This entire debate has me completely confused as I'm trying to apply basic genetics I've learned with my ball pythons (currently over 4600 recognized color and pattern morphs and morph combinations) to VFT's. Or am I wrong in thinking that specific "mutations" we find in VFT's are due to some specific gene, i.e. color gene, length of cilia gene, etc. being of a specific sort, i.e. red or green, long or short, etc.? Or that these genes can be categorized into specific types, i.e. dominant, co-dominant and recessive? Or that, based on this type categorization the offspring can be predicted?
I mean, Mendel started it all using pea
plants.
A quick example based on what Matt produced with the 'Mirror' cultivar. It is possible that the Mirror mutations is based on a co-dominant gene. Reason being that Matt produced a super/exaggerated (homogeneous/full) form, aka 'Mirror x Mirror' (
http://www.flytrapcare.com/store/venus- ... us-flytrap) by crossing 'Mirror' with 'Mirror'. I'm guessing some of the other plants from that crossing looked like normal 'Mirror' (heterogeneous/half) forms and others like normal flytraps (no 'Mirror' gene present). Possibly the same with the 'Werewolf Spawn' (
http://www.flytrapcare.com/store/venus- ... us-flytrap). So yes, they are each genetically unique but exhibit the mutation/cultivar gene that makes them what we call them.
Recessives seems to be where this debate derails as the 1st generation (heterogeneous) recessives, if not self-pollinated, does not show the mutation. People seems to therefor believe that seed grown does not create more of a cultivar. Cross this 1st generation offspring with each other or back to the parent and in all likelihood some of this 2nd generation offspring will exhibit the mutation in question. Self pollinating should in theory give 100% the same but there are exceptions as well (higher level genetics than what I know...) that "are, but do not act as what they are".
Dionaea, like any other living organism should follow the same genetic rules and I therefore believe that a seed grown that displays the same traits as the parent should be be labeled/named as such.