Carnivorous Plant Clone Wiki
Awaiting Mike's review. This entry was AI-extracted from forum posts. Treat specifics as a working draft until reviewed.

cephalotus follicularis

Cephalotus follicularis 'purple black'

Australia

First described
2024
Type
single clone informal name
Cultivar
'purple black'

Why this clone is here

Mike's broader argument: in the cephalotus world, the most-hyped dark cultivars (OG black, Eden Black) are not necessarily the easiest to color up. Mike defines clone quality by ease-of-color-expression — how consistently a clone darkens across a range of growing conditions and growers. Side-by-side, in his climate, 'purple black' wins on that metric over the registered dark cultivars.

A circulating clone called 'black purple' exists; Mike isn't sure whether it's the same plant or a different selection.

Standout traits

  • Colors up easily, consistently, even without ideal conditions.
  • Vigorous; forms clumps quickly.
  • Strong breeding-stock candidate by Mike's metric.

Cultivation notes

Photos demonstrate coloration under purely natural winter lighting (no greenhouse advantage) and in identical side-by-side conditions vs other dark clones — 'purple black' was the darkest of the lot.

Standout traits

  • Colors up dark consistently and easily — Mike's main reason for promoting it as breeding stock.
  • Doesn't require cool nights + super bright days to darken; will start coloring up under more typical conditions.
  • Vigorous, forms nice clumps relatively quickly.
  • Mike's view: superior to OG black, Eden Black, and other registered dark cultivars on ease-of-coloration metrics.

Cultivation

Colors up under natural lighting — the 2024 winter photos were taken with no artificial lighting and no greenhouse "suntan." Side-by-side with other dark clones grown identically, this one consistently colors up the most.

Mike's working definition of a high-quality dark cephalotus clone: one that colors up relatively easily under a wide range of growing conditions. By that metric this clone passes; many of the registered dark cultivars do not.

Photos (8)

Cephalotus 'purple black', 2024-10-23.— Mike Wang
Top view, 2024-10-23.— Mike Wang
Cephalotus 'purple black', 2024-10-23.— Mike Wang
'purple black' under natural winter lighting, 2024-12-28.— Mike Wang
'purple black', 2024-12-28.— Mike Wang
'purple black', 2024-12-28.— Mike Wang
Side-by-side: 'purple black' (foreground right) vs other dark clones grown under identical conditions, 2024-12-28.— Mike Wang
'purple black' comparison shot, 2024-12-28.— Mike Wang

Naming

Descriptive: 'purple black' for the consistent dark coloration, predating Mike's acquisition. Not a registered cultivar (Mike's view: it should be one — superior to several registered dark cultivars).