANTIC traps after long neglect.
  • Propagation attempt: every division rotted out; Mike saved one side shoot from a rotting-rhizome cutting.
  • 3 years of babying the side shoot, then divisions started.
  • 2024: enough divisions exist to allow some plants to grow back to size.
  • Oct 2024: black underside-of-lid coloration appeared for the first time in Mike's 25+-year ownership.
  • nclarkii (post #2, 2024): also lost a plant to rot despite shallow cool-flowing-water cultivation.

Standout traits

  • GIGANTIC trap size when not rotting.
  • Rot-prone; needs strict water-management.
  • Black under-lid color (newly observed 2024).

Cultivation notes (critical)

NEVER sit this clone in water. Even shallow flowing water has caused rot for nclarkii. Mike's rule: keep soil fully hydrated at all times but pots out of standing water.

Standout traits

  • Capable of GIGANTIC trap size — emerged from a 15-year community-tray neglect period.
  • Rot-prone — almost lost the entire division pool when Mike tried to propagate; saved one side shoot from a rotting rhizome cutting.
  • Vigorous when not rotting — can fill out fast under proper care.
  • Black underside-of-lid coloration — Mike: 'never seen it do this' in 25+ years (Oct 2024 update).
  • Per neotropical: visual similarity to 'Jerry's dark streak clone'.

Cultivation

Mike's hard-won propagation rule for this clone: NEVER sit it in water even shallow flowing water (per nclarkii's 2024 loss); keep soil fully hydrated at all times but pots out of standing water. Even with this care, the clone rots easily.

Photos (6)

alata GIANT, 2024-08-07.— Mike Wang
alata GIANT, 2024-08-07.— Mike Wang
alata GIANT, 2024-08-07.— Mike Wang
alata GIANT, 2024-08-07.— Mike Wang
Black underside-of-lid coloration — first time seen, 2024-10-24.— Mike Wang
Black underside-of-lid, 2024-10-24.— Mike Wang

Naming

Mike's working label — 'GIANT' for size, 'Art Junier' for source attribution.