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Cephalotus Propagation via its Flower Stalk?

I was wondering whether anyone out there has had any experience (or, more properly, luck) in propagating Cephalotus via its flower stalk? Since it is a fairly common process with Dionaea and some others -- and considering that a few of my plants are now in the process of blooming (and I should have no want of seed), I was thinking of trying it out. I also planted a smaller section of stalk alone, in the fashion of a leaf-cutting . . .

Cephalotus follicularis cv. "Hummer's Giant"

CFlower2.jpg


CFlower.jpg
 
My hummer's blooming too. I was just going to tickle the flowers with a tiny paint brush and hope for seeds. There's no point in trying to share pollen here, but I've heard you get better results by cross pollinating. Has anyone produced seeds from selfing Hummers Giant?
 
My hummer's blooming too. I was just going to tickle the flowers with a tiny paint brush and hope for seeds. There's no point in trying to share pollen here, but I've heard you get better results by cross pollinating. Has anyone produced seeds from selfing Hummers Giant?


I've also gone the self-pollination route in the past -- via that "paint brush" method -- and have always ended up with seed. I am letting a few other Cephalotus bloom and set seed but thought it would be interesting to see if these flower stalks strike.

Well, considering that you can use vegetative leaves, pitchers, bits of rhizome and root to propagate Cephalotus, I imagine that this may also work . . .
 
I've often wondered the same thing about flower stalks... (of any CP species)

I wish you luck Bella!
 
I've often wondered the same thing about flower stalks... (of any CP species)

I wish you luck Bella!

Thanks.

I have typically planted Dionaea flower stalks after I snipped a few; and I have had fairly good luck with those . . .
 
i recently had D. binata x Marston Dragon propogate via flower stalk cuttings...

I dont wanna jynx it, but I'd say that I bet that this technique will work for the ceph's :)

*knocks on wood*
 
You don't have anything to loose, but of all the plant parts I would think that if it does root at all it would be the least likely to/ have the lowest success rate... many plants can spread via leaf and root bits naturally but flower stalks usually don't ever have the opportunity to. I suppose that doesn’t mean that they can't, though.

I would recommend removing the tips. Just as with cut flowers, they may continue to try and open/expand once they have been cut off and use up their energy that way instead of putting it towards roots.
 
Has anyone produced seeds from selfing Hummers Giant?
I've got 4 babies coming along from last fall's seed crop. Most have 2-3 little pitchers. While I used 95% of the seed for the charity sale, I stuck a few in some media since I'd never actually planted any. Cool little guys ...
Cephbabies050509RS.jpg


When you mention 'selfing' - it was all 'selfed' - on their own. The prior year, I painstakingly pollinated every flower (or close) and I got less-than-optimal seed set (imho) and gooey paintbrushes from the nectar. Last fall, I did nothing, nada, rien ... & got more seed. Go figure...

So far this spring, I've only got one stalk coming & it will be on it's own when it opens... :sleep:
 
Very nice seedlings.

I still have a few Cephalotus sending up flower scapes and will collect seed when that time arrives (one scape is already 60 cm high and growing). I have received better results by far by futzing with the flowers than not; but everyone's experience is somewhat different, especially with these nasty little plants . . .

Out of curiosity, did you stratify your seeds or plant them outright? I have had similar results either way . . .
 
  • #10
I stratified some of the seed Ron gave away. For some reason it never sprouted -- I'm sure I just did something wrong.

Good luck with them cuttings, Bella!
 
  • #11
Out of curiosity, did you stratify your seeds or plant them outright? I have had similar results either way . . .
No stratification - just placed in the media - barely covered.
 
  • #12
My ceph I've had for over 5 years has 3 flower stalks coming up.It is in a 20 long tank and with them growing so tall should I try to divert them from hitting the lights or what do you folks think I should do?
Mark W.
 
  • #13
Growers often bend or stake them to grow along tops of tanks, since the flower stalks can be in excess of 60 cm (about 2 ft.); otherwise, if you're not too taken by the flowers themselves, you can snip them off and save the plant a costly energy expenditure . . .
 
  • #14
Any news on the stalk, Dave? Is it still tickin'?

Mark, is that some kind of sundew in your avatar?
 
  • #15
Both are still looking fine as of this morning -- no discoloration or wilting . . .
 
  • #16
Cool, keep us updated if they sprout!
 
  • #18
Ah, thanks Jeff. I think it looks pretty cool.

Edit: Actually, I just googled gypsicola and I'm pretty sure that's not it. Unless you meant in it's dormant growth period?
 
  • #19
A friend of mine had a Cephalotus flowering in his windowsill a couple of years ago- he fretted about what to do for a while, then one day decided to chop it off about 3" above the plant itself. The stalk didn't die as he'd anticipated, instead it started producing fully adult pitchers shortly after the snip, and for a while he had a genuine 2-level plant- there's a picture of it online somewheres, it's really goofy looking...

Just posted this so as to indicate that the stalks themselves seem to have what it takes to make new plants, so I believe your "experiment" should yield results for you :D
 
  • #20
Thanks for the encouragement . . .

The incidence of "plantlets" growing along the flower stalks (vegetative apomixis) is unusual but I have seen it most commonly with Dionaea (especially tissue cultured plants) -- and on only one occasion with a large ten year old Cephalotus . . .
 
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