Cephalotus
Encyclopedia
Cephalotus is a genus
which contains one species
, Cephalotus follicularis, a small carnivorous
pitcher plant
. The pit-fall traps of the modified leaves have inspired the common name
s for this plant, which include Albany Pitcher Plant, Western Australian Pitcher Plant, fly-catcher plant or mocassin plant.
are small and have the appearance of moccasins
, forming the 'pitcher' of the common name. The pitchers develop a dark red colour in high light levels but stay green in shadier conditions. 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 plant
s. 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 enzyme
s 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.
in December 1801 and January 1802. On 2 January 1802 the expedition's botanist, Robert Brown
, wrote in his diary:
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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", 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
. 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.
s and oak
s than to other pitcher plant
s 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.
, 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.
The larvae of Badisis ambulans
, an ant-like
wingless micropezid
fly
, develop inside the pitchers. They have never been found anywhere else.
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, usually non-carnivorous leaves although pitchers can also be used.
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
.
There are a variety of Cephalotus clones that exist in cultivation, but only two have been officially registered as cultivar
s: 'Eden Black' and 'Hummer's Giant'. 'Hummer's Giant' is noted for it large pitchers, which have been known to reach up to 8 cm. It originated from John Hummer, who received the plant from an Australian pen pal in 1986; it was registered in 2000. 'Eden Black' was grown from seed in the late 1980s by Stephen Morley. Under his conditions it produces pitchers that are almost completely black.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
which contains one species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, Cephalotus follicularis, a small carnivorous
Carnivorous plant
Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods. Carnivorous plants appear adapted to grow in places where the soil is thin or poor in nutrients, especially nitrogen, such as acidic...
pitcher plant
Pitcher plant
Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants whose prey-trapping mechanism features a deep cavity filled with liquid known as a pitfall trap. It has been widely assumed that the various sorts of pitfall trap evolved from rolled leaves, with selection pressure favouring more deeply cupped leaves over...
. The pit-fall traps of the modified leaves have inspired the common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
s for this plant, which include Albany Pitcher Plant, Western Australian Pitcher Plant, fly-catcher plant or mocassin plant.
Description
Cephalotus 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 leavesLeaves
-History:Vocalist Arnar Gudjonsson was formerly the guitarist with Mower, and he was joined by Hallur Hallsson , Arnar Ólafsson , Bjarni Grímsson , and Andri Ásgrímsson . Late in 2001 they played with Emiliana Torrini and drew early praise from the New York Times...
are small and have the appearance of moccasins
Moccasin (footwear)
A moccasin is a slipper made of deerskin or other soft leather, consisting of a sole and sides made of one piece of leather, stitched together at the top, and sometimes with a vamp . Though sometimes worn inside, it is chiefly intended for outdoor use, as in exploring wildernesses and running from...
, forming the 'pitcher' of the common name. The pitchers develop a dark red colour in high light levels but stay green in shadier conditions. 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 plant
Pitcher plant
Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants whose prey-trapping mechanism features a deep cavity filled with liquid known as a pitfall trap. It has been widely assumed that the various sorts of pitfall trap evolved from rolled leaves, with selection pressure favouring more deeply cupped leaves over...
s. The peristome
Peristome
The word peristome is derived from the Greek peri, meaning 'around' or 'about', and stoma, 'mouth'. It is a term used to describe various anatomical features that surround an opening to an organ or structure. The term is used in plants and invertebrate animals, such as in describing the shells of...
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
Operculum (botany)
An operculum, in botany, is a term generally used to describe a structure within a plant, moss, or fungus acting as a cap, flap, or lid. In plants, it may also be called a bud cap.Examples of structures identified as opercula include:...
, prevents rainwater entering the pitcher and thus diluting the digestive enzyme
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
s inside. Insects trapped in this digestive fluid are consumed by the plant. The operculum has translucent cells which confuse its insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
prey as they appear to be patches of sky.
The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
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.
Taxonomic history
Botanical specimens were first collected during the visit of the HMS Investigator to King George SoundKing George Sound
King George Sound is the name of a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Located at , it is the site of the city of Albany.The sound covers an area of and varies in depth from to ....
in December 1801 and January 1802. On 2 January 1802 the expedition's botanist, Robert Brown
Robert Brown (botanist)
Robert Brown was a Scottish botanist and palaeobotanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope...
, wrote in his diary:
Ferdinand Bauer
Ferdinand Lucas Bauer was an Austrian botanical illustrator who travelled on Matthew Flinders' expedition to Australia.-Biography:...
and William Westall
William Westall (artist)
William Westall was an English landscape artist best known as one of the first artists to work in Australia.-Early life:Westall was born in Hertford, England, but grew up in London, mostly Sydenham and Hampstead...
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", 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
Jean Baptiste Leschenault de la Tour
Jean Baptiste Louis Claude Theodore Leschenault de la Tour was a French botanist and ornithologist.Leschenault de la Tour was chief botanist on Nicolas Baudin's expedition to Australia between 1800 and 1803...
botanist to Nicolas Baudin
Nicolas Baudin
Nicolas-Thomas Baudin was a French explorer, cartographer, naturalist and hydrographer.Baudin was born a commoner in Saint-Martin-de-Ré on the Île de Ré. At the age of fifteen he joined the merchant navy, and at twenty joined the French East India Company...
's expedition. In 1806, Jacques Labillardière
Jacques Labillardière
Jacques-Julien Houtou de Labillardière was a French naturalist noted for his descriptions of the flora of Australia. Labillardière was a member of a voyage in search of the La Pérouse expedition...
used these specimens as the basis of his publication of the species in Novae Hollandiae plantarum specimen
Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen
Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen is a two volume work describing the flora of Australia. The author was the French botanist Jacques Labillardière, who visited the region in 1792 with the d'Entrecasteaux expedition...
. 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
Rosaceae
Rosaceae are a medium-sized family of flowering plants, including about 2830 species in 95 genera. The name is derived from the type genus Rosa. Among the largest genera are Alchemilla , Sorbus , Crataegus , Cotoneaster , and Rubus...
. This error was not corrected until better fruiting specimens were collected by William Baxter
William Baxter (botanist)
William Baxter was an English gardener who collected in Australia on behalf of English nurserymen and private individuals. He had developed his horticultural reputation as gardener to the Comtesse de Vandes in Bayswater, London, many of the plants he had nurtured being used for illustrations in...
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.
Current placement
The Albany Pitcher Plant is an advanced rosid, and thus closer related to appleApple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
s and oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
s than to other pitcher plant
Pitcher plant
Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants whose prey-trapping mechanism features a deep cavity filled with liquid known as a pitfall trap. It has been widely assumed that the various sorts of pitfall trap evolved from rolled leaves, with selection pressure favouring more deeply cupped leaves over...
s like Nepenthaceae (basal core eudicots) and Sarraceniaceae
Sarraceniaceae
Sarraceniaceae is a family of pitcher plants , belonging to order Ericales .The family comprises three extant genera: Sarracenia , Darlingtonia , and Heliamphora . The extinct Archaeamphora longicervia may also belong to this family...
(basal asterids). The placement of its monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Cephalotaceae in the order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Saxifragales
Saxifragales
Saxifragales is an order of flowering plants. Their closest relatives are a large eudicot group known as the rosids by the definition of rosids given in the APG II classification system. Some authors define the rosids more widely, including Saxifragales as their most basal group. Saxifragales is...
has been abandoned. The current taxonomic placement is within the order of Oxalidales
Oxalidales
The Oxalidales are an order of flowering plants, included within the rosid subgroup of eudicots. The following families are typically placed here:* Family Brunelliaceae* Family Cephalotaceae * Family Connaraceae...
. 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.
Ecology
The plant occurs in southern coastal districts of the Southwest botanical province in Australia; recorded in the Warren (biogeographic region)Warren (biogeographic region)
Warren, also known as Karri Forest Region and the Jarrah-Karri forest and shrublands ecoregion, is a biogeographic region in southern Western Australia. Located in the southwest corner of Western Australia between Cape Naturaliste and Albany, it is bordered to the north and east by the Jarrah...
, southern Jarrah Forest
Jarrah Forest
Jarrah Forest is an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia region in Western Australia.-Location and description:The ecoregion stands on the 300m high Yilgarn block inland plateau and includes wooded valleys such as those of Western Australia's Murray River and the Helena River near...
, and the Esperance Plains
Esperance Plains
Esperance Plains, also known as Eyre Botanical District, is a biogeographic region in southern Western Australia. Located on the south coast between the Avon Wheatbelt and Hampton regions, and bordered to the north by the Mallee region, it is a plain punctuated by granite and quartz outcrops and...
. 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
Habitat destruction
Habitat destruction is the process in which natural habitat is rendered functionally unable to support the species present. In this process, the organisms that previously used the site are displaced or destroyed, reducing biodiversity. Habitat destruction by human activity mainly for the purpose of...
and overcollecting; it is therefore classified as Vulnerable species
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
(VU A2ac v2.3) by the IUCN.
The larvae of Badisis ambulans
Badisis ambulans
Badisis is a stilt-legged fly genus with only one known species, Badisis ambulans. This is a wingless, haltere-less fly with an ant-like appearance. It is only found in the Southwest Australian bioregion of Western Australia...
, an ant-like
Ant mimicry
Ant mimicry is mimicry of ants by other organisms. Ants are abundant all over the world, and insect predators that rely on vision to identify their prey such as birds and wasps normally avoid them, either because they are unpalatable, or aggressive. Thus some other arthropods mimic ants to escape...
wingless micropezid
Micropezidae
The Micropezidae are a moderate-sized family of acalyptrate muscoid flies in the insect order Diptera, comprising about 500 species in about 50 genera and 5 subfamilies worldwide,...
fly
Fly
True flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...
, develop inside the pitchers. They have never been found anywhere else.
Cultivation
Sphagnum
Sphagnum is a genus of between 151 and 350 species of mosses commonly called peat moss, due to its prevalence in peat bogs and mires. A distinction is made between sphagnum moss, the live moss growing on top of a peat bog on one hand, and sphagnum peat moss or sphagnum peat on the other, the...
, perlite
Perlite
Perlite is an amorphous volcanic glass that has a relatively high water content, typically formed by the hydration of obsidian. It occurs naturally and has the unusual property of greatly expanding when heated sufficiently...
, and sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
, a reasonable humidity
Humidity
Humidity is a term for the amount of water vapor in the air, and can refer to any one of several measurements of humidity. Formally, humid air is not "moist air" but a mixture of water vapor and other constituents of air, and humidity is defined in terms of the water content of this mixture,...
(60–80%) is also preferred. It is successfully propagated from root and leaf cuttings, usually non-carnivorous leaves although pitchers can also be used.
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
Curtis's Botanical Magazine
The Botanical Magazine; or Flower-Garden Displayed, is an illustrated publication which began in 1787. The longest running botanical magazine, it is widely referred to by the subsequent name Curtis's Botanical Magazine....
.
There are a variety of Cephalotus clones that exist in cultivation, but only two have been officially registered as cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s: 'Eden Black' and 'Hummer's Giant'. 'Hummer's Giant' is noted for it large pitchers, which have been known to reach up to 8 cm. It originated from John Hummer, who received the plant from an Australian pen pal in 1986; it was registered in 2000. 'Eden Black' was grown from seed in the late 1980s by Stephen Morley. Under his conditions it produces pitchers that are almost completely black.
External links
- All about Cephalotus
- Evolution -- the Oxalidales Carnivore by the International Carnivorous Plant SocietyInternational Carnivorous Plant SocietyThe International Carnivorous Plant Society is a non-profit organization founded in 1972. It is the International Cultivar Registration Authority for carnivorous plants...
- Botanical Society of America, Cephalotus follicularis - the Albany Pitcher Plant