Cephalotus Follicularis Giants: Myth or Reality
Cephalotus follicularis giant forms: “Myth or Reality”
By Agustin Franco, Ph.D., Sydney, N.S.W., Australia
Agustinfranco@hotmail.com
This article is dedicated to those who spend their lives growing this beautiful, but unusual carnivorous plant.
Cephalotus follicularis (labillardiere, 1806), commonly known as the West Australian pitcher plant, Albany pitcher plant or Australian ground pitcher, is the only species of the genus Cephalotus. The word “Cephalotus” comes from the greek “kephalotos” meaning "headed", which refers to the filaments of the stamens. The word “follicularis” refers to follicles or small sacs, which describes the shape of the carnivorous pitchers [Fig. 1].
[pic]
Fig 1. Cephalotus follicularis in the wild. (Photo courtesy of Mrs. Pat Johns, Wildflowers Society of Western Australia)
The plant’s original habitat is Southwestern Australia, its range of distribution is about a 400 km strip from regional Albany to Eusselton (Western Australia). This plant naturally grows in a meso-mediterranean climate characterized by cool and wet winters followed by hot summers. However, the temperature fluctuations in this area almost never reach below 5ºC in winter and hardly exceed 25ºC in summer, but it can rise up to 40ºC (Cheers, 1992)
As most carnivorous plants, it prefers a humid environment and loves to grow amongst grasses and shrubs. In other words, it prefers shaded areas. If the plant grows under direct sunlight, it accumulates anthocyanin, a pigment responsible for the red colouration of the pitchers. In nature, Cephalotus mainly grows in a mixture of sand, grass, and peat while dieting on mainly crawling insects such as ants.
Cephalotus follicularis has two types of leaves: non-carnivorous and carnivorous. The non-carnivorous leaves are usually spear-shaped; even though, during the winter, round non-carnivorous leaves are produced. The carnivorous leaf or pitcher is one of nature’s masterpieces. It has a peristome or mouth filled with
By Agustin Franco, Ph.D., Sydney, N.S.W., Australia
Agustinfranco@hotmail.com
This article is dedicated to those who spend their lives growing this beautiful, but unusual carnivorous plant.
Cephalotus follicularis (labillardiere, 1806), commonly known as the West Australian pitcher plant, Albany pitcher plant or Australian ground pitcher, is the only species of the genus Cephalotus. The word “Cephalotus” comes from the greek “kephalotos” meaning "headed", which refers to the filaments of the stamens. The word “follicularis” refers to follicles or small sacs, which describes the shape of the carnivorous pitchers [Fig. 1].
[pic]
Fig 1. Cephalotus follicularis in the wild. (Photo courtesy of Mrs. Pat Johns, Wildflowers Society of Western Australia)
The plant’s original habitat is Southwestern Australia, its range of distribution is about a 400 km strip from regional Albany to Eusselton (Western Australia). This plant naturally grows in a meso-mediterranean climate characterized by cool and wet winters followed by hot summers. However, the temperature fluctuations in this area almost never reach below 5ºC in winter and hardly exceed 25ºC in summer, but it can rise up to 40ºC (Cheers, 1992)
As most carnivorous plants, it prefers a humid environment and loves to grow amongst grasses and shrubs. In other words, it prefers shaded areas. If the plant grows under direct sunlight, it accumulates anthocyanin, a pigment responsible for the red colouration of the pitchers. In nature, Cephalotus mainly grows in a mixture of sand, grass, and peat while dieting on mainly crawling insects such as ants.
Cephalotus follicularis has two types of leaves: non-carnivorous and carnivorous. The non-carnivorous leaves are usually spear-shaped; even though, during the winter, round non-carnivorous leaves are produced. The carnivorous leaf or pitcher is one of nature’s masterpieces. It has a peristome or mouth filled with
Bibliography: Cheers, G. 1992. A Guide to Carnivorous Plants of the World. Collins Angus Robertson, Sydney. 174 pp. Dawe, K. 1998. Meiotic Chromosome organization and segregation in plants. Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. Plant Mol. Biol. 49:371-395. Demoise, C.F., Partanen, C.R. 1969. Effects of subculturing and physical condition of medium on the nuclear behavior of a plant tissue culture. Amer. J. Bot. 56:147-152. Hummer, J. 2000. Cephalotus "Hummer’s Giant". International Carnivorous Plant Society. 29:119-120. labillardiere, J.J.H.d. 1806. Cephalotus. Novae Hollandie plantarum specimen II:6-7. tab 145. Lecoufle, M. 1990. Carnivorous Plants. Cassell Villiers House, London. 144 pp. Lloyd, F.E. 1976. The Carnivorous plants. Dover Publications, Inc., New York. 354 pp. Lowrie, A. 1998. Carnivorous plants of Australia. University of Western Australia Press, Nedlands. 285 p