Carnivorous Plant of the Week (December 27th, 2021) - Byblis guehoi
Found in the Kimberly region of Western Australia, this plant is what is known as a tetraploid; this is incredibly interesting from a genetics-focused perspective because by definition tetraploidy is “an extremely rare chromosomal anomaly where the affected individual has four copies of each chromosome instead of two.”
First discovered in August 2004 by Russ Guého (and first formally described in 2008 by Allen Lowrie and John Conran), this carnivorous plants features passive adhesive traps like other Byblis plants but is also somewhat visually distinct from them on account of its unique branching stems.
Byblis guehoi also has large and lovely flowers when it blooms. Typically more than an inch across, these flowers are usually a pink or mauve color and can be quite numerous depending on the size and health of the plant with it blooms.
From the reading I’ve done so far, this particular carnivorous plant is fairly straightforward to care for. A typical carnivorous plant soil mixture should do for a potting medium; also, since Byblis guehoi can grow quite large, make sure to put it in a pot with plenty of space. Like most carnivorous plants, Byblis guehoi prefers moderate to high humidity but with enough airflow to forestall any potential mold/mildew/fungal issues.
