Sowing the Phal. corunu-cervi f. chattaladae Capsules
March 28, 2007

Dr. Grove was kind enough to send me his two capsules. One was carried on the plant used to define the forma, "the type": 'Chinainthorn'. (Pictured at right.) This was a smaller capsule, (3.17 grams), but the seed was more developed.

The other capsule was much larger, (6.81 grams), but the seed was not as developed. The seed was right on the cusp of turning from white to yellow. I usually like to see more developed seed than this, but I think this will go, if it doesn't contaminate, and it likes the media.

Dr. Grove had sealed the column ends of the capsules with something, you can see it in this picture. (This is where contamination often enters the capsule.) I assigned outside cross numbers to the capsules, marked them with a permanent marker and recorded their weights in the ubiquitous lab book. (Great habit to get into. The lab book, that is. Record everything; learn a lot more.)

Next I give them a light scrubbing with a toothbrush and plain detergent in water. The objective is to get some of the outer layer of wax and all of the dust, crud, filth or whatever off. You do want some wax to remain, or the capsule can get dissolved in the clorox.

Next, a 10 minute soak in 50% clorox, with occasional agitation. The detergent from the previous step helps "wet" the capsules.

When the 10 minutes in the 50% clorox is up, I transfer the capsules to 10% clorox and allow to soak for another 15 minutes, again with occasional agitation. I usually do other setup tasks during this time, like label the flasks.

Below everything is ready to cut the capsules and sow the seed. The first two mothers are on the front left and the capsules and tools are on the rear right. I didn't want to risk contaminating the seed, so I didn't take any pictures actually cutting the capsules or sowing the seed. Maybe another time ...

Above you can see some of my high-tech equipment ... behind the mother flasks is the cut-off end of a 2.5 gal water container I use to surface sterilze flasks. That is a lid from a Pyrex baking dish the capsules are on. The tools are sterilzed in clorox in a small Sake jar, and rinsed in sterile distilled water in the old erlenmeyer. The tools themselves are a disposable scalpel that is at least 10 years old, and a wire loop I made myself from a piece of stainless steel wire. The clorox rots the cheap sponges really fast, so I cut them in half, and try to get two uses out of each half. My laminar flow hood was retired from UC Davis about twenty years ago; I rebuilt it back then, it is about due again.

The finished mothers ... from front left to rear right: two flasks of DG0701, three flasks of DG0702, [and one flask each of two other capsules I sowed today (mannii x mannii 'Mahogany') and (mannii x cornu-cervi f. sanguinea).]

The mothers four weeks later ... two flasks of DG0701, which was from a capsule carried on the type of the forma, are showing lots of green. No contamination and production of cholorophyll are the first two hurdles, and we seem to have cleared those.

Six spreads from one of the above mothers. In a few weeks, I will be making replates.

Six spreads from one of the above mothers, done on 5/17/07, and photographed on 7/27/07. These are now ready to begin making replates.