Question

D. flliformis "florida   I have a drosera filliformis "Florida Giant" which I bought from you guys, but it is flowering right now, and the stalks that it has up are producing seed. Your website says that D. Filliformis "Florida Giant" is sterile and will produce no seed. Also, I have had this plant since spring of last year and it still has not produced any leaves anywhere near ten inches much less sixteen.Is this actually a "Florida giant?" It is growing in a peat/perlite medium topdressed with sphagnum moss and receives full sun outdoors in Oklahoma. It is only watered with distilled water. Could you tell me if this really is a D. Filliformis "Florida giant?"
Thank you guys so much!

Answer
Hi Jonathan,

This is a question we are starting to ask ourselves.  We got a batch of plants donated to us that the customer said was Florida Giant, but she told me they were all from seed she collected from her first plant that she got from us.  That was my first pause, since as you read, we found our original Florida Giants to be either sterile, or at best very reluctant to pollinate.  So, I would say that what you have may be either a typical filiformis, or it's possible it's a hybrid of a Florida Giant and a typical filiformis.  The Florida Giant isn't a recognized subspecies as of yet, so it is very closely related, if not just a variant, of the typical filiformis.

Currently we are trying to separate out the true Florida Giants, but it not easy since you can't really tell them apart until they are larger.  Whatever the plant is you/we have is certainly vigorous, however.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com