- Breeder
- Rob Sacilotto / Botanique (cross or selection)
- First described
- 2012
- Type
- single clone historical botanique stock
Origin
A widely-distributed cuprea selection from the Botanique nursery (Rob Sacilotto, Virginia). Botanique's historical cuprea stock came from Horry County, SC and Shallotte, NC populations (Sacilotto's 2012 email, post #9). After ~1990 the nursery sold seedlings from these parents (sometimes mixed-locality), and after ~1997 included cuprea × cuprea / cuprea × self / cuprea × rubricorpora-byproduct lines.
The "Botanique cuprea" label as it circulates in private collections does not have reliable wild-locality data — Sacilotto confirms the nursery typically didn't print locality on labels.
Mike's lineage: Drew Martinez → Mike (2012); Drew likely got it from bucky78 (post #5, who acquired during a 2006 Botanique visit). Independent lineage: Steve Sykes (Sacramento) → corrosive halo (Flickr). Mike's hypothesis (post #7): the corrosive-halo plant is the same clone.
History
- Pre-1990: Botanique sells wild-collected Horry / Shallotte cupreas as adult plants.
- ~1990 onward: shifts to seedling sales from those parents.
- ~1997 onward: deliberate cuprea breeding crosses; incidental cuprea byproducts of the 'Cinnamon Sticks' rubricorpora × cuprea program also enter the catalog.
- 2006: bucky78 acquires from Botanique on visit.
- Pre-2012: Drew Martinez has the clone (via bucky78 likely).
- 2012-12-05: Mike posts after acquiring from Drew.
- 2012-12-24 (post #9): waxy posts Sacilotto's email documenting the Botanique cuprea history — a key reference for interpreting any "Botanique cuprea" in cultivation.
- 2014-02 (horticool, post #13): viral-symptom question raised; Mike (post #14) reassures cuprea variability is not viral.
- 2019-05 (post #21): peak documentation of Mike's plant with green-interior / coppery-exterior signature look. Mike introduces his Bill Hoyer × Botanique cross.
Standout traits
- Green interior + coppery exterior — the signature look.
- Body color-up under specific conditions (without losing cuprea identity).
- Hybrid-origin signature: selfing this cuprea produces flava var. flavas, ornatas etc., supporting Mike's hybrid-form hypothesis.
Cultivation notes
Standard cuprea care. Color is environment-dependent; expect variability across grow conditions. Don't assume locality from the "Botanique" label alone.
Photos
14 Mike-Wang photos spanning 2012-09 → 2019-05, including the Bill Hoyer × Botanique offspring shot.
Standout traits
- Coppery exterior + green interior — high contrast (Mike, post #21, 2019)
- Body coloring up under specific environmental conditions while still distinctly cuprea overall
- kiwiearl (post #2, 2012): 'Strange looking cuprea... has the look of an intergrade or more complex history. That hood has the Sumatra look about it.' (Sumatra ruled out by Rob Sacilotto, post #9)
- Mike (post #21, 2019): 'gone from interesting to straight up exceptional'
- Used as a Mike-bred cross parent (Bill Hoyer × Botanique — produces all-red and coppery offspring)
Cultivation
- Color expression: green interior + coppery exterior is the prized look; body color-up varies with environmental conditions.
- Physan 20 as preventive: applies to all cupreas given the rare-but-possible viral risk.
- Don't assume locality from "Botanique" label — Sacilotto confirms the nursery did not consistently print locality on labels, so a "Botanique cuprea" alone could be Horry Co, Shallotte, or a hybrid byproduct.
Photos (14)
Naming
"Botanique" — the Virginia nursery (rated by Mike at 60,000 pitcher plants, world's largest collection at the time of documentation) operated by Rob Sacilotto. The clone bears the nursery's name as its informal cultivar identifier.