Byblis gigantea is a beautiful, perennial species of Byblis, growing in regions of Southwestern Australia. The Mediterranean climate has cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers. These plants grow quickly with stems growing from a woody base to 1 to 2 feet tall, with leaves averaging about 10 inches long at maturity.
The flowers are unbelievable, beautiful, large, and purple, up to one inch across. This species usually grows on the sandy edges of wet winter swamps. In the summer, as the soil dries out, the stems of the plants die down to the woody base, and the plant remains dormant until the rain comes. However, when grown in cultivation, these plants can be grown with the soil always damp year round. Byblis gigantea is a perennial species and can live for many years.
The plants we are shipping will be 2-4” in size. REMOVE THE MOSS, AT THE BASE OF THE PLANT, USED TO PACK THE PLANTS UPON RECEIPT!
Please note: Shipping can be hard on the sticky dew covering the leaves, so your plant may arrive without dew. It can take a few weeks for the plant to produce more dew. If it has not produced dew after four weeks, you may need to increase light.
Care Instructions
Growth Habit: These plants grow upright with many leaves off the main stem and will grow to 1-2’ tall. The main stem can become brown and woody looking. This species is a perennial. The leaves die back over time, and new ones grow. The roots are often white to tan to dark brown. These plants flower prolifically and produce seeds. This plant will need to be pollinated to produce seed. Flowering is most common in late spring or summer.
Sun: These can be grown in full sun indoors on a very sunny windowsill, where your plant will receive direct sunlight but we rarely see these do well on windowsills, we recommend using a grow light to supplement light for gigantea. Have the grow lights on a 10-12 hour day length. They can also be grown outdoors in full sun during the spring and summer, with protection from the height of the summer sun, particularly in more tropical or Mediterranean areas.
Water and Humidity: Always sit in shallow water, 1/2 inch, of distilled, rainwater, or reverse osmosis water. These plants are susceptible to their water quality and do not like minerals and salts in their water. These plants appreciate humidity of 50-80%.
Temperature and Dormancy: Ideally, 60 degrees—80 degrees. However, it can take temperatures up to 100 degrees, but only for short periods. Byblis gigantea experiences a dry summer dormancy in its native habitat but this not required.
Soil and Repotting: We prefer a mix of four parts akadama to one part sand to one part peat. You do not need to repot your plant when you receive it from us, be very careful if you do transplant as these have delicate root systems! Once your plants reach 10-12” tall, it may be time to repot into a larger pot. A tall pot with lots of room for the root system is helpful, like a 10-12” tall pot but it does not need to be that wide. Soil can also develop a swampy smell, especially right after shipping, when the plant is wrapped in plastic and sealed. This is normal; these plants grow naturally in bogs and swampy conditions, and peat moss can develop a bit of an anaerobic smell, but this does not indicate a problem with the soil.
Feeding and Fertilizer: They will significantly benefit from foliar fertilization. Apply MaxSea fertilizer 1-2 times per month to the foliage only. Dilute 1/4 teaspoon of MaxSea into one gallon of water and then apply it to the leaves with a mister bottle.
More Information: For further information, check out our website or our YouTube channel.
Glittering and often delicate, Rainbow Plants (Byblis) can sometimes appear as frosted sprays of water and, in sunlight, sparkle with multicolored hues. Their shining leaves and pretty flowers mask their deadly nature as they catch and kill countless tiny insects that make the fatal mistake of alighting upon them. The plants grow naturally in Australia and New Guinea.
