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Plant Genus: Cephalotus follicularis
Common Name: The West Australian Pitcher Plant
Number of Species: 1
Place(s) found naturally: Australia
Cephalotus folliculairs (Cephalotaceae)
 Cephalotus This plant has two types of leaves. The first type is oval-shaped, non-carnivorous and produced in the spring. Then around September and October, the carnivorous leaf grows. The pitcher (trap) looks very different from the flat, non-carnivorous leaf. It grows up to 5 cm (2 inches) in size. See drawing and photographs.  Cephalotus follicularis As mentioned above, there is only one place that this plant is found in the wild. Other carnivorous plants grow alongside Cephalotus in those swamps and bogs, such as Drosera hamiltonii and Drosera pulchella.  Cephalotus can be very hard to grow, especially smaller plants, as they can rot very easily and quickly. The trick is not to water from above, and to keep the soil drier in the winter months. The numerous little greenish-white flowers, produced on a scape that can get up to 60cm (2 feet) high from the plant, do produce seed that are easy to grow, but seedlings take a few years to get to flowering size. Rhizomes and leaf cuttings are a quicker way of getting a larger plant. Rhizome cuttings seem to put out leaves first, followed by roots. Use a mix of 1 part sphagnum moss peat, 1 part Perlite, and two parts silver sand. Alternatively, plants can also be grown in live sphagnum moss. A large, deep pot is recommended for this plant, as it gives the plant space to grow more rhizomes from which it will grow more plants. Additionally, a deep pot allows you to grow this plant, similar to other carnivorous plants, in a tray full of water without getting the crown too wet.
For more plant information check out Rick Walker's CP Database
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