Cephalotus: A detailed look

[CPBlake]

I decided to take a more detailed look at Cephalotus morphology and document it the best I could with photos. This is not for the weak of heart, as one Ceph was harmed during the making of presentation.

***Note photobucket seems to be having a hard time with either my photos or the site itself. Be patient and try refreshing if photos do not show up.

Ceph typical Adult Trap

Notice how the translucent surfaces extend much farther down the lid in this younger trap.

Ceph lid showing the translucent surfaces from the backside.

Ceph has invited over guests over for dessert. The filamentous strands emerging from the mouth are hyphae of an unknown fungi likely breaking down the chitin of insect bodies into a usable carbohydrate.

Here is a silhouette of a juvenile Ceph trap

From the same angle with light. Here you can also see the beginnings of the ribs that form adult peristomes.

Ceph pubescens along the bottom and back of the trap. Inner surface glands can be seen in this picture also, note the small indentations above the hairs on the bottom of the trap.

Young ceph lid

The menu of a young ceph.

I hope you enjoyed the photos

 

[uphwiz]

hoping to learn how to reproduce can it be done by hardened off leaf pullings

 

[Capensis]

Wow, great shots! Thanks for sharing.

I'll imagine you're treating the cut leaf as a cutting now?

 

[Nepfreak]

Thanks, that's extremely detailed! What kind of microscope did you use? You got good scope pictures.
I'm interested in how exactly peristomes develop from that tiny, flat baby pitcher peristome to the adult, toothed ones. Seems like the plants in cultivation just take a giant leap from juvenile to adult pitchers.

Jimmy, yes, you can. Try to get some of the whitish leaf base, and put them on live or dead LFS, and if you're lucky some will strike. I managed to get one on my windowsill.

 

[TranMinh]

Waa, interesting pics. Thank for share I like to see more.

 

[CPBlake]

Thanks, that's extremely detailed! What kind of microscope did you use? You got good scope pictures.
I'm interested in how exactly peristomes develop from that tiny, flat baby pitcher peristome to the adult, toothed ones. Seems like the plants in cultivation just take a giant leap from juvenile to adult pitchers.

I am using an old American Optics dissecting scope. Yes it does seem like the pitchers take a leap into adults. I would like to continue watching the plants to see if more of an intermediate state exists.

 

[Chomp]

Cool photos. I wish i had a microscope at all.

 

[mmlr38]

Nice photos! Well done!

 

[marvin1997]

Ooh microscope...But how did you take the picture of the ceph in the microscope?

 

[CPBlake]

Ooh microscope...But how did you take the picture of the ceph in the microscope?

I used some self closing tweezers to hold the ceph. THis allowed me to make adjustments to both the microscope focus and the camera focus. I adjusted the light with a lamp and the built in microscope lighting.

 

[NeciFiX]

Very nice dude... I miss my Cephalotus. I loved that damn thing, haha. Hope the Stylidium debile are still good with you!