Listserv.org
BANNED
This is a very mature plant that I recently purchased from a private collector. I'm pleased to meet the community. Enjoy the pictures.
TerraForums - Carnivorous Plant Community
Welcome to TerraForums — a long-running carnivorous plant community established in 2001. Register for free to join the conversation, ask questions, and connect with growers from around the world.
NASC Auction will open in...
Read the rules first :)
NASC auction is OPEN!!
Introducing my 12-year old Giant "Red Hummer" Cephalotus
- Thread starter Listserv.org
- Start date
-
- Tags
- cephalotus giant
Share this page
my thoughts exactly o.o
unless the original owner trimmed a lot of old growth out and took several cuttings, there should be a LOT more to that plant...
nice plant though, i need to get me more ceph clones
Hello and welcome to Terraforums. Thanks for sharing your photos.
Snide comments aside, I think what we are looking at here is a cutting from a plant that is/was 12 years old. The small juvenile pitchers with the domed mostly translucent hoods are an indication that this is fairly young plant with a few years to go before flowering. Perhaps a slight case of misrepresentation from the source of the plant question?
Which raises the question what is the age of a clone? Say for instance you have a division or clone of Bob Ziemer's 1955 Venus Flytrap - is your clone 55+ years old (at the time of this writing) or only as old as when the division or cutting struck? If Bob's flytrap divided naturally are both division considered the same age, or one older than the other? How do you determine which is the original plant and which is the clone? Or does the original plant no longer exist except as clones of the original?
Snide comments aside, I think what we are looking at here is a cutting from a plant that is/was 12 years old. The small juvenile pitchers with the domed mostly translucent hoods are an indication that this is fairly young plant with a few years to go before flowering. Perhaps a slight case of misrepresentation from the source of the plant question?
Which raises the question what is the age of a clone? Say for instance you have a division or clone of Bob Ziemer's 1955 Venus Flytrap - is your clone 55+ years old (at the time of this writing) or only as old as when the division or cutting struck? If Bob's flytrap divided naturally are both division considered the same age, or one older than the other? How do you determine which is the original plant and which is the clone? Or does the original plant no longer exist except as clones of the original?
Last edited:
Listserv.org
BANNED
Hi guys
Hi guys, thanks for the responses. I will ask the breeder and get back to everyone shortly.
Hi guys, thanks for the responses. I will ask the breeder and get back to everyone shortly.
Hi and welcome to the forums. That is one nice Ceph there.
I'm a bit confused by the name, I'm assuming (a very bad thing to do) that it is a 'Hummer's Giant' as there is not a Red Hummer clone that I am aware of.
Provided it is a 'Hummer's Giant', I would label it:
Cephalotus follicularis c.v. 'Hummer's Giant'
Keeping variations properly labeled is very important. If this is not a 'Hummer's Giant' and is something else, I would contact the person you received it from and get every last bit of information about this one as I could. The more info you have (where they got it from, what is different, who originated the clone, etc.) the more value the clone will have and the easier it will be to convince people it is a clone and not just a typical Ceph.
Hope you enjoy the forums.
I'm a bit confused by the name, I'm assuming (a very bad thing to do) that it is a 'Hummer's Giant' as there is not a Red Hummer clone that I am aware of.
Provided it is a 'Hummer's Giant', I would label it:
Cephalotus follicularis c.v. 'Hummer's Giant'
Keeping variations properly labeled is very important. If this is not a 'Hummer's Giant' and is something else, I would contact the person you received it from and get every last bit of information about this one as I could. The more info you have (where they got it from, what is different, who originated the clone, etc.) the more value the clone will have and the easier it will be to convince people it is a clone and not just a typical Ceph.
Hope you enjoy the forums.
A beautiful & very healthy Cephalotus - thanks for sharing the pics.
As NaN noted, the pubescent pitchers indicate that the plant is likely to be significantly younger than 12 years.
RSS's comments are also important as there are many mis-labeled plants wandering around & we really do not need more. If the seller states that it is indeed a 'Hummer's Giant', try to get more information on their source. Although not a 100% rule, by this stage of development, I usually see a wider-than-normal midrib on some of the adult pitchers of legitimate HG plants. More likely is that some seller coined a name similar to 'Hummer's Giant' to attract buyers who thought they were getting that plant, when they were actually getting a typical.
Either way, it is a healthy Ceph & an attractive plant! Congratulations!
As NaN noted, the pubescent pitchers indicate that the plant is likely to be significantly younger than 12 years.
RSS's comments are also important as there are many mis-labeled plants wandering around & we really do not need more. If the seller states that it is indeed a 'Hummer's Giant', try to get more information on their source. Although not a 100% rule, by this stage of development, I usually see a wider-than-normal midrib on some of the adult pitchers of legitimate HG plants. More likely is that some seller coined a name similar to 'Hummer's Giant' to attract buyers who thought they were getting that plant, when they were actually getting a typical.
Either way, it is a healthy Ceph & an attractive plant! Congratulations!
Listserv.org
BANNED
Hi everyone, and thanks so much for your feedback. I purchased the plant from an extremely reputable seller that is well known and respected in the CP community. I'm not going to divulge my source because I wish to purchase more plants from him in the future. But rest assured, he is extremely credible, and there is no issue whatsoever in regards to the labeling of "Red Hummer." This plant is is indeed a Red Hummer Giant.
In regards to the size of the plant, the leaves and traps are constantly growing and dying. Cephalotus plants do not get very big to begin with. The number of traps and leaves is not a good indicator for age. The only good indicator for age is the measurement of the plant's root bowl-- which I assure you, is monstrous. There are multiple points of growth on this plant.
With the way Cephalotus is grown, humidity and lighting can play very important factors. The previous owner of this plant kept it in very well-lit, low-humidity conditions, which from what I understand, diminishes the sizes of the traps. This plant is an official Cephalotus cultivar clone from a proven bloodline, so I expect the value of my investment to grow accordingly in the future.
Thanks for the comments, everyone.
In regards to the size of the plant, the leaves and traps are constantly growing and dying. Cephalotus plants do not get very big to begin with. The number of traps and leaves is not a good indicator for age. The only good indicator for age is the measurement of the plant's root bowl-- which I assure you, is monstrous. There are multiple points of growth on this plant.
With the way Cephalotus is grown, humidity and lighting can play very important factors. The previous owner of this plant kept it in very well-lit, low-humidity conditions, which from what I understand, diminishes the sizes of the traps. This plant is an official Cephalotus cultivar clone from a proven bloodline, so I expect the value of my investment to grow accordingly in the future.
Thanks for the comments, everyone.
not to come off as a prick, but im fairly sure most of us here know how big cephalotus get/can get and how they grow...though some people have problems growing them
if this is your first cephalotus, i hope you know what you are doing because even though you KNOW what to do, that doesnt mean you will make the plant happy...
each plant, has a specific set of conditions it will prefer, as you will learn as you get more into the hobby...
you can have 2 plants of the exact same clone next to eachother, and one can thrive, and the other be absolutely pissed off.
Having attempted cephalotus many many many times in the 3 years ive been in this hobby, i finally found the "Spot" in my collection in which my 3 are completely happy.
including 2 hummers giants, and a typical clone...
Hummer's Giant has been decreasing steadily in value over the last few years from what i have noticed, in which i could get a mature one 2 years ago for a couple hundred dollars it seemed, now i can get a mature one for 60$ or so...
in fact, i just sold a baby for 20$
sure, cephalotus are still valuable, but seems only in very hard to find cultivars such as Eden Black, or in very large, well established, mature plants like the one you have photographed
you state the plant is constantly producing pitchers as they die off,
in my experience, cephalotus often hold their traps for a very long time, upwards of a year or more, so the reason why we are saying that to us, it seemed that it was a bit small for a 12 year old hummer, is that well, it doesnt have as many pitchers as we would expect.
also as NaN pointed out, the cluster of immature pitchers would indicate a young plant,
however i have had plants that constantly produced mature pitchers, make a small growth point that produced immature pitchers, however only for a short time before beginning mature pitchers...
One thing i forgot to mention, and this is the reason for the edit...
is that you state cephalotus need high humidity to produce large traps, but you mention nothing about air circulation which, other than overwatering and not allowing the crown to get wet, is one of the most crucial parts in the cultivation of this species of plant...
disturbing the root system is also another big point to TRY and avoid,
and it does not appear that the plant was sent bareroot, as the soil doesnt look disturbed for something that was "recently purchased"
so, he sent it potted, thats the best way IMO.
the point in this being, you say the rootball was big.
if the plant was sent potted, how can you tell how big it was?
the plant is in a 6" pot, i assume?
the mossheads and immature pitchers are the only thing i can base size off of.
and i can show you a typical plant, with near that exact same amount of growth, from the last 5 months or so.
easily, a plant could be produced a year or so ago, from a rhizome division, and yield that result.
seen it happen.
Last edited:
Listserv.org
BANNED
Hi SirKristoff,
Yes, you are indeed correct that the plant was purchased with the pot intact. I purchased the plant locally, which is why this happened-- the plant was not even shipped. I know that the size of the root ball is monstrous because the owner of the plant told me so. There were no plantlets or cuttings taken from the plant. Honestly, I'm not sure about the reason for the immature pitchers because this is my first Cephalotus. The owner simply told me that different plants grow differently in different conditions and that pitchers usually last several months before dying off and growing new ones. I have yet to personally confirm this for myself, as I have not owned the plant for enough of a time period.
As a hobbyist, I have officially caught the Cephalotus bug, and I am primarily interested in longterm Cephalotus grade-A specimens. I'm aware that such specimens are the most valuable in the entire hobby. Is it true that some specimens have fetched over $2,000 for mature plants? That is incredible.
Yes, you are indeed correct that the plant was purchased with the pot intact. I purchased the plant locally, which is why this happened-- the plant was not even shipped. I know that the size of the root ball is monstrous because the owner of the plant told me so. There were no plantlets or cuttings taken from the plant. Honestly, I'm not sure about the reason for the immature pitchers because this is my first Cephalotus. The owner simply told me that different plants grow differently in different conditions and that pitchers usually last several months before dying off and growing new ones. I have yet to personally confirm this for myself, as I have not owned the plant for enough of a time period.
As a hobbyist, I have officially caught the Cephalotus bug, and I am primarily interested in longterm Cephalotus grade-A specimens. I'm aware that such specimens are the most valuable in the entire hobby. Is it true that some specimens have fetched over $2,000 for mature plants? That is incredible.
Very nice Hummers Giant. How many crowns does yours have? My Hummers Giant has around 20 crowns on it. It went through a fussy stage a while ago and lost alot of growth back then and then came back like crazy with tons of new growth points. Mine is now just a cluster of crowns.
Listserv.org
BANNED
Do you have any pics of your plant?
I recall some HG Cephs being bid up on eBay but I seem to recall high prices around $600 or so. An 'Eden Black' went for a high price recently but iirc, the high bidder refused to pay. Has anyone kept track of the highest amounts paid on eBay (or elsewhere) for a Ceph? I don't recall anything close to $2k. Is there a possibility your source is confusing this auction for an Eddy's with a Ceph auction?
---------------------------
It appears there was an eBay auction where a Ceph sold for $1,885 USD but the buyer never paid.
2nd edit - for some reason, the url for the search quit functioning. Here's the 1st thread with the $1885 price. Here's the other thread on price.
Last edited:
Hmm, haven't found any registered cultivar or description of it before, so I'd assume it isn't "an official Ceph cultivar from a proven bloodline", but IMO it doesn't really matter when the plant itself is that beautiful!
Thanks for sharing the pics of your new Ceph.
elgecko
I've got a magic window!
I have only ever seen $600 for a HG.
I like others was expecting to see a huge plant.
It is a very nice looking plant, but if 12 years old has been treated pretty bad.
Example:
5-13-2006 I split my Ceph up.
I kept one of the divisions that was in the jiffy pot. Not sure if they are 2 1/2" or 3" pots.
9-6-2007
Today 11-30-2010 and in need of splitting again.
About 5 1/2 years growth.
This is a typical Ceph. My HG has been in desperate need of re-potting for a long time. The soil media has broke down long ago, sunk 1 1/2" - 2" inches deeper into the pot and has only been staying the same unhappy size for a long time.
That stinken thing called work takes up 10+ Hrs a day! Then when I have off the wife wants me to remodel and paint the bathroom!! What gives!
Well gotta go finish up painting the bathroom so I can get the dryer out of the living room and hooked back up so we can have clean cloths.
I like others was expecting to see a huge plant.
It is a very nice looking plant, but if 12 years old has been treated pretty bad.
Example:
5-13-2006 I split my Ceph up.
I kept one of the divisions that was in the jiffy pot. Not sure if they are 2 1/2" or 3" pots.
9-6-2007
Today 11-30-2010 and in need of splitting again.
About 5 1/2 years growth.
This is a typical Ceph. My HG has been in desperate need of re-potting for a long time. The soil media has broke down long ago, sunk 1 1/2" - 2" inches deeper into the pot and has only been staying the same unhappy size for a long time.
That stinken thing called work takes up 10+ Hrs a day! Then when I have off the wife wants me to remodel and paint the bathroom!! What gives!
Well gotta go finish up painting the bathroom so I can get the dryer out of the living room and hooked back up so we can have clean cloths.
Similar threads
