Earlier this month I got a surprise when three green bulbs started growing from stems on my Venus Flytrap. I had no idea what these bony hand like shoots were.
I had no idea that Flytraps flowered, yet as the days went on the bony fingers began to open, and I could see the beginnings of delicate white flowers.
I just skimmed through the wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Flytrap, and it turns out that healthy Flytraps flower in spring. It seems that many Flytrap growers trim the flower stems early as flowering takes a lot of energy from the plant. However if flowering occurs, successful pollination will produce dozens of small, shiny black seeds.
Flowering has certainly taken a lot out of my little trappy. The flower steams are around three times as tall as the plant. Each one is thick and fleshy, and dominate the entire plant.
In order to flower, my trappy has gone through about 3 times his normal amount of water, and nearly all of his traps have died off. However the flowers look stunning, and the plant in general looks strong and healthy.
I have really enjoyed watching as my Flytrap has produced these stunning delicate flowers. I'm amazed by the results, and hope he can produce more next year. I can't wait to see the seeds appear, I'm wondering if I plant them would they grow?
I guess there is only one way to find out ;-)
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