NEPENTHES
THE TROPICAL PITCHER PLANT
On this page
you will find general information of Nepenthes, and information about the
cultivation and propagation.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The
Tropical Pitcher Plant (Nepenthes) has more than 85 species. All Nepenthes
species are fixed plants that distribute themselves througout Indonesia (Borneo
and Sumatra) and surrounding areas.
Nepenthes are
typical climbing plants that grow in hazy, moss-covered woods, tropical
mountains or in forests with lower altitudes. They also grow between bushes in
open, dry areas.
Depending on the
species, the pitcher can reach up to 35 centimetres. The different species vary
in
form and in size.
The most common form
is that af a cylinder with an underside that is often slightly bellied with a
rounded bottom.
The lid on the
trap of new pitchers is still closed and digestion fluids are sterile. After
the opening, the lid will not move and is not a door that can open and close.
The lid is shaped
like an umbrella to prevent filling and overflowing of the pitcher. It also
acts as a landing strip filled with nectar intended for prey.
The bottom part
of the pitcher has a digestion zone, a zone that is covered with glands. On the
one hand these glands produce digestion fluids, on the other hand they extract
the dissolved nutrients of the prey.
On this photo
(left) it is clear to see that this
plant has different pitchers on two levels.
This plant stay in my room,
before the window in a round vase,
filled with peat and sand.
Only give rain-water.
In october 2001 there was a
flower in the top of this plant.
During
cultivation the pitchres develop best under conditions of high humidity in the
spring and summer. If the plants doesn’t have a lot of pitchers, this is 
usually
a sign the plant lacks light or that humidity is too low.
One way of
solving this problem is to treat the plant by spraying it daily with water.
Putting the plants in a wide tray with a layer of water will also be helpful.
The possibilities
for keeping them in the living room are improving because of crossbreeds that
are being selected for these circumstances. All species can be shortened and
trimmed without any problem.
Most species
prefer a temperature between 20-30 degrees Celsius. These plants are best
cultivated without an overabundance of direct sunlight.
Structure of a typical Nepenthes
upper pitcher (A) and lower pitcher (B), and detail of the pitcher rim showing
the position of the nectar glands between the teeth (C).
Propagation; The plants can be
transplanting by shortening older plants. The cuttings should be placed in a
very airy substrate that lacks nutrients and can also be treated with a rooting
powder.
A plastic sack
can be placed over the cuttings to prevent dehydration.
This photo I
made in august 2003. This stem cutting was placed in a glass filled with water
for about half a year.
When the plant
got roots I put it in this bottle, which is filled with peat.
Another half a
year the leaf in the axil of the stem cutting appeared.
This is the same
stem cutting as above.
The photo I made
in januar 2004.
It is a cutting out
of the top of a plant, so it becomes also upper pitchers.
On the photo right-this is
the flower of Nepenthes
(From ‘Carnivorous Plants’
by A.Slack and ‘Carnivorous plants of
the world’ by J.and P. Pietropaolo and’
Carniflora’ by Gert Hoogenstrijd)
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