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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly...Ceph question

PlantAKiss

Moderator Schmoderator Fluorescent fluorite, Engl
I just took a look a few days ago at my beloved Cephalotus. It is two large clumps of Hummer's Giant with multiple crowns. I am in awe of it. One pitcher is about 2.5 inches tall and others are close.

The good. I was shocked to see a flower scape! It never occurred to me it would ever flower. I thought that was pretty cool.

The bad. I noticed that one pitcher was browning and there were some leaves browning as well. Up until now, the cephs have been very healthy looking. And for the most part it still is...but there are some brown spots that don't look "normal." Some of the browning leaves look dehydrated....kind of pebbly looking on the surface.

The ugly. I began poking around to see if I could find the source for the browning. And I discovered something I've never seen before on any plant. On the bottom of some of the leaves was something that looked like white paint or White-Out. On one leaf the entire underside was coated. It does not look like mold or a fungus. It looks like paint. And oddly enough, it peeled right off in a sheet that looked like an impression of the leaf. It reminded me of the casts they make of tire prints in forensic science. I found this white "paint" on a few other leaves, in some places just small spots. I removed all I could find and washed the areas with a little alcohol.

I am horrified. Although most of the ceph looks fine and healthy, I am worried about this "paint" spreading. Nothing has changed in its growing situation. It does not have root rot.

Has anyone ever seen this before? I assume it is a fungus of some sort although it doesn't look like any I've ever seen. Does anyone know what it is?
 
where's Av8tor1 & jmatt when u need them? lol! hmm....only thing that comes to mind is scale. :( Any pics to help diagnose it PAK??
 
Yeah, I was surprised to see my little windowsill plant flowering. My plant has about 1.5 inch pitchers, it went from baby pitchers to adult pitchers last year so I believe it has another year or two of pitcher growth before they hit full size. It IS a German Giant, after all. I have never experienced what you've heard of. My Cephalotus has never had any pests or diseases. Um... the only thing I can think of is sooty mold but that's green, I believe.
 
The ugly. On the bottom of some of the leaves was something that looked like white paint or White-Out. On one leaf the entire underside was coated. It does not look like mold or a fungus. It looks like paint. And oddly enough, it peeled right off in a sheet that looked like an impression of the leaf.


Wow! I've encountered the exact same thing on a pitcher of my typical Ceph. I thought someone sneaked into my home with a bottle of White-Out and did mischief to my beloved Ceph. ;)

It chips off like old paint and appears to do no damage to the leaf or pitcher.

I had a clear plastic cup over my Ceph for humidity reasons when this was happening. Since I have removed it, I no longer see the brittle white substance.

???
 
I've never experienced what you are describing but FWIW, there is a white scale from Australia that has made it to the states, "Icerya purchasi"

it sorta sounds like what you are describing... if so I would apply Bayer Rose and Flower spray, I have found it to be extremely effective (and ceph/heli safe) on other forms of scale and most other pest... caution some sundews do seem sensitive to it though,

If it is a fungus... well guess you can see this coming, Id recommend increased light, increased airflow and a good application of trichoderma and bacillus

the fluting of the Icerya purchasi egg case is a pretty definite identification trait... sound be easy to positively ID

http://gardenbees.com/biological%20control/revolution.htm

"Some of the browning leaves look dehydrated....kind of pebbly looking on the surface."... if you said green, pebbly and dehydrated then that would really worry me... from my experience those are the classic symptoms of sudden death syndrome


HTH's
Av
 
In the meantime I'd (broken record) get some leaf cuttings going in a new pot with new LFS.

Suzanne.... these folks don't remember that movie!
 
BTW, the Bayer product comes in several flavors... the specific one I like is the "ready to spray" product

IMIDACLOPRID 0.012% and B-CYFLUTHRIN 0.0015%

This stuff works great, but IMIDACLOPRID is one of a list of suspects in the massive bee die off (Colony Collapse Disorder), use outside with caution, especially if bees are present IMHO

expert opinions on the subject vary greatly, but it's now banned in Germany and France I believe

as always, Jim's advice is spot on
 
Can't say that I ever experienced what you are talking about?
I have had plants get scale before, but it was not white like you say.
Guess mine had the usual run of the mill kind?
Think I remember when my plant had scale real bad the plant's pitchers and leaves were sticky. I have had some type of fungus before on some plants that was white and fluffy.
I can't remember off hand what I used, might have been a fungucide for roses that got rid of it. Are these plants growing with other plants? Mine got the scale from being very close to some new orchids I got.
JMatt
 
i think i had it on the bottom of my VFT for a while when it was on my windowsill... i brought it outdoor and it never came back.
i guess more air ventrillation.
 
  • #10
i think i had it on the bottom of my VFT for a while when it was on my windowsill... i brought it outdoor and it never came back.
i guess more air ventrillation.

Yeah, I really think so too. My Cephalotus has never got molded or anything like the aforementioned said because it's out in the open in low to lowish-medium humidity.
 
  • #11
This was definitely not scale. Unfortunately I know what scale looks like. And its not the white scale. If you can imagine taking white-out and painting the entire underside of a leaf...that is what it looks like. And it will peel off in a sheet like paint. Its thin, flat and smooth. It's not a bug.

While my cephs have been partially covered, there was plenty of air circulation underneath and I don't keep my plants wet. They are allowed to dry out some to prevent root rot. I've had them for...over a year? And they've been doing excellently until now.

???

Oh and I'd post a pic except that my camera has been broken for months and my cell phone would not be able to capture any detail.
 
  • #12
Maybe the Cephalotus equivalent of toejam, belly button lint or earwax.
 
  • #14
You might try Tom Volk's website PAK, he da man when it comes to fungi...

http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/

I believe what you have then would generally be considered a crust or parchment fungus... but that is just an uneducated guess LOL,
but I would bet that trich would be very aggressive against it

HTH's
Av
 
  • #15
I was just thinking about trichoderma a little while ago. Might have to check into that. And I'll check the fungus man. lol

Thank you. :)
 
  • #16
I've seen that stuff while hiking. It's almost like dried scabs of latex paint. No idea what it is.
 
  • #17
Yeah...I can't find an ID on it. :-/ So I don't know how much peril my plant is in.
 
  • #18
Might be a lichen.
 
  • #19
Warren,

I thought about lichen as well, but does it being limited to the underside of the leaves eliminate that as a possiblity?

might email the fungus doctor LOL

defintely keep us posted PAK, very interesting

BTW, trichoderma has shown to be effective to some degree against every fungus tested so far, However, depending on the fungus some trich strains do work better then others .... thats why Ive always made up my "cocktail" just to cover my butt...

Ive not used any fungicides in over 5 yrs now I guess, and ya know.... its just not an issue any more

Av
 
  • #20
I did think about a lichen too but...why/how would I get that growing on a pot of cephs indoors?

I wish I had a working camera. I did have the "sheet" I pulled of the worst affected leaf. It looks like an exact replica of the leaf.

I used to have a very uncomplicated plant life. I never had any problems other than the squirrels. Now I have "white-out", aphids and mealy bugs. And an occasional scale. ???
 
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