Sarracenia flava var. ornata 'Improved Black Veins' (IBV) — Mike Wang's 3-generation breeding line

Mike's 3-generation breeding line (1997-present) intended to combine the spectacular crystal-clear black-vein phenotype of the F2 Bulloch-Co originals with vigor sufficient for general cultivation.

Origin

Wild origin: Bulloch Co, GA — possibly a Kennedy family property or the powercut site (now destroyed, 2012). Original mother black- veined flava likely dug from the wild decades ago.

Breeding history

1997: Mike + Art Junier acquire F2 selfed seeds from the original mother plant
F2 (1990s-2000s): extreme veining, extreme rot susceptibility, poor blooming
F3 = "Improved Black Veins" (2013 release): (Bulloch Clone B × Gulf Coast 'select') × Bulloch SFL05X. Vigorous + slightly improved venation + rot-resistance.
F4 (planned): IBV F3 × F2 Clone E for heavier venation. Bottlenecked by Clone E's rare-and-rot-failed flowering.

Standout traits

True BLACK veins
Crystal-clear veining
Vigorous (relative to F2)
Fast growing
Up to 30" tall in mature select clones
Phenotypically variable

Standout traits

TRUE BLACK veins (Mike, post #34, 2015) — 'Not green, not yellow, not red, but BLACK veins'

Crystal-clear veins with little pigment between them — original-line trait preserved

Vigorous — fast growing relative to F2 originals (Mike, post #1, 2013); 16-18" first year, ~30" mature (Calen, post #51, 2017)

Detailed veining under the lid

Phenotypic plasticity — same clone can look very different year-to-year and division-to-division (Mike, post #55, 2018)

Calen's 30" select clone is the documented size record (post #51, 2017)

Continuous-trap production atypical for flavas (Calen, post #39, 2015) — possibly a juvenile pattern that may persist into maturity

Open-pollinated seeds atypical: thick + meaty / 'plump' (clonem, post #42, 2016)

Cultivation

Outdoor Northern California (Mike) + outdoor California (Calen). IBV F3 plants are vigorous and easy to grow (relative to F2 parents). Spring + summer + fall trap production. Calen's 30"+ select clone in a 7" pot suggests the cultivar can size up significantly given pot space.

F2 cultivation tips (Calen, post #61, 2019): F2 originals are shorter, so keep them in open positions to avoid shading. Heavy feeding (Maxsea by pitcher) significantly improves rhizome strength + division production.

Photos (48)

IBV first introduction — F3 generation, 2013-08-16— Mike Wang

IBV — under-lid veining, 2013-10-26— Mike Wang

IBV select clone — productive multi-trap, 2015-06-18— Mike Wang

IBV — 'BLACK veins, yall', 2015-06-18— Mike Wang

IBV — under-lid veining, 2015-06-18— Mike Wang

ps3isawesome's IBV — 2015-08— ps3isawesome

IBV select clone — 2018-05-14— Mike Wang

IBV select — 'DANG MAN!!!', 2018-05-14— Mike Wang

IBV select — 'LIDZ', 2018-06-09— Mike Wang

Original Bulloch Co, GA powercut site — 2012 destruction documentation— Mike Wang

Bulloch site destruction — 2012— Mike Wang

Bulloch site — present (mowed lawn)— Mike Wang

Pre-destruction Bulloch black-veined flava — 'watered down' relative to original mother plant— Mike Wang

Original mother of all black-veined flavas in cultivation— Mike Wang

F2 selfed-seed offspring — 1997 batch— Mike Wang

F2 with red throat — 1997 batch— Mike Wang

F2 with red line throat — 1997 batch— Mike Wang

F2 'Clone E' — best-looking but rot-prone, planned F4 cross parent— Mike Wang

IBV mother plants — 2019-04-15— Mike Wang

Naming

"Improved Black Veins" — Mike's vigor-improvement label distinguishing this F3 breeding line from the F2 ('Original Black Veins') parents. Cross parentage breakdown (Mike, post #3, 2013): - **F3 generation (this cultivar)**: (S. flava var. ornata Bulloch Co, GA clone B × ornata Gulf Coast, FL) 'select clone' × ornata Bulloch Co, GA clone SFL05X - 25% Gulf Coast genetics (Phil Sheridan source) — selected for vigor. - 75% Bulloch black-veined genetics — selected for veining.