| Introduction
Cephalotus follicularis
is found only in one place in the world: the southwestern
coastal regions of Australia. Like most carnivorous plants, this
plant only grows in swampy or boggy ground. There are two common
names used for this plant, the (Western) Australian Pitcher
Plant and the Albany Pitcher Plant. Cephalotus come
from the Greek word "kephalotus", meaning headed – this is
referring to the anthers of the stamen. The second part "follicularis"
referring to a small bag or pod – the leaf trap.
Trap
This plant has two types of leaves. The first
type is oval-shaped and is non-carnivorous, and these are
produced in the spring. Then around September and October the
carnivorous leaf grows. The pitcher (trap) looks very different
from the flat, non-carnivorous leaf. It grows up to 5 cm (2
inches) in size – see drawing and photos below.
Like many carnivorous plants, it uses
nectar glands, colour and tricks to get its prey. The trick part
is the use of translucent grooves on the lid that over hangs the
trap. The nectar glands are around the mouth of the trap on
sharp, inward pointing ribs, which also stops the prey from
coming out after falling into the liquid inside. Another feature
of Cephalotus is an overhanging lip or collar on the
inside of the pitcher. This stops any insect from crawling out,
not only due to its shape but also its slipperiness. The inside
of the trap is light green in colour, whereas the outside is a
deep maroon in a mature trap. Digestive glands are found in two
areas inside the pitcher.
In the Wild
There is only one place in the World
this plant grows in nature, as mentioned above. Cephalotus
follicularis swamps and bogs also have other carnivorous
plants growing there, such as Drosera hamiltonii and
Drosera pulchella.
In Cultivation
C. follicularis can be very
hard to grow, especially smaller plants, as they can rot very
easily and quickly. The trick is not to water from above, and to
keep the soil drier in the winter months. I have had no luck in
growing this plant from tissue culture yet. The numerous little
greenish-white flowers, produced on a scape that can get to 60
cm (2 feet) high from the plant, do produce seed that I find
easy to grow, but seedlings do take a few years to get to
flowering size. Rhizomes and leaf cutting are a quicker way of
getting a larger plant. I have found the rhizome cuttings seem
to put out leaves first, followed by roots. I plant all cuttings
in live sphagnum moss. Some people use rooting and
fungicide powders when taking cuttings, but I do not. Although I
do loose a few which is possibly due to not using such powders,
I only want to grow a few plants at a time so this is of no
consequence to me.
Planting media I use is a mix of 1 part
sphagnum moss peat, 1 part perlite, and two parts
silver sand. I also grow plants in just live sphagnum
moss. A large, deep pot is great for this plant as it gives the
plant space to grow more rhizomes from which it will grow more
plants. Additionally a deep pot allows you to grow it with other
carnivorous plants in tray full of water and not get the crown
too wet.
I have been growing a plant outside in
my bog garden for over three years now and it's growing well. I
live in Essex in England, UK, where this winter it has gone down
to -8° C and have had 5 cm (2 inches) of snow twice, and the
plant still looks OK. I planted it with lots of silver sand with
the peat, perlite and live moss, and it is placed in a drier
part of the bog.
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