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 flava var. rugelii

Sarracenia flava var. rugelii 'Giant' Thomas Co, GA

Thomas Co, GA

First described
2013
Into cultivation
2012
Type
single clone named

Origin

Mike acquired this clone ~2012 from Dean Cook (likely identical to Dean's commercial "GA Giant" listing). First-season under-performance (2012); 2013 produced the first phenomenal pitcher (could support a golfball without bending). Probably the second-most-vigorously-giant rugelii in Mike's collection after Clone A and Clone A × B (Liberty Co, FL).

History

  • ~2012 — Mike acquires from Dean Cook as a huge rhizome
  • 2013-04-26 — first big-trap year, Mike's introduction
  • 2014-04-05 — second-year update; traps were just "big," not giant. Mike speculates rhizome was depleted by 2013's gigantism
  • 2015-04-17 — Mike confirms Dean Cook origin in response to rhizomatous question about the GA Giant ebay listing
  • 2020-03-26 — flower photos posted "for the sake of documentation"

Standout traits

  • Genetically-linked giant trap potential (when conditions + prey align)
  • Intermittent gigantism — alternates large and just-big years
  • Standard rugelii red throat morphology

Cultivation notes

Outdoor Northern California. The Thomas Co Giant requires good environmental conditions and abundant insect feeding to express its full giant phenotype.

Standout traits

  • Giant trap size — supports a golfball without crushing/toppling (Mike, post #1, 2013)
  • Year-to-year size variation — 2013 produced gigantic traps; 2014 produced just-big traps (Mike, post #4, 2014: 'perhaps it took a lot of energy out of the rhizome to produce the giant traps last year')
  • Late-establishment growth pattern — first season after acquisition produced little; second season produced a phenomenally large trap (Mike, post #7, 2015)
  • Standard rugelii red throat with attractive symmetric mouth

Cultivation

Acquired from Dean Cook ~2012 as a "huge rhizome." First season was unremarkable; after acclimating and "catching a choke-load of insects, it produced a phenominally large trap the following year" (Mike, post #7, 2015). Mike notes the gigantic trap response is strongly genetically linked but requires a good environment AND abundant prey to express fully.

Mike's flowers-vs-trap-size observation (post #1, 2013): some growers recommend chopping flowers because they "tax" the rhizome. Mike concludes this is only true for new cuttings; established plants are unaffected by carrying flowers.

Photos (7)

Thomas Co Giant trap (middle) — would bend a golfball, 2014-04-05— Mike Wang
Thomas Co Giant — 2014-04-05— Mike Wang
Thomas Co Giant — 2014-04-05— Mike Wang
Thomas Co Giant — 2014-04-05— Mike Wang
Thomas Co Giant — 2015 update, still pretty big— Mike Wang
Thomas Co Giant flower — 2020-03-26— Mike Wang
Thomas Co Giant flower — 2020-03-26— Mike Wang

Naming

"Giant" describes the trap size — Mike (post #1, 2013) reports the first pitcher could support a golfball without bending or toppling, whereas most flava traps would. Likely identical to Dean Cook's commercial "GA Giant" listing (rhizomatous post #6, 2015 + Mike's confirmation post #7).