Cephalotus follicularis is an absolutely fabulous looking plant from southwest Australia. A pot of these bizarre little things look so grotesquely bizarre, you expect their lids to start flapping at you any second as they start singing a happy little puppet song or demand a blood sacrifice immediately (depending upon which kind of movie your life is).
Really, this rosetted plant is remarkable. Not very large-the biggest, grandest clumps of pitchers are only about 60 cm in diameter), the rosettes consist of two types of leaves. One kind is flat, a few to several cm long, and somewhat tonguelike. The other kind is dramatically transmogrified into a complex pitcher shape of similar size to the foliage leaves. (Very occasionally, mutant intermediate leaves are produced.)
The pitchers are marvels of adaptation. Flanged wings on the pitchers might function as insect highways, drawing prey up to the pitcher mouth. A lid with windows allows in light, but prevents the pitcher from overfilling with rain. A peristome around the mouth is festooned with glands. Prey that fall into the pitcher find escape impossible because of the microscopic downward-pointing projections on the slippery pitcher walls, and a nasty overhanging ceiling they cannot navigate around. Each pitcher is filled with fluid, exuded by domelike glands, the dread gland patch.
. There is some opinion that this plant specializes in trapping ants, but they do consume a variety of prey.
Eesh!
The common name, Albany pitcher plant, merely indicates that this plant is found near the Australian town of Albany. The Latin name translates, strangely enough, to "the sack-bearing, headed one". Although this sounds like some horrible kind of schoolyard insult that got messed up on the delivery.
The entire plant & seeds is covered with so many little bristles it has been called a "vegetable hedgehog."
Picture above shows the seeds. Seeds are fresh and properly stored with 90% germination rate. A rarity in cultivation and the wild. This is your chance to grow this extraordinary plant for seed. Germination and care instructions will be provided with you purchase. You are buying 1 at R75. Feel free to ask any questions!
1 Free for every 5 you purchase!
Some more info on the live cycle of the Cephalotus
