Rainbow Plant (Byblis) General Information
Enigmatic, rare, slender, and obscenely beautiful is how I would describe the entire genus of Byblis. Byblis are more commonly known as Rainbow Plants, a name they live up to with dazzling displays of prismatic sparkles when put in direct sunlight. Byblis are often compared to other sticky trap plants, particularly the Drosera in the Indica Complex. Due to the remote nature of their habitat, these plants are rarely studied, which only has furthered the confusion over this genus. However, they're incredibly unique and inhabit a strange desert habitat making some species of Byblis examples of extreme heat loving plants.
Etyomology
Byblis get their name from the Greek mythological figure Byblis, niece of Apollo. Her story was written by the poet Ovid in his great work Metamorphose. She falls in love with her brother, Caunus, and tries to romantically pursue him. When he rejects her advances, she lets forth an endless stream of tears. Eventually she ends up turning into a spring. The dew of the Rainbow Plants is supposed to be reminiscent of the tears drops of the mythological Byblis. A seemingly endless stream of tiny tears, prismatically glistening in the sun.
History
Byblis Liniflora was discovered back in the 1808 by English botanist Richard Anthony Salisbury. After the initial discovery, three more species were discovered, Byblis Gigantea, Liniflora, and Filifolia. It wasn't until the 1990's when Barry Rice wrote an article for the Carnivorous Plant Newsletter about how two Byblis Filifolia locations could not cross pollinate. This intriguing report inspired the Australian botanist Allen Lowrie to start studying the genus. Through his study we now have the 8 recognized species with evidence of potentially more still lurking unknown in Australia.
Habitat Description
In nature, Byblis are found mostly along the northern coastline of Australia. Centered in the Kimberley, a large desert environment known for being one of the most remote and inhabitable locations on the planet. The majority of species native to this coast line have evolved to grow within the small 3-4 month Monsoon Season. Once the Monsoons have passed, the Kimberley becomes an intensely hot and dry wasteland. The seasonal pools dry up, leaving the plants there without water or rainfall for the vast majority of the year. Byblis and Petiolaris Drosera are usually found several feet away from the water's edge in areas still moist from the water. They compete with dense grass for sunshine, leading to some species to exhibit a climbing behavior that requires a tree, bush, patch of grass, or in cultivation a stake to stay upright. Byblis from this region have adapted to flowering profusely as the Monsoons end to produce a large flush of seeds.
In locations towards the north eastern section of the coastline, in Queensland, the pools can persist for consecutive seasons. From here and my own personal seed germination test, it can be observed that Byblis seeds will germinate if exceedingly fresh if sown to wet medium immediately after ripening in the seed pod. In locations where the pools of water dry, the seeds will dry as well. In this dried state, the seeds can persist for extremely long periods of time. Wildfires that will clear through the brush in their habitats release a chemical from the burning grasses. This chemical signals to Petiolaris Drosera and Byblis seeds to start germinating as competing foliage has been killed out around them.
After wildfires in Byblis habitats, it's reported that large amounts of new plants germinate. This is atypical for normal conditions, as the plants that usually replace the populations year after year do not experience annual wildfires in most locations. This is why Byblis seeds are known to have such a low germination rate when dried and stored. The majority of the seeds might not germinate immediately in the wild, but from recent studies it appears to be around 25% will the next year when presented with water from the Monsoons. This strategy allows Byblis to have large flush years when wildfires do happen, but otherwise maintain a large enough population to continue year after year. This unusual germination strategy is just one of the reasons why Byblis have been incredibly rare in cultivation.
Issues Facing The Genus
Up until 2008, Byblis were thought to be a protocarnivorous plant. This is because most locations have specialized insects, known as Stereopsis, that will eat captured prey. This is similar to other sticky trap protocarnivores like Roridula, which hosts assassin beetles to digest its prey. Initial enzyme testing for digestive compounds showed no evidence for true carnivory. When Siegfried Hartmeyer ran his enzyme test in 2008, he found that Byblis produce digestive enzymes only at night. This proved the observations of many growers that reported for years witnessing Byblis digest flying prey without any other insects to process the prey. The long term perception of being a protocarnivorous plant has also contributed to the unwillingness of most collectors to grow them.
The last and most impactful reason is that the majority of Byblis species will grow as annuals in most collections. The rarity of available seeds, the low germinations rates, community perception all pale when compared to their perceived lesser value due to being an annual. Most carnivorous plant collectors shy away from annual species that do not readily self seed, which is why Byblis Liniflora is much more widely available than the rest of the species. Though, I have to ask the question, are the “annual” Byblis really annuals?
Are they annuals?
In my experiences, certain “annual” species can be grown perennially if given ideal conditions and a great deal of feeding. Byblis Aquatica locations in Queensland show stem lengths over 2-3 feet long, showing evidence of perennial growth in habitat. In cultivation, Byblis Filifolia reliable lives 14-20 months. After around 8 months of growth, the stem will start to form wood similar to the true perennial species. It appears that the perennial adaptations still exist today in Byblis populations usually viewed as annual, just waiting for the right conditions to allow them to persist longer than normal.
Section Breakdown
Since I'm starting to mention the species, I think it's time to break down the genus of Byblis. Thankfully this is a smaller genus with only 8 species. Starting off, there are traditionally two complexes. The Byblis Gigantea Complex and the Byblis Liniflora Complex. The Gigantea Complex is made up of two perennially growing species, Byblis Lamellata and Byblis Gigantea, that both grow off the western coast of Australia. The Liniflora Complex comprises the six remaining “annual” species, Byblis Aquatica, Byblis Filifolia, Byblis Guehoi, Byblis Liniflora, Byblis Rorida, and Byblis Pilbarana.
The Gigantea Complex
This complex is notable for demonstrating perennial growth, but is much more rare to find in cultivation than other species. Habitat destruction, particular for farming and residential developments are a major threat to the small remaining populations of these plants. The two species in this complex, Byblis Gigantea and Byblis Lamellata, both suffer from extremely poor germination rates and have a tendency to die from fungal infections when very young. Despite the difficulty of starting them, they are by far some of the most impressive carnivorous plants to exist. Due to their perennially nature, these species have adapted much different survival mechanisms than the other species of Byblis.
Byblis Gigantea
The namesake of the complex and in my opinion the most stunning and beautiful of all the Byblis species. This species is known from growing a short stem from the ground and producing all of its leaves from a central point that stays relatively close to the stem. For most of the year, this give these plants an appearance similar to Drosera Filiformis. In cultivation, flowering will usually happen in late summer, August or September, before or during when temperatures are at their peak. The impressive and large flowering display will last for 4-6 weeks or until pollinated. During flowering, the growth point produces a rather large stem that easily will grow a foot or more from the usually growth point. This gives the plant an extremely impressive size and allows the flowers to stand out from the beautiful foliage. After flowering, the plant will usually divide at the base as the main stalk dies. It is possible to get side shoots on older plants that persist into the following years, producing a more bush like appearance. In the wild, during summer dormancy, Byblis Gigantea will die back to it's central stem and roots until cooler and wetter weather returns.
Byblis Lamellata
The Rainbow Bush is a more accurate common name for this species. Known for being strikingly similar to Gigantea during its first years of growth, it quickly starts branching into a much more sprawling plant. Instead of dying back to its root system like Gigantea, this species instead will maintain it's branches by growing woody as the temperatures become hot. When wet and cool conditions return, this species will start sprouting from the previous season's branches to make progressively larger bushes with age.
The Liniflora Complex
This complex represents the more commonly known Byblis species. These are much smaller and usually look much more dainty than those of the Gigantea Complex. The softness of their leaves is more akin to succulent than the sturdy and woody feel of the Gigantea Complex plants. Despite their smaller and more delicate form, these species are exceptionally beautiful. Now, I personally believe this complex can be divided into two subcomplexes, Filifolia and Liniflora. The botanist, Allen Lowrie, who spent a great deal of time studying these plants came up with a way to divide the species in this complex. If the anthers (yellow flower bits in the center) are longer then the filament (white flower bit on the bottom of the central flower structure) then it is a Filifolia complex member. If the anthers are shorter, then it is a Liniflora complex member. I want to introduce this split because there are a few aff. Filifolia specimens known that would warrant a further split in the future when described.
The Liniflora “Sub” Complex
This sub-complex all has anthers shorter than the filaments. They also do not exhibit wood growth on their stems no matter how long I've kept them alive. These species all seem adapted to growing perennially as long as environmental conditions are stable and they're well fed. However, disruptions to watering, humidity, or feeding can trigger this plants to flower themselves to death. Without forming wood, they're unlikely to store enough sugars in their stems and roots to survive this process. These species are usually found east of the Filifolia “Sub” Complex members.
Byblis Liniflora
The first described and probably easiest to grow species in the entire genus. Byblis Liniflora is self seeding, requires no treatment to germinate even when dried long term, and grows to flower within two to three months after germination reliably. These are the reasons this species is the most commonly seen in collections around the world. Their self seeding nature means most collectors that can grow them to flower will have an ample supply to start their next generation. Issues arise that the plants become more susceptible to disease, particularly fungal infections, after numerous generations of self seeding.
Byblis Aquatica
This species is notable from breaking the trend of other Byblis species. Instead of growing a small distance away from the water's edge, this species prefers growing directly in the pools of water. Floating on top of the surface, this species will grow like a buoy anchored to the pool's depths, bobbing up and down as the water level changes. As it grows, the stems will grow longer to attempt to always keep as much of the top out of the water as possible. Ironically, this species prefers growing in more dry conditions compared to other species in cultivation. This might be due to oxygenation in the trays as I water them, as the sandy mixes in nature would be have much higher oxygenation. I imagine this species could grow quite successfully in a palladium setup if planted in the shallows of the aquarium portion and allowed to float about as it pleases. Otherwise, this is a fickle grower that is difficult to maintain in collections long term. Water germination is extremely effective with this species.
Byblis Pilbarana
If hell is real, this plant would be thriving there. Out of any carnivorous plant, this species is the most heat loving. This species is known from one small population that is about the size of a football field. There is a large sandstone outcrop surrounded by sand and in the crevice between the two is where you'll find the few members of Byblis Pilbarana. I do not recommend this for beginner Byblis growers, because this species wants to grow at temperatures that are lethal to most other carnivorous plants. In my experiences, even 85F is too low of an average temperature and it likely prefers 90-100F for daytime highs. Due to the nature of my collection, even the Petiolaris Drosera would start summer dormancy at those temperatures. If you can grow it under intense lighting, it produces beautiful red and purple colors along the stem and leaves that are absolutely striking. This is by far the shortest species of Byblis, often flowering at sizes of only 2-3 inches tall. Due to it's love of high temperatures, this species is incredibly prone to fungal diseases in normal household conditions. This is especially true of newly germinated seedlings.
Byblis Rorida
This species of Byblis is notable for having unique hairs on the sepal (the backside part of the flower closest to the stalk). Outside of that, this plant will scramble upwards and grows rather lanky. In the wild it is supported by the plants growing beside it, but in cultivation it requires extra support. Definitely the tallest tallest of the species from the Liniflora “Sub” Complex. These plants are rather easy to grow, but are not as vigorous as Byblis Liniflora, leading to their rarity in collections.
The Filifolia “Sub” Complex
The Filifolia Sub-complex can be best described as plants growing more towards the north western portion of Australia, that grow with anthers longer than the filament, and they will grow wood on their stems. These plants can exhibit perennial growth similar to Byblis Lamellata, capable of even undergoing summer dormancy. When this dormancy breaks, they'll regrow from woody portions of the stem similar to Byblis Lamellata. Typically, in nature these plants grow as annuals. Being the closest species (save Byblis Liniflora) to grow near Byblis Lamellata, it makes sense that they retain some of the perennial traits more than the Liniflora Sub-complex. Normally in cultivation, most growers usually see 6-12 months before these plants flower themselves to death. With enough feeding and consistent temperatures, it's possible to grow a single specimen for 3 years or more.
Byblis Filifolia
The namesake of this section and in my opinion one of the easiest to grow carnivorous plants after they're germinated. Germination is still a pain, but this species will respond to water germination, making it much more accessible than the rest of the species, save Byblis Liniflora. Byblis Filifolia is the second most widely available species of Byblis. Their ease to grow is only matched by Byblis Liniflora, but Byblis Filifolia can grow into a large bush if pruned properly. This species will produce wood along its stem after a year of growth and in older age will appear similar to Byblis Lamellata. My largest and most impressive Byblis specimens have always been from this species. Iif you're looking for something easier and more accessible than the perennials, than this species is for you.
Byblis Guehoi
This species is known for being the tallest of the Filifolia Sub-complex. In the wild, it'll branch profusely and make long scrambling stems to reach out for support on nearby grasses or trees. This habit makes Guehoi quite a challenge to keep in check in cultivation. It will grow into a branching mess that will spread into nearby spaces when grown well. If given intense enough light, it will also grow with deep red and purple hues. This species is a little more difficult to grow than Filifolia, but is incredibly rewarding for the coloration.
Byblis Lifecycle
Byblis seeds germinate either immediately after being released from the flower or after a wild fire provides enough chemical signaling. The ability to immediately germinate is determined by how much water can be absorbed through the seed coat. When dried, the seed coating absorbs water at much lower rate. The chemicals from the wildfire react with the seed coat to allow more water absorption. The seeds that readily absorb water are most likely to germinate the following season if dried, leaving a large portion to lay dormant in the soil's seed bank. This is because Byblis are usually competing with all kinds of grasses, bushes, and sometimes trees.
This competition for light exposure is a key reason why the genus is adapted to growing after wildfires. This would allow the most light exposure as all the nearby foliage has been burnt away. As long as there is enough moisture and nutrients present, they'll start sprouting en mass. From my cultivation experiments, Byblis can be grown from seed to flower with very low amounts of feeding. All species in the genus seem to respond positively from soil fertilization, which likely means after wildfires they rely on getting nutrition from the soil instead of insects. I hypothesize this is because insect populations would likely decline in their growing areas after a wildfire. All the recently burnt or dead foliage would provide some level of soil fertilization. Which would mean being able to use their roots to uptake this newly available nutrition to compensate for the lack of insects would be incredibly beneficial.
Almost all species of Byblis will flower within 2-6 months of growth. The Gigantea Complex tends to take longer, sometimes upwards of several years if ideal conditions are not present. Flowering occurs usually in the end of the wet Monsoon season as humidity, water availability, and food become less available. Byblis will flower vigorously, producing incredibly impressive displays that last upwards of a month in ideal conditions. Temperatures heavily influence when the Liniflora Complex will start to die out and the Gigantea Complex to go dormant. The combination of humidity and temperature are especially key to this process. As the plants die or go dormant, they release seeds from pollinated flowers.