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Propagation

Propagating Cephalotus

Propagating Cephalotus, the Albany pitcher plant: leaf and pitcher pullings, rhizome and root pieces, division or seed. All methods are slow.

By Ian Dixon

Cephalotus is easy to propagate and slow to grow, which is why it stays expensive. A plant with several crowns can be divided at the end of its winter rest, and that is the method to try first because it gives usable plants within months. Leaf and pitcher pullings and pieces of rhizome or thick root taken at the same time turn the trimmings into more plants. Seed is the slowest route and needs a cool, not cold, damp period before it will germinate. Whatever you do, keep the pieces humid and bright but never sitting in water.

Leaf cuttings

Easy

When: Spring to summer, while the plant is in growth; often done when repotting.

Pull a foliage leaf or pitcher from the rhizome with its pale base intact, lay it on damp mix under cover, and plantlets form at the base of the stalk. Faster than seed but slower and less certain than division.

  1. Tug a leaf or pitcher down and away from the rhizome so that the whitish base, ideally with a sliver of rhizome tissue, comes with it.
  2. Lay it the right way up on damp 1:1 peat and sand or on milled or long-fibre sphagnum, and pin the base in place with a little mix.
  3. Cover with clear plastic or put the tray in a propagator, in bright light at cool to moderate temperatures.
  4. Expect plantlets at the base of the stalk after some weeks to months; not every pulling takes.
  5. Pot the plantlets once they have roots, usually a few months later.
Medium
1:1 peat and sand, or milled or long-fibre sphagnum.
Conditions
Humid under cover, bright, cool to moderate warmth.
Time to result
Plantlets in several weeks at best, often several months; a mature plant in two to three years.

Watch out for

  • A leaf without its base will not produce plantlets.
  • Plantlets can appear within a few weeks, but pullings are slower and less reliable than division, and some are still bare after seven months. Be patient and start more than you need.

Sources for this method

  1. Peter D'Amato, The Savage Garden, Revised Edition (Ten Speed Press, 2013), The West Australian Pitcher Plant chapter, propagation section. ISBN 978-1-60774-410-8
  2. ICPS: Growing Cephalotus follicularis (accessed )
  3. RHS: Cephalotus follicularis (accessed )

Root cuttings

Moderate

When: Late winter, when a large plant is unpotted at the end of its rest.

Applies to: Pieces of rhizome and of the thicker, wiry roots from a large plant.

Cut the rhizome and thicker roots of a big plant into short pieces, lay them on cutting mix and cover lightly. Shoots appear in several weeks, quicker than from leaf pullings.

  1. Unpot a large plant in late winter and rinse the mix from the roots.
  2. Cut the rhizome and the thicker roots into pieces 2.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in) long; pieces of rhizome with root attached are the most dependable.
  3. Lay the pieces on the cutting mix and cover them with about 1.3 cm (half an inch) of the same.
  4. Keep bright, damp and covered until shoots show, then separate and pot after a few months.
Medium
1:1 peat and sand, or milled sphagnum.
Conditions
Humid under cover, bright, cool to moderate warmth.
Time to result
Shoots in several weeks; separate after a few months.

Watch out for

  • Thin fibrous roots rarely sprout; use the thick roots and rhizome.
  • Constantly saturated mix rots the pieces; damp, not wet.

Sources for this method

  1. Peter D'Amato, The Savage Garden, Revised Edition (Ten Speed Press, 2013), The West Australian Pitcher Plant chapter, propagation section. ISBN 978-1-60774-410-8
  2. RHS: Cephalotus follicularis (accessed )

Division

Easy

When: End of the winter rest, once the plant has several crowns.

A plant that has spread into several crowns can be split into rooted pieces at repotting time. Crown divisions and rooted stem cuttings are the quickest route to new plants.

  1. Unpot and rinse the plant so the branching rhizome is visible.
  2. Cut the rhizome between crowns so each piece has a growing point and roots. Cut away any black or soft underground tissue.
  3. Pot each crown in fresh mix in a drained pot, with all plant parts at least 5 cm above any water the pot will stand in.
  4. Keep the divisions bright and humid, under a dome if the air is dry, until they are growing.
  5. Take leaf pullings and root cuttings from the trimmings at the same time.
Medium
1:2 peat and sand, or nearly pure sand under a dome for small pieces.
Conditions
Bright, humid, cool to moderate warmth; never waterlogged.
Time to result
New plants growing well within six months.

Watch out for

  • Rot spreads from damaged rhizome in wet mix; keep the crowns above the water line.
  • Growth is slow in any case; do not expect a saleable plant in the first season.

Sources for this method

  1. Peter D'Amato, The Savage Garden, Revised Edition (Ten Speed Press, 2013), The West Australian Pitcher Plant chapter, propagation section. ISBN 978-1-60774-410-8
  2. ICPS: Growing Cephalotus follicularis (accessed )
  3. RHS: Cephalotus follicularis (accessed )

Seed

Difficult

When: Pollinate the summer flowers daily as they open; sow as soon as the seed is ripe, a few weeks later.

Hand-pollinate between flowers, ideally between two clones, collect the hairy fruits and sow at once. Seed needs a cool damp period of six to ten weeks at around 15 C before it germinates, and seedlings grow about 2.5 cm a year.

  1. The small flowers open a few at a time on a long scape. Brush pollen between flowers every day, using two different plants if you have them to avoid inbreeding.
  2. Fruits ripen about a month after pollination as clusters of small hairy achenes, each holding few or no seeds. Separate seed from achenes in still air, or wear a mask; they blow away easily.
  3. Sow promptly on finely chopped sphagnum kept saturated. Viability drops within a few months even in the refrigerator.
  4. Hold the sown pots cool and damp at about 15 C (58 F) for six to ten weeks; a domestic refrigerator is too cold.
  5. Move germinating seeds to room temperature under lights. A gibberellic acid soak can hasten slow seed.
Medium
Finely chopped long-fibre sphagnum or fine vermiculite, kept saturated.
Conditions
About 15 C and damp for stratification; then warm, bright and humid.
Time to result
Germination after several weeks, some seed taking months; rosettes gain about 2.5 cm (1 in) a year.

Watch out for

  • Old seed rarely germinates; sow fresh.
  • Refrigerator temperatures are too low for stratification; about 15 C is right, so use a cool room or unheated porch rather than the fridge.
  • Selfed seed can show inbreeding depression.

Sources for this method

  1. Peter D'Amato, The Savage Garden, Revised Edition (Ten Speed Press, 2013), The West Australian Pitcher Plant chapter, propagation section. ISBN 978-1-60774-410-8
  2. ICPS: Growing Cephalotus follicularis (accessed )

Sources

References for the facts on this page.

  1. Peter D'Amato, The Savage Garden, Revised Edition (Ten Speed Press, 2013), The West Australian Pitcher Plant chapter. ISBN 978-1-60774-410-8

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