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Cephalotus: First Bloom of 2009

I just discovered that one of my five-year-old, seed-grown Cephalotus "Double-Ribbed" plants was to be the first of its lot to send up a flower stalk in 2009 -- and on the first day of Spring, no less. I usually have to wait until High Summer in Northern California for that to occur.

I will do my damndest to collect seed when that time comes . . .

Cephalotus follicularis "Double-Ribbed" -- March 2009
CFDR.jpg


CFDR4.jpg


CFDR2.jpg
 
Pretty Cephalotus!
 
Today, almost two months to the day of first noticing an emerging flower scape, my first Cephalotus of the 2009 season is blooming with a number of its tiny 5 mm (0.2 in.) hairy flowers with more on the way -- clearly illustrating how the plant originally received its name. The flower scape itself is about 60 cm (2 feet) high; and the blooms can number well over one hundred, all said and done. About six to eight weeks after the cessation of flowering, the seeds are generally produced -- one per tiny flower. I am trying to ensure that I get a good seed set this year by cross-pollinating the flowers with a tiny camel hair brush . . .
. . .

Cephalotus follicularis "Double-Ribbed" May 2009

CEPHFLOWER2.jpg


CEPH3.jpg
 
Amazing! great picture. You sure do have a gift with Cephs man, good work!
 
So far, it's looking like I'm only going to get 1 bloom this year & currently the stalk is about the same size as in your 1st pic... I find it odd that the plant that's sending up a stalk is not remotely the largest of the group - last year it was also one of the smaller plants that decided to bloom - go figure.

PS - may I inquire what the "Double-Ribbed" refers to? Am I just missing something obvious in the pic?
 
So far, it's looking like I'm only going to get 1 bloom this year & currently the stalk is about the same size as in your 1st pic... I find it odd that the plant that's sending up a stalk is not remotely the largest of the group - last year it was also one of the smaller plants that decided to bloom - go figure.

PS - may I inquire what the "Double-Ribbed" refers to? Am I just missing something obvious in the pic?

Hi, that's been my experience too -- to a degree. Some larger plants are now just sending up stalks, though I usually don't see them until August or later. I have already trimmed a few off.

In answer to your question, this clone's (whose largest pitcher was 7 cm) lateral "wings" curl back upon themselves -- some very prominently -- giving the illusion that there are two (though not so clear in that earlier photo). This older shot from last Summer is more distinct:

Cephalotus follicularis "Double-Ribbed"
CF-Giant.jpg
 
I love cephs, they are one of my fav CP's. I hope I'll be as good as you as caring for them. :D Nice flower. And really nice colouration!
 
Pretty. Looks like something that would come from the ocean.
 
I love cephs, they are one of my fav CP's. I hope I'll be as good as you as caring for them. :D Nice flower. And really nice colouration!

Thanks . . .

As long as you can keep them relatively cool at night and not water-logged, Cephalotus is an amazingly hearty plant and can tolerate warm temperatures by day. Treat them as you would highland Nepenthes and you cannot go wrong. These plants are best served by being largely ignored; in fact, it took a double-take for me to realize that it was sending up a flower stalk back in March.

Do you want lasting success with Cephalotus? Simply don't **** with it. It is as simple as that. Far too many of these plants have been "loved to death" . . .
 
  • #10
Nice up-close shot! I've never seen a double ribbed plant before...

And good advice. I've actually left mine alone for a while, now they're finally starting to recover.
 
  • #11
Thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures and cultivation tips.
 
  • #12
Today, I potted up the first crop of twenty or so 5 mm seeds from the Cephalotus pictured above (there are still many flowers developing along the scape). This year I am going to stratify them for ninety days in the refrigerator, right along side my Sriracha hot sauce, abandoned soy sauce packets, and questionable horseradish . . .

Cephalotus follicularis seeds
CEPHSEED.jpg
 
  • #13
Very nice david, anything showing from those flower stalk cuttings yet?
i need to try me some ceph seeds some time...
hahaha, and i dig the octopus plate
 
  • #14
The planted flower stalks are still green after more than eight weeks; and that, if anything is encouraging . . .
That octopus soy sauce dish was the only thing clean and within reach when I was collecting the seed this morning . . .
 
  • #15
Good to hear david, it will be interesting to see if you get anything from the flower stalks.
i did my first leaf pulling and pitcher pulling and so far both are still green after id say...2 months or so?
the pitcher was a developing one, oddly enough, continued to develop after being pulled...lol
 
  • #16
Good deal! If the pitcher lasted that long already, it will undoubtedly callus or root. I think that I mentioned on one of these threads that I had a leaf pull that took over a year to show new growth . . .
 
  • #17
yeah i checked em today, not hard to do as they are in a thing of live LFS, sharing a pot with my N. villosa lmao
there are calluses, cant wait to get some more little baby cephs going ;)
 
  • #18
Congratulations. :) Ceph seeds look like little moth looking things... And that's an amazing plate. LOL.
 
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