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Albany Pitcherplant
Cephalotus follicularis
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A carnivorous plant native only to southwestern Australia. It has unique pitfall traps and simultaneously produces two types of leaves: ordinary flat leaves and pitcher-type trapping leaves. Highly prized among carnivorous plant enthusiasts.
Identification Points
- βSimultaneously produces two leaf types: pitcher traps and ordinary flat leaves
- βPitchers are small but intricately structured with a lid, striped pattern, and teeth
- βSmall white flowers borne on slender spikes
Habitat
Wetlands of southwestern Australia (cultivated in greenhouses in Japan)
Season
NovemberβJanuary (flowering in Southern Hemisphere summer)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Growth form
Herb
Leaf shape
Linear
Habitat
Cultivated
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Simple
Petal count
6 petals
Petal fusion
Fused
Stipules
Absent
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Ovary position
Superior
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite
Stamen count
6
Phylogenetic Positionγγ―γγ¦γγγ·γΏη§ β
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core eudicots > Oxalidales > Cephalotaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene (ca. 80β70 million years ago)
Evolution Notes
Cephalotaceae is a monotypic family (1 family, 1 genus, 1 species) and a classic example of convergent evolution, having independently evolved pitfall traps separate from Sarraceniaceae and Nepenthaceae. Molecular phylogenetics places it near Oxalidales.
View on evolution timeline βSources & References
AI-generated, needs verification