Orobanche californica

Lloyd Gordon

Cactus micrografter newbie.
Staff member
This finally flowered with the host Grindelia stricta. Pictures to follow. Thanks Alex.
My first holoparasite!

I had just about given up when I noticed this dead looking black lump just above the soil surface. Had I killed it by overwatering or by the Neem recipe to get the thrips under control? Slowly over weeks it showed signs of growing and eventually flowered. It killed the host but it's still slowly growing after I harvested 4 flowers for lots of little black seeds. Another one is coming up, much smaller and slower.
 
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Peatmoss

Carnivore
This is so cool! I assume you're growing indoors, do the seeds require a cold stratification and do the plants require a dormancy? How long does it take from sowing the seeds to flowering? What medium are you growing in and how big is the pot? I'd be very interested in knowing where you got your seeds or if you have extras available, these plants are super interesting and it would be fascinating to grow them. Incredible stuff.
 

Lloyd Gordon

Cactus micrografter newbie.
Staff member
No dormancy or seed preparation.
Indoor growing. Water daily. The soil shouldn't dry out.
The pot is about 6" across. Bigger is probably better if you have the space.
Ordinary potting soil with some perlite/silica sand for drainage and aeration.
I add a bit of ordinary fertilizer as needed to keep the host vigorous and lessen leaf dieback.
The host can get thrips which I pick off with a forceps (they are small!)
Host needs 2-3 months to get ready for the parasite.
Parasite takes about the same for buds to show.
Anybody interested?
If so PM me with your address to get the host seeds and so I will self pollinate the parasite..
 

Lloyd Gordon

Cactus micrografter newbie.
Staff member
I got a zillion seeds to give away and donated the plant to the U of T greenhouse along with some other goodies. It's a fascinating plant but I've done it. Scratch it off my bucket list :D
 
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