- Breeder
- Phil Faulisi
- First described
- 2012
- Type
- registered cultivar
Origin
Phil Faulisi (forum handle philcula, real-life Phil Faulisi) created this hybrid. Pod parent: S. oreophila "Sand Mountain"; pollen parent: S. 'Royal Ruby' (Faulisi's earlier registered cultivar). Registered with description in Carnivorous Plant Newsletter v38n1 (2009) [VERIFY date].
Mike Wang's standing summary (post #31, 2023): "Many incredible hybrids have been made using this as a parent! Many wonder where does that kinked lip trait come from, and I'll have to defer the answer to Philcula aka Phil Faulisi."
History
- 2012-08-11 (post #1): Mike posts the clone, charmed by the emerging cleft-palette lid. Doesn't yet know the parentage.
- 2012-09-06 (bobz, post #5): identifies the parents S. oreophila Sand Mtn × 'Royal Ruby' and links to the CPN cultivar description.
- 2013-04 (post #7): Mike reports Rob Co (Pitcher Plant Project) and himself both unable to get pollen — declares anthers effectively sterile.
- 2013-05 (philcula, post #8): correction — pollen production is difficult but not impossible. Posts his refrigeration + warm-frame protocol.
- 2013-10: peak fall color photos.
- 2014-11 (post #16): pitchers retain color deep into dormancy.
- 2015-04 (philcula, post #19): rose-scent reveal — most noticeable in early-morning sun warming the lids.
- 2018-04: phenotypic-variance discussion; Mike posts the classic / extreme reptilian look. Scent-perception thread debates whether scent is variable or grower-anosmia.
- 2023-07-26 (post #31): Mike's broad attribution to "many incredible hybrids" using Reptilian Rose as parent.
Standout traits
- Heavily kinked, zig-zag lid — the signature feature.
- Strong red coloration that persists late.
- Rose-scented lids in early-morning sun (variable across growers).
- Greenhouse-amplified size — much larger under glass.
Cultivation notes
Standard Sarracenia hybrid culture works fine. For maximum size, greenhouse / polycarbonate culture is dramatically better than outdoors (post #7).
For breeders: anthers appear sterile when flowers open — discolored and deformed — but Phil Faulisi's protocol (post #8) extracts usable pollen with a 4-step refrigeration / warm-frame / pencil-tap method. Stigmas are receptive; the clone can serve as both pod and pollen parent if the work is done.
Photos
24 photos spanning 2012-08 → 2023-07, mostly Mike's plus one each from sunbelle (2013, FL) and Calen (2015) [photo from sunbelle is the only third-party Mike-mirrored photo in the gallery].
Standout traits
- Heavily kinked / zig-zag lip — the 'reptilian' look that gets more pronounced as pitchers mature (Mike, post #1, 2012)
- Tooth-like lid lobes that look intimidating; Mike (post #22, 2018): 'doesn't hurt that bad'
- Rose-scented lids — most noticeable in morning sun warming up the pitchers (philcula, post #19, 2015)
- Strong red coloration that intensifies with age and persists into dormancy (Mike, post #16, 2014)
- Massive pitcher size potential — Rob Co's greenhouse-grown plants exceeded Mike's outdoor plants by 2× (Mike, post #7, 2013)
- Phenotypic plasticity is high — Mike: 'Phenotypic variance is insane with this clone' (post #22, 2018)
Cultivation
Outdoor-grown plants reach respectable size; greenhouse culture doubles peak pitcher size (Rob Co's plants in 2013, post #7).
Color and shape express dramatically differently across grow-out conditions. sunbelle (post #10, 2013) shows the look under "semi tropical" southern Florida culture; Mike (2018) shows the classic / extreme reptilian look under California outdoor culture.
This hybrid is widely used as a parent — many incredible hybrids have been made using it (Mike, post #31, 2023).
Photos (24)
Naming
"Reptilian" — heavily kinked, zig-zag lid evoking a reptilian or vertebrate-skeletal appearance. "Rose" — the floral fragrance emitted from the lid (philcula, post #19, 2015) most noticeable in early-morning sun.