- First described
- 2014
- Type
- single clone from population
A chameleon Baldwin-Co var. alba — Mike's accession-labeled "Clone A" that opens looking like a regular leucophylla and ages into white. The clone is well-documented over a decade (2014-2024), and Mike calls out its inconsistency himself: 2017 said "not looking like an alba"; 2022 "mostly like a regular leucophylla"; 2020 and 2023 produced strong fall alba traps with the back-of-trap whitening pattern that mirrors 'white back' Baldwin Co.
History
Mike introduced this clone in 2014 (thread 1391, post #1) noting it "has more white than your average, every-day S. leucophylla," with white pigment extending well below the mouth even on summer traps. The 2013 best trap was destroyed by a chained sequence of dry-out, heat wave, and wind, so 2014 was the first photo-documented season.
calen received a division in early 2014 — first-year traps from his plant did not present as alba but did show extra white below the lip and a pink lip (post #21, 2014-08-25). Mike's response (post #22) attributed it to chameleon behavior.
The 2020-09-29 update (post #26) is the breakthrough sequence — Mike documents the trap-aging dynamic explicitly: "this clone ages like fine wine: it starts off like a regular leucophylla, but as the traps age, they color up and get whiter and whiter, and eventually it becomes an alba." The 2020-11-13 follow-up (post #27) confirms full alba expression: "Trap got trashed before the pic was taken, but here's proof, this is an alba!"
A separate thread (4880, 2020) was started for this same accession, producing a 2020-07-14 photo set used as the original wiki entry.
Standout traits
- Chameleon alba — first opens like a regular leucophylla, ages whiter as the trap matures
- Even early-season traps show more white than typical leucophyllas (Mike, post #1)
- Strong year-to-year inconsistency — depends on growing conditions
- Back of trap can become very white in mature fall traps
Cultivation notes
- Outdoor NorCal; Mike notes (2023) that the clone is "clearly nowhere near it's fullest potential" under his conditions, implying greenhouse growers may see fuller white expression.
- Don't judge by summer or early-fall traps — alba expression develops as the trap ages over weeks.
- Susceptible to scorch from early-summer heat waves like other Mike-cultivation leucos.
Standout traits
- Chameleon alba — first opens looking like a regular leucophylla; ages whiter as the trap matures (Mike, post #26, 2020-09-29: 'ages like fine wine')
- Mike (post #1, 2014): 'has more white than your average, every-day S. leucophylla' — even in summer the white pigment extends below the mouth, more like a typical fall-trap of a regular clone
- Veining inside throat is environmentally driven — strong veins in some seasons, completely vein-free in others (Mike, post #1; post #3 commenting on nomenclature ambiguity)
- Back of trap can become very white in fall, similar to var. alba 'white back' Baldwin Co, AL
- Inconsistent year-to-year — 2017 (post #24): 'definitely not looking like an alba this year'; 2022 (post #28): 'looked mostly like a regular leucophylla'; 2023 (post #29): 'lots more white stretching down the trap'
Cultivation
Outdoor Northern California. Mike (post #1, 2014) describes losing the best 2013 fall trap to a sequence of: dry-out from missed watering, immediate heat wave, then wind toppling the trap. This is the recurring Mike-summer-leucophylla problem — random early-season heat waves scorch the best traps before they can be photographed.
Don't judge by summer/early traps. Mike (post #26, 2020-09-29): the fall traps "look profoundly different from spring and summer traps" and the alba expression often only appears as the trap ages — early-opening fall traps may still show veins that fade over weeks.
Mike (post #29, 2023): "this clone, IMO, is clearly nowhere near it's fullest potential" under his outdoor conditions — implies greenhouse growers may see substantially better white expression.
At least one division distributed — calen received a young plant in early 2014 (post #21, 2014-08-25) and reported "definitely not presenting as an alba but who cares it's beautiful" with extra white below the lip and pink lip; Mike (post #22) attributed the unusual presentation to chameleon behavior.
Photos (34)
Naming
Mike's accession-code label. "Clone A" is informal — Mike has reused "Clone A" labels for unrelated plants in different cultivar groups (HCW Clone A, etc.). This is the var. alba Baldwin Co, AL Clone A.