FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi All. What is the best way to distinguish an oreo from a flava? Looking at pictures, they seem extremely similar.

Oreo is a very early grower and weedy. Often only produces a few pitchers than makes phlodia or whatever they’re called during summer. Pitchers flop over easily. Rhizome naturally buries itself.

For what it's worth per D'Amato: "The pitchers, vaguely similar to those of S. flava except for the more broadly opened mouth, wider neck, and somewhat dome-shaped lid, grow to about 12 to 24 inches (30.5–60 cm) tall."

I actually used to have some (oreo x flava) x oreo which were tradable across state lines and virtually indistinguishable from oreo.

I suspect many have labeled Oreo as flava to ship across state lines... furthermore they probably didn’t label the plant at all. Customs state to state rarely checks boxes

I am because I am starting to wonder if my flava are actually oreos in the witness protection plan. They don't look like typical flava pictures I find.

I've very, very new to growing Oreophila, having only acquired my first few this year (at least to my knowledge). The phyllodia on your "flava03" do look like the phyllodia I've seen on the oreos I got this year. I got most of the verifiable oreophila Sarrs later in the season, so I haven't grown them a full season yet and thus don't know that I could recognize them at all stages of growth but your plant looks to me to be flava dominant but might have some oreophila genetics in it as well.

Does the rhizome grow halfway above the soil level or is it below the soil? Oreo and it’s hybrids like to be buried over an inch...

The hoods on oreophila usually have a wider back that doesn't curl around much. Also, the front of the hoods almost always point up at a 30-45 degree angle.

Matt wrote: ↑Wed Dec 23, 2020 4:34 pm The phyllodia on your "flava03" do look like the phyllodia I've seen on the oreos I got this year.

The phyllodia shape is one of my main reasons for questioning.

jose wrote: ↑Wed Dec 23, 2020 5:41 pm Does the rhizome grow halfway above the soil level or is it below the soil?

The rhizomes do work their way to the surface, so one for flava.

MikeB wrote: ↑Wed Dec 23, 2020 7:58 pm The hoods on oreophila usually have a wider back that doesn't curl around much. Also, the front of the hoods almost always point up at a 30-45 degree angle.

It definitely has a flava butt and doesn't tip the hood as much.

I'll chalk it up to a flava that wants to be an oreo. Thanks all.