Spotlight on Dionaea ‘Akai Ryu’

‘Akai Ryu’ is perhaps the most commonly encountered Dionaea cultivar in cultivation. Let’s take a closer look at this fascinating variety, which is universally admired by growers…

Atlanta, mid-1990s. The city’s botanical garden had been experimenting with Dionaea muscipula crosses for several months. Their efforts were finally rewarded when 20 seeds germinated, producing seven red plants that caught the gardeners’ attention. These clones were then immediately cultivated in vitro. One of them stood out due to its much more intense colouring, which earned it a place in conventional cultivation. It developed a superb burgundy colour on the petioles and traps, far superior to anything seen before. Its great vigour was also highly unusual.

Convinced by its qualities, Ron Garigliardo, curator of tropical plants at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, recorded it in the Carnivorous Plant Newsletter in June 1996.

Its vigour and high resistance to harsh conditions (particularly the cold) are indeed characteristics as remarkable as its colouration.