Cultivating Carnivorous Plants (2015)
BYBLIS
Byblis filifolia5
The Rainbow Plants from the genus Byblis look very similar to Drosera. In fact, these Australian and New
Guinean natives are not closely related to the Drosera, but they exhibit similar morphological characteristics.
All species of Byblis grow as single-stemmed plants with long, tapered leaves covered by tentacles that secrete
a sticky substance, much like Drosera. However, unlike Drosera, Byblis cannot move their tentacles or leaves to
aid trapping or digestion.
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NATCH GREYES
Byblis flowers have five petals and form at the end of leaves once plants reach maturity. In all Byblis
species except Byblis liniflora, the flowers require cross pollination to create seed. Seed matures in a roundish,
two-part capsule that, once dried, splits to release the seed. For most species, germination occurs in the weeks
after a brush fire swept through their dry habitats.
Contrary to past belief, Byblis are indeed carnivorous plants. Despite the presence of mutualistic bugs of
the genus Setocoris, which often eat prey captured by Byblis, the Byblis species (or at least Byblis filifolia and Byblis liniflora) produce digestive enzymes in response to captured prey. Like Drosera, they absorb nutrients from the
“soup” created by the digestive enzymes’ action.
Byblis filifolia flower.6
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CULTIVATING CARNIVOROUS PLANTS
The species of Byblis are as follows:
Species
Type
Habitat / Notes
Fine, clayey soil in seasonally flooded areas and along the shores of freshwater
lagoons in Australia’s Northern Territory, and in black peaty-sand in seasonally
flooded areas with Nepenthes in Queensland. B. aquatica has scrambling stems up to
aquatica
Annual
18 in (45 cm).
Sandy soils in open savanna, river and creek margins, watersheds, an over sandstone
throughout Northwest Australia. B. filifolia has stems up to 24 in (60 cm) and
filifolia
Annual
possesses anthers longer than filaments.
Peaty-sand in swamp heath in the Perth area which is seasonally waterlogged. B.
gigantea has stems up to 28 in (70 cm) and seeds with a honeycomb pattern. Growth
gigantea
Perennial pattern depends upon competition for light and space.
Open, sandy patches between native grasses in Acacia tumida shrub land near Beagle
guehoi
Annual
Bay Mission. B. guehoi grows up to 7 in (18 cm) with many, branching stems.
Sand in open heathlands in Western Australia. B. lamellata grows up to 18 in (45 cm)
lamellata Perennial and has deeply ridged seeds.
Sandy soils and clayey sand in Queensland. B. liniflora grows up to 6 in (15 cm) and
liniflora
Annual
has anthers shorter than filaments.
Sandy loam derived from red granite on plains of Triodia lanigera hummock grass in
the Pilbara area of West Australia. B. pilbarana grows up to 6 in (15 cm) with a short,
erect, thick stem with erect and semi-erect foliage and a distinctive funicle on its
pilbarana Annual
seeds.
Sand along creeks and seasonally flooded areas and laterite on the Mitchell Plateau,
and rocky soil in the King Leopold Range in the Kimberly area of West Australia. B.
rorida
Annual
rorida grows up to 12 in (30 cm) and is heavily set with glandular tentacles.
By far, the most common species of Byblis in cultivation is Byblis liniflora.
It is an exceedingly easy species with self-pollinating flowers. All other
species of Byblis require cross-pollination with at least two individual plants
for successful seed set, although some growers have reported occasional seed
set with only one plant. Most species require the “buzzing” effect of a bee,
which can be replicated with a tuning fork, in order to release pollen.
Although Byblis aquatica and Byblis rorida are frequently said to be able to
tolerate wetter temperatures, frequently, growers have better success with the
genus when watering with the tray method while keeping the amount of
water in the tray low, allowing it to dry out between each watering.
All species of Byblis are best propagated by seed. Germination for all
species, except Byblis liniflora, requires smoke treatment, which can be
achieved through gibberellic acid treatment or by burning a small amount of
leaf litter atop the pot in which seeds are sown. If burning litter, it may be
necessary to cover the fire with a glass jar in order to capture the smoke and
Byblis aquatica seed pod
allow it to swirl around the seed, thus depositing the chemicals in the smoke
near maturity. It will soon
dry, split, and spill seeds
near the seed to induce germination. If done correctly, germination should
into the water.7
occur within a couple weeks.
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NATCH GREYES
Byblis aquatica8
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CULTIVATING CARNIVOROUS PLANTS
My standard growing guide for Byblis follows:
✵
Media: Most growers recommend a one part sphagnum peat to one part sand mixture for Byblis. In
the wild, most grow in nearly pure sand, so my recommendation is two parts sand for one part
sphagnum peat.
✵
Moisture: As with most carnivores, Byblis like moist, but not soaking media. I recommend using the
tray method with a lower amount of water than for Drosera.
✵
Humidity: Humidity is not a big factor for Byblis, although they do prefer ambient humidity in line
with most subtropical Drosera.
✵
Pot Size: Byblis detest root disturbance. As a consequence, seeds should be potted in pots large
enough to accommodate the adult plants. The exact size of pots will depend on the species. Byblis
species such as Byblis gigantea, require much larger pots than diminutive species, such as Byblis liniflora.
A six inch (15 cm) pot is usually sufficient for Byblis gigantea, whereas a two-and-a-half inch (6 cm) pot
is sufficient for Byblis liniflora.
✵
Feeding: Byblis may be fertilized with a diluted foliar orchid fertilizer or fed with small prey, such as
bloodworms or fruit flies. These can often be purchased in the reptile section of many pet stores or
online. If using prey such as bloodworms, be take care to crumble them into (nearly) powder and
watch for leaf burn, which can occur if the prey is too large or nutrient rich. Byblis can easily have
their leaves overwhelmed by too large of prey.
✵
Temperature: Byblis seem to prefer temperatures in the 60° - 80° F (16° - 27° C) range, but can
tolerate temperatures both lower and higher than that range. Do not expose Byblis to freezing
temperatures.
✵
Dormancy: Dormancy is not strictly required for Byblis. Annual species will die after going to seed,
several months after germination. Perennial species should be given slightly less water for a period of
time each year, but this does not appear to be strictly necessary. Failure to give perennial species a
drier “dormancy” each year probably cuts down on the lifespan of the plant, but it is not clear by
how much.
✵
Propagation: Byblis are best propagated via seed, as discussed above. Some success has been had with
propagating perennial species via leaf cuttings, as with Drosera, but this is more difficult. If attempting
leaf cuttings, be sure to take off the leaf as close to the leaf base as possible. Then, place on an
appropriate media, cover with a pinch of media, and cover with plastic wrap to increase humidity.
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