S. leucophylla 'GIANT' Washington Co, AL
Aug 7, 2018 15:08:38 GMT -5
DirtyDivisions, rudeko, and 12 more like this
Post by meizzwang on Aug 7, 2018 15:08:38 GMT -5
There's only 2 verified giant leucophylla clones in cultivation that I'm aware of (edit: Bristol just showed me a third, presumably from Franklin Co, FL?): the real deal Drummond's giant clone and this plant! In fact, giant leucophyllas are just as rare in nature as they are in cultivation: I've only personally witnessed 2 giants in the wild, and in case you think I'm full of you know what, here's some proof:
1) Okaloosa Co, FL:
2) Baldwin Co, AL:
Much like S. flava, so far, there seems to be 2 different types of giant leucophyllas: genetic giants and hybrid vigor giants. I suspect both plants I witnessed in the wild are genetic giants, considering I couldn't ever find them again! (keep reading, this logic will make more sense) Drummond's giant is a genetic giant: it's slow as a snail, doesn't produce anything spectacular most years, but once that plant gets enough storage and momentum, it can shoot out enormous fall traps! You could walk by this giant plant year after year and never realize it was giant unless you happened to catch it at its best! As an aside, it wouldn't be surprising if you could baby the plant and get it to produce giant traps every year or every other year. Anyways, Drummond's giant seems to only be impressive once it produces giant traps: it doesn't seem to produce really fat traps on relatively small rhizomes.
On the completely opposite end of the spectrum is this Washington Co, AL giant, which appears to be the result of hybrid vigor. Even relatively small rhizomes can produce wide, FAT traps that are unusual for S. leucophylla. In fact, out of the literally thousands of clones of S. leucophylla that I have in my collection, this washington Co, AL giant is the only one currently producing giant late summer traps! What do I consider a giant leucophylla? A plant that isn't just tall, but also has abnormally extreme girth.
Here's some photos of S. leucophylla 'GIANT' Washington Co, AL. These actually aren't at the fullest potential yet, but big enough for you to tell it's giant! Photos taken early August 2018:
I think these large traps produced in late summer might just be environmentally induced (ie. it's been warm and sunny for the past month, so we've had favorable leuco conditions). Will this plant produce enormous fall traps, or did it spend all the energy stored in the rhizome and that's it? No clue, but if it does produce amazing, bigger fall traps, I'll be sure to update this thread!
1) Okaloosa Co, FL:
2) Baldwin Co, AL:
Much like S. flava, so far, there seems to be 2 different types of giant leucophyllas: genetic giants and hybrid vigor giants. I suspect both plants I witnessed in the wild are genetic giants, considering I couldn't ever find them again! (keep reading, this logic will make more sense) Drummond's giant is a genetic giant: it's slow as a snail, doesn't produce anything spectacular most years, but once that plant gets enough storage and momentum, it can shoot out enormous fall traps! You could walk by this giant plant year after year and never realize it was giant unless you happened to catch it at its best! As an aside, it wouldn't be surprising if you could baby the plant and get it to produce giant traps every year or every other year. Anyways, Drummond's giant seems to only be impressive once it produces giant traps: it doesn't seem to produce really fat traps on relatively small rhizomes.
On the completely opposite end of the spectrum is this Washington Co, AL giant, which appears to be the result of hybrid vigor. Even relatively small rhizomes can produce wide, FAT traps that are unusual for S. leucophylla. In fact, out of the literally thousands of clones of S. leucophylla that I have in my collection, this washington Co, AL giant is the only one currently producing giant late summer traps! What do I consider a giant leucophylla? A plant that isn't just tall, but also has abnormally extreme girth.
Here's some photos of S. leucophylla 'GIANT' Washington Co, AL. These actually aren't at the fullest potential yet, but big enough for you to tell it's giant! Photos taken early August 2018:
I think these large traps produced in late summer might just be environmentally induced (ie. it's been warm and sunny for the past month, so we've had favorable leuco conditions). Will this plant produce enormous fall traps, or did it spend all the energy stored in the rhizome and that's it? No clue, but if it does produce amazing, bigger fall traps, I'll be sure to update this thread!