- Collector
- Brad Taylor / John Yates (original wild seed distributors)
- First described
- 2025
- Type
- single clone wild locality imported
- Cultivar
- 'Northcliffe (WS)'
Origin
A Cephalotus follicularis clone from Northcliffe, Western Australia. Mike's plant traces to wild seed originally distributed by Brad Taylor / John Yates. Mike imported the plant — extremely rare in US cultivation despite being held by a few growers (typically without distributable divisions).
A few notes on the broader Northcliffe situation:
- Several distinct Northcliffe clones are in cultivation, plus a problematic supply of selfed-seedlings that will create downstream identification confusion.
- Mike's clone appears different from European-circulating Northcliffe clones.
- Like Coalmine Beach, Northcliffe shows individual-level variation — some plants from the site are superior to others. Mike's clone is, in his judgment, the best he's seen.
Standout traits
- Black teeth — rare expression. Only Denbarker 3 (D3) shows this in Mike's collection without artificial-suntan light.
- Vigorous, large traps, very colorful.
- Possibly giant — preliminary, plant not yet at vegetative maturity.
- Moderate PM tolerance — not bulletproof.
Cultivation lesson from this clone
- Mike's mother plant was tiny when divided in winter 2024-2025. Roots zero, stem tuber barely present.
- Heavy feeding gave fast growth → and triggered increased sudden cephalotus death syndrome.
- Mike pulled back to moderate feeding.
- Slow and steady wins the race with this genus.
Standout traits
- Mike's view: 'the very best Northcliffe clone I've ever seen.'
- Vigorous, showy, large traps, very colorful.
- BLACK TEETH — only 2 clones in Mike's collection currently express this trait without artificial-suntan light: this clone and Denbarker 3.
- Moderate tolerance to powdery mildew (PM) — not the most susceptible, but not bulletproof either.
- Possibly a giant — too early to confirm; trap size already impressive given the small plant.
- lushgrows: 'like Round Boy and UC Davis cultivars had a baby.'
Cultivation
Mike's growth-pace lesson on this clone:
- Divided last winter (2024-2025); plant was less than half its later size, with zero roots and a barely-present stem tuber.
- Aggressive feeding initially → fast growth, but increased rate of sudden cephalotus death syndrome.
- Mike toned down feeding to a moderate-but-good growth rate.
- Slow and steady wins the race with Cephalotus.
PM management: maintain air movement; stagnant air + ripe conditions will let PM jack up the plant despite moderate resistance.
Photos (6)
Naming
"Northcliffe (WS)" — site name + Mike's working designation. The "(WS)" is likely a clone designator from the Brad Taylor / John Yates seed batch series, but Mike doesn't define the abbreviation in the source thread.