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Cephalotus: First Bloom of 2009


loligo1964

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I just discovered that one of my five-year-old, Cephalotus 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.

To those who received seed in the past, I will do my damndest to collect them when that time comes . . .

Cephalotus follicularis "My Left Nut" -- Spring 2009
CFDR.jpg

CFDR4.jpg

CFDR2.jpg

Edited by loligo1964
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Congrats.

One of my plants was put under stress lately (a powdery mildew problem) and put out a 2 cm-long flower stem, with a very compact array of flowers at the top!

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Great pictures-why do you call it double-ribbed? However,I do notice the peristome is very prominent on this Ceph,it's a great plant.



Thanks . . .

While not apparent in the earlier posted photos, the lateral "L" rib of the pitcher leaves loop back upon themselves very prominently (far more so than in most other variants of Cephalotus), giving the impression that they are "doubled." Here is a shot of the same plant from last year. The average size of the pitcher leaves of this variant are 5.7 cm (2.25").

Cephalotus follicularis "My Left Nut" -- Spring 2008
CF-Giant.jpg Edited by loligo1964
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  • 1 month later...

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 . . .

Cephalotus follicularis "Double-Ribbed" May 2009

CEPHFLOWER2.jpg

CEPH3.jpg

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About six-eight weeks after the cessation of flowering, seeds are generally produced -- one per tiny flower (so, about one hundred). 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 . . .

Edited by loligo1964
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About six-eight weeks after the cessation of flowering, seeds are generally produced -- one per tiny flower (so, about one hundred). 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 . . .

Will the seeds result in a plant that will exhibit the same double ribbed effect?

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Will the seeds result in a plant that will exhibit the same double ribbed effect?

That's a bit of a genetic crap shoot, considering that there's a "shuffling" of the DNA deck (to awkwardly mix another metaphor) during meiosis in the process of seed development. Only plants vegetatively-propagated (cuttings and the like) are assured of those characteristics; although, seeds from a couple of Cephalotus "Hummer's Giant" plants sown some years back all produced pitchers well within that cultivar's size range -- the largest pitcher reaching 8 cm.

Seems to be a dominant trait there, though much is left to chance and environmental conditions . . .

Edited by loligo1964
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  • 3 weeks later...
About six-eight weeks after the cessation of flowering, seeds are generally produced -- one per tiny flower (so, about one hundred). 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 . . .

When is the right time to use the tiny brush?

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Guest cephalotus.info

Hi Pete,

The pollen goes from a tight light yellow little clumps to a slightly bigger darker yellow. THEN use the brush - basically just swirl if round the flowers as though trying to clean off the pollen.

Jonathan

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  • 4 weeks later...

Today, I potted up the first crop of twenty or so seeds from the Cephalotus pictured above (there are still many flowers currently 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

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Today, I potted up the first crop of twenty or so seeds from the Cephalotus pictured above (there are still many flowers currently 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 . . .

Why do you like to stratify? Some growers would sow them straight away.

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Why do you like to stratify? Some growers would sow them straight away.

I have experimented with both methods in the past, and I have found that the germination rate with stratified Cephalotus seeds was fully a third higher than those planted outright; and considering that the seeds produced are so few per season per plant (rarely exceeding one hundred in total), I desired a bit of insurance . . .

Edited by loligo1964
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