A few Nepenthes

One of my favorite genera is Nepenthes, the tropical pitcher plants. While some of the most coveted species (e.g., N. villosa, N. rajah) are difficult if not impossible to cultivate on a glorified windowsill (my conditions), there are many species and hybrids that are surprisingly tolerant as long as a few cultural conditions are met. Bright light and pure water are absolute necessities. Nepenthes prefer moderate to high humidity. Mine grow most vigorously and produce the best pitchers when the humidity is at least 50%, but they tolerate brief dips to around 30% during the winter. At worst, they are slow to pitcher when the air is dry. As for temperature, Nepenthes are roughly divided into three groups according to their altitudinal distribution: lowland (0-1000 m.), intermediate (100-1500 m), and highland (1500+ m). Intermediate-highland Nepenthes are often the best suited to household temperatures, at least in my climate. During hot spells in the summer, it can be a struggle to keep the plants cool enough but I've yet to lose a plant due to the heat.

There is a lot of mystique surrounding Nepenthes but, like orchids, as long as you can meet their basic cultural needs, there are many possibilities for the windowsill grower.

Here are a few recent pitchers from my collection:

N. glandulifera x burbidgeae

N. glandulifera x burbidgeae

N. glandulifera x burbidgeae is a hybrid between the recently-described N. glandulifera, which is covered in a fuzzy, brown indumentum and produces numerous nectar glands along its leaves and tendrils (hence the name), and N. burbidgeae, one of the most beautiful species. This plant is young, but has great potential. It is a bit of a slow grower.

N. chaniana x veitchii

N. chaniana x veitchii is another great hybrid. This one is a vigorous plant, consistently producing larger pitchers with each new leaf. Like N. chaniana, it is another fuzzy Nepenthes. But where N. chaniana generally has plain green pitchers, the N. veitchii lends a wide and colorful peristome to this cross.

 

 

N. vogelii

N. vogelii is a beautiful species from Borneo. Like all Nepenthes, it demonstrates leaf dimorphism, so lower pitchers and upper pitchers are shaped differently. The lower pitchers (like this one) are cylindrical.