- Breeder
- Mike Wang
- First described
- 2025
- Type
- single clone from cross with only survivor batch
- Cultivar
- 'GIANT'
Origin
Mike's controlled cross: S. rosea Mobile Co, AL × S. rosea Liberty Co, FL. From a sizable seedling batch where most individuals were normal-sized, one stood out:
- 3-4× the size of all other seedlings.
- Vigor unmatched by siblings.
- Bulbous trap shape.
- Filled a 3.5" pot in a single grow season from a tiny seedling start.
Mike's giant-clone diagnostic test: Every giant clone that has been bred in the past started off this way. By that test, this plant is genetically giant.
Mike's selection rationale
Mike culled the rest of the seedling batch and kept only this one clone. Reason: prevent downstream identity confusion. This is a recurring Mike pattern — when a single individual is dramatically better than its batch siblings, propagating only the standout preserves the working name and the genetics without diluting them through similar-but-not-quite-as-good sister selections.
Standout traits
- Single individual stood out from the entire seedling batch — 3-4× the size of all other seedlings, with vigor unmatched by siblings.
- Bulbous shape — characteristic *S. rosea* trap form, expressed strongly.
- Sized up massively in one season — small seedling early in the year filled a 3.5" pot by season's end.
- Matches Mike's giant-clone-diagnostic pattern: 'Every giant clone that has been bred in the past started off this way.'
- Aggressive selection: Mike culled the rest of the batch and kept only this one clone to prevent confusion downstream.
Cultivation
No cultivation specifics documented yet — clone is too young. Standard S. rosea care expected. Mike's expectation: continued vigorous growth and bulbous trap shape.
Mike's broader giant-clone diagnostic logic:
- In a seedling batch, the single individual that's 3-4× larger than siblings + fills a pot in one season + has bulbous shape = almost certainly genetically giant.
- Mike applies this same diagnostic to Cephalotus giant-clone confirmation (see GIANT Charles Brewer, HWG entries).
Photos (3)
Naming
"GIANT" — Mike's working designation reflecting the giant-clone diagnostic: bigger than batch siblings + filling a 3.5" pot in a single grow season from a tiny start. Cross-locality breeding parentage in parentheses.