 | HABITAT Confined to the south-western corner of Australia, where it grows in the sandy peat of coastal swamps. |
| CULTIVATION Water on the tray method, ie. stand the pot in 3 centimetres or so of rain water during the growing season, but allow the water to disappear before topping up. In winter, reduce watering to just keep the compost damp. Cephalotus can tolerate rather drier conditions than many other pitcher plants - use a deep pot so that the water table is low down in the compost. |
 |
| | Stand the pot either in a greenhouse or a sunny windowsill. Direct sunlight will give the pitchers an intense red colouration Remove all dead growth to avoid fungal attack. Dead pitchers can be pulled away, petiole and all, from the rhizome. |
| Don't be tempted to use any sort of fertiliser on these plants. They are naturally from impoverished soils and extra nutrients can often kill the plant. If kept in a terrarium where live prey is in short supply, very small pieces of dried tubifex worm, as supplied for fish, can be dropped into one or two of the pitchers, but DON'T OVERDO IT! Cephalotus looks at its best when it forms a dense clump, so don't re-pot too often. When you must, for instance if the plant has completely filled its pot, do it in spring when growth is well under way. This is the time to propagate by cuttings (see below). | |
| | Some writers have suggested that Cephalotus requires a richer compost than some CPs. Personally I have never dared to add leafmold to my compost (you never know what you are getting in leafmold) so I use a fairly standard mix of 2 parts sphagnum peat to one part sand and one part Perlite, with a handful of orchid bark mixed into the bottom 1/4 to 1/3 of the pot. |
PROPAGATION - The flowers of Cephalotus are insignificant and green, and once you have seen them it is better to pinch out any subsequent flower spikes, as flowering tends to weaken the plant. This means that seed is not the best method of propagation.
- The best and quickest way is to divide big clumps when repotting -a section of plant with its own roots and a few pitchers can be detatched with a clean, sharp knife and potted up separately.
- For smaller plants, leaf cuttings work reasonable well - both the shield-shaped non-carnivorous leaves and the true pitcher can be removed with their petioles attached, ideally when the parent is in full growth. Dip the end of the petiole in hormone rooting powder (if available) and insert into live sphagnum. Keep the pot covered with a propagator dome, and keep it warm. Treat with a suitable fungicide if necessary.
| |
