add site
services
publishers
database
health videos
toolbar
stats
live show
health store
more stuff
JOIN/LOGIN
| advertise add site services publishers database health videos
| | about toolbar stats live show health store more stuff JOIN/LOGIN |
Cephalotus is a genus which contains one species, Cephalotus follicularis, a small carnivorous plant. The pit-fall traps of the modified leaves have inspired the common names for this plant, which include Albany Pitcher Plant, Western Australian Pitcher Plant, fly-catcher plant or mocassin plant.
[edit] DescriptionCephalotus follicularis is a small, low growing, herbaceous species. Evergreen leaves appear from underground rhizomes, are simple with an entire leaf blade, and lie close to the ground. The insectivorous leaves are small, green, and have the appearance of moccasins, forming the 'pitcher' of the common name. The foliage is a basal arrangement that is closely arranged with outward facing adapted leaf blades. These leaves give the main form of the species, the height is around 200 mm. The 'pitcher' trap of the species is similar to other pitcher plants. The peristome at the entrance of the trap has a spiked arrangement that allows the prey to enter, but hinders its escape. The lid over the entrance, the operculum, prevents rainwater entering the pitcher and thus diluting the digestive enzymes inside. Insects trapped in this digestive fluid are consumed by the plant. The operculum has translucent cells which confuse its insect prey as they appear to be patches of sky. The inflorescence is groupings of small, hermaphroditic, six-parted, regular flowers, which are creamy, or whitish. In the cooler months of winter (down to about 5 degrees Celsius), they have a natural dormancy period of about 3–4 months, triggered by the temperature drop and reduced light levels. The generic epithet Cephalotus, pronounced /ˌsɛfəˈloʊtəs/ or /ˌkɛfəˈloʊtəs/[citation needed], is taken from the Greek χιφχλη, a head, and ονς, an ear, to describe the head of the anthers.[1] [edit] Taxonomy[edit] Taxonomic historyBotanical specimens were first collected during the visit of the HMS Investigator to King George Sound in December 1801 and January 1802. On 2 January 1802 the expedition's botanist, Robert Brown, wrote in his diary:
.png) This represents the earliest documentary reference to this species; and although not entirely unambiguous as to the first collection, it is usually taken as evidence that the plant was discovered by Ferdinand Bauer and William Westall on 1 January 1802. Whether or not there was an earlier collection is largely immaterial, however, as all collections were incorporated into Brown's collection without attribution, so Brown is treated as the collector in botanical contexts. Brown initially gave this species the manuscript name "'Cantharifera paludosa' KG III Sound",[3] but this name was not published, and it would not be Brown who published the first description. The following year, further specimens were collected by Jean Baptiste Leschenault de la Tour botanist to Nicolas Baudin's expedition. In 1806, Jacques Labillardière used these specimens as the basis of his publication of the species in Novae Hollandiae plantarum specimen.[4] Labillardière did not attribute Leschenault as the collector, and it was long thought that Labillardière had collected the plant himself during his visit to the area in the 1790s; in particular, Brown wrongly acknowledged Labillardière as the discoverer of this plant. Leschenault's specimen was a fruiting plant, but the fruit was in poor condition, and as a result Labillardière erroneously placed it in the family Rosaceae. This error was not corrected until better fruiting specimens were collected by William Baxter in the 1820s. These were examined by Brown, who concluded that the plant merited its own family, and accordingly erected Cephalotaceae. It has remained in this monogeneric family ever since.[5] [edit] Current placementThe Albany Pitcher Plant is an advanced rosid, and thus closer related to apples and oaks than to other pitcher plants like Nepenthaceae (basal core eudicots) and Sarraceniaceae (basal asterids). The placement of its monotypic family Cephalotaceae in the order Saxifragales has been abandoned. The current taxonomic placement is within the order of Oxalidales. It is now considered sister to the Brunelliaceae. The monotypic arrangement of the family and genus is indicative of a high degree of endemism, one of four such species of the region. [edit] EcologyThe plant occurs in southern coastal districts of the Southwest botanical province in Australia; recorded in the Warren (biogeographic region), southern Jarrah Forest, and the Esperance Plains. Its habitat is on moist peaty sands found in swamps or along creeks and streams, but it is tolerant of less damp situations. Its population in the wild has been reduced by habitat destruction and overcollecting; it is therefore classified as Vulnerable species (VU A2ac v2.3) by the IUCN.[6] The larvae of Badisis ambulans, an ant-like wingless micropezid fly, develop inside the pitchers. They have never been found anywhere else.[7] [edit] Cultivation Cephalotus are cultivated world wide. In the wild, they prefer warm day-time temperatures of up to 25 degrees Celsius during the growing season, coupled with cool night-time temperatures. In cultivation the dormant period is unnecessary and the plants may be grown as any subtropical plant, although dormancy can result in somewhat larger pitchers. It is commonly grown in a mixture of sphagnum peat moss, perlite, and sand, a reasonable humidity (60-80%) is also preferred. It is successfully propagated from root and leaf cuttings. The plants become colourful and grow vigorously when kept in direct sunlight, while plants cultivated in bright shade remain green. Living plants were delivered to Kew Gardens by Phillip Parker King in 1823, a specimen flowered in 1827 and provided one source for an illustration in Curtis's Botanical Magazine.[1] [edit] Footnotes
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ↑ top of page ↑ | about thumbshots |
