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Nepenthes ( Nepentheaceae )
 Family :- Nepenthaceae  species:- Nepenthes aka :- The Topical Pitcher Plant, The Monkey Cup.

  Nepenthes are found in places as far and wide as North Australia, Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, Borneo, New Guinea, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as on many islands & lands around the Pacific ocean.

  The plant grows as a climbing or scrambling vine. The leaves are long and lance-shaped, growing in a rosette fashion from a central climbing stem and terminated with a tendril. The tendril is used both to support the plant as it climbs up through the undergrowth and the trap itself which forms from it. The plant has two types of traps: lower and upper. These can look very different from each other. For the structure of the trap, please see below:

  Nepenthes species can be divided into two types: Lowland, which are found growing below around 1000m; and Highland, which are found above 1000m. Highland plants are tolerant of a wider range of temperatures and humidity, and actually appreciate a significant drop in temperature during night time. This can help those of us that want to grow these great plants, since the Highland species are much more adapted to our normal interior conditions in the UK than Lowland species. As a general guide, Highland species enjoy temperatures of 10 - 21° C and Lowland species from 21 - 29 °C. Lowland species require more humidity (around a constant 70%) than Highlanders, and also more stable and higher temperatures. Growing Lowlands usually requires a hot house or a heated terrarium. Highlanders will be happy with a minimum relative humidity of 60%. There are some species, and rather more hybrids, that are tolerant of both zones.

  The plants grow in many types of soils, mostly of moist, acidic & nutrient-deficient. The plant can be found growing in forests, open ground and even up cliff faces. The soil is generally a lot more aerated than that of other CPs, and one must remember at all times that Nepenthes are not bog plants - so go easy on the watering! Nepenthes were very highly collected by the Victorians, like many plants, but due to heating costs and various conflicts many plant crosses were lost.

   As a vine, Nepenthes will need space to grow to show upper and lower traps. Most growers cut the plants down to three leaves, as the plants soon recover and grow back. The sections that are removed can be used as cuttings from which to create new plants.

   Growers mostly find that plant grows well as a hanging basket plant inside the home, and if you have not got, or don't have space for, a hot greenhouse you can grow the plants in a terrarium in your home. There are a number of factors that need to be present for your Nepenthes to grow: light, water, soil, food, humidity and temperature. Most Nepenthes enjoy bright conditions, but can become discoloured (i.e. get a tan!) in strong sunlight. The plants should be watered regularly but should not be left standing in water at any time. Use standard CP-friendly water.

  As mentioned above, the soil needs to be light and airy. The exact soil mix is not too important, and many growers have their own recipes. I use a mix of equal parts of sphagnum moss peat, perlite, vermiculite and long-fibred sphagnum moss. This mix satisfies the needs of the plants, and is made up from commonly available components. Some growers add lava rock, pumice and sometimes even some charcoal to the mix, but I can never find these all year round. Food is important too. Although the plants are more than capable of catching the usual airborne food, I like to fertilise my plants with a weak (1/4 strength) solution of epiphytic fertiliser every two weeks or so during the summer, and every month during the winter. I find this makes the plants more robust and far more willing to pitcher. Temperature and humidity are covered elsewhere. I like to mist my Nepenthes occasionally to boost the humidity. I have found that this is best done in the evening.

There are many books that will help you grow these Nepenthes and other Carnivorous Plants. ( book list on this site )

Kurata, S.  1976. Nepenthes of Mount Kinabalu.  Sabah National Parks Trustees,  Kota Kinabalu,  Sabah.

Slack, A.  1979. Carnivorous Plants. Alphabooks,  Dorset.

Slack, A.   1986. Insect eating Plants and How to Grow Them.  Alphabooks,  Dorset.

D'Amato, P. 1998. The Savage Garden. Ten Speed Press,  Berkeley,  California.

Cheers, G. 1992. A Guide to Carnivorous Plants of the World. Angus ans Robertson,  Sydney.

Camilleri, T. 1998. Carnivorous Plants.  Kangaroo Press, Roseville,  N.S.W.,  Australia.

Clarke, C. 2002. A Guide to the Pitcher Plants of Peninsular Malaysia.  Natural History Publications ( Borneo ) Kota Kinabalu.

Steiner, H. 2002.BORNEO its Mountains and lowlands with their Pitcher Plants Trekking from 1992 to 2002. Toihaan Publishing Company, Kota Kinabalu

Lloyd, F. E. 1976. The Carnivorous Plants.  Dover Publications, Inc.  New York

Pietropaolo J. & P. 1986. Carnivorous Plants of the World.  Timber Press Portland,  Oregon.

Lecoufle, M. 1989. ( English 1990 ) Carnivorous Plants Care and Cultivation,  Blandford Press.


  By Alan Haines

Plant list below - scroll down - information by Alan.
 

KEY= Highland ( H ) Lowland ( L ) Climbing ( C ) Scrambling ( S ) Epiphytic ( E )  

Nepenthes have lower pitchers & upper pitchers.

  Nepenthes adnata {Tamin & Hotta ex Schlauer}( H )
  Nepenthes alata {Blanco}( H )( L )( C )( Malaysia, Philippines, Sumatra )
  Nepenthes albomarginata {Lobb ex Lindl.}( L )( C )( Malaysia, Philippines, Sumatra )
  Nepenthes ampullaria {Jack}( L )( S )( Malaysia, New Guinea, Borneo, Sumatra )
  Nepenthes anamensis {Macf.}( H )( Southeast Asia )
  Nepenthes argentii {Jebb & Cheek}( H )( Sibuyan Island ( Philippines ) )
  Nepenthes aristolochioides {Jebb & Cheek}( H )( C )

  Nepenthes bellii {Kondo}( L )( Philippines )
  Nepenthes benstonei {C.Clarke}( S )( Malaya )
  Nepenthes bicalcarata {Hook.f.}( L )( C )( Borneo )
  Nepenthes bongso {Korth.}( H )( C )( S )( Sumatra )
  Nepenthes boschiana {Korth.}( H )( Borneo )
  Nepenthes burbidgeae {Hook.f. ex Burb.}( H )( C )( Borneo )
  Nepenthes burkei {Hort.Veitch ex Mast.}( H )( Philippines )

  Nepenthes campanulata {Kurata}( L )( C )( Borneo )
  Nepenthes clipeata {Danser}( H )( S )( Borneo )
  Nepenthes coplandii {not yet described }( H )

  Nepenthes danseri {Jebb & Cheek}( S )( C )
  Nepenthes deaniana {Macf.}( H )( Philippines )
  Nepenthes densiflora {Danser}( H )( Sumatra )
  Nepenthes diatas {Jebb & Cheek}( H )
  Nepenthes distillatoria {L.}( L )( Sri Lanka )
  Nepenthes dubia {Danser}( H )( endangered )( E )( Sumatra )

  Nepenthes edwardsiana {Low ex Hook.f.}( H )( C )( Borneo )
  Nepenthes ephippiata {Danser}( H )( C )( Borneo )
  Nepenthes eustachya {Miq.}( H )( C )( Sumatra )
  Nepenthes eymae {Kurata}( H )( C )( Sulawesi )

  Nepenthes faizaliana {Adam & Wilcock}( H )( Northern Sarawak )
  Nepenthes fallax {G.Beck}( H )+( L )( Borneo )( S )
  Nepenthes fusca {Danser}( H )( S )( Borneo )

  Nepenthes glabrata {Turnbull & Middleton}( H )( C )( Sulawesi )
  Nepenthes gracilis {Korth.}( L )( C )( Borneo, Malaysia, Singapour, Sulawesi, Sumatra )          
  Nepenthes gracillima {Ridl.}( H )( C )( Malaysia )
  Nepenthes gymnamphora {Reinw. ex Nees}( H )( C )( Borneo, Sumatra, Java )

  Nepenthes hamata {Turnbull & Middleton}( H )( C )( Sulawesi )
  Nepenthes hirsuta {Hook.f.}( H )( C )( Borneo )

  Nepenthes inermis {Danser}( H )( C )( Sumatra )
  Nepenthes insignis {Danser}( H )( Bukit Barisan, West Sumatra, Indonesia)

  Nepenthes jacquelineae {C.Clarke, T.Davis & Tamin}( H )( C )( Sumatra )

  Nepenthes khasiana {Hook.f.}( H )( India )
  Nepenthes klossii {Ridl.}( H )( C )( New Guinea )

  Nepenthes lamii {Jebb & Cheek}( H )( C )( S )
  Nepenthes lavicola {Wistuba & Rischer}( H )( S )( Sumatra )
  Nepenthes longifolia {Nerz & Wistuba}( H )( S )( West Sumatra )
  Nepenthes lowii {Hook.f.}( H )( C )( Borneo )

  Nepenthes macfarlanei {Hemsl.}( H )( C )( Malaysia )
  Nepenthes macrophylla {(Marabini) Jebb & Cheek}( H )( C )( Madagascar )
  Nepenthes macrovulgaris {Turnbull & Middleton}( L )( C )( Borneo )
  Nepenthes madagascariensis {Poir.}( H )( S )( Madagascar )
  Nepenthes mapuluensis {Adam & Wilcock}( L )
  Nepenthes masoalensis {Schmid-Hollinger}( L )( S )( Madagascar )
  Nepenthes maxima {Reinw. ex Nees}( H )( C )( Borneo, New Guinea, Sulawesi )
  Nepenthes merrilliana {Macf.}( L )( S )( C )( Philippines )
  Nepenthes mikei {Salmon & Maulder}( H )( S )( Sumatra )
  Nepenthes mindanaoensis {Kurata}( L )( Philippines )
  Nepenthes mira {Jebb & Cheek}( H )( S )( Philippines )
  Nepenthes mirabilis {(Lour.) Druce}( L )( C )( Southeast Asia, Australia, New Guinea )
  Nepenthes mollis {Danser}( H )( C )( Borneo )
  Nepenthes muluensis {Hotta}( H )( C )( ? )

  Nepenthes neoguineensis {Macf.}( L )( C )( New Guinea )
  Nepenthes northiana {Hook.f.}( L )( C )( Borneo )

  Nepenthes ovata {Nerz & Wistuba}( H )( C )( Sumatra )

  Nepenthes paniculata {Danser}( H )( C )( New Guinea )
  Nepenthes papuana {Danser}( L )( C )( New Guinea )
  Nepenthes pervillei {Bl.}( L )( C )( Seychelles )
  Nepenthes petiolata {Danser}( L )( Philippines )
  Nepenthes philippinensis {Macf.}( L )+( H )( Philippines )
  Nepenthes pilosa {Danser}( H )( C )( Borneo )
  Nepenthes pyriformis {Kurata}( ? )( Sumatra )

  Nepenthes rafflesiana {Jack}( L )( C )( Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra )
  Nepenthes rajah {Hook.f.}( H )( S )( Borneo )( endangered )
  Nepenthes reinwardtiana {Miq.}( L )( C )( Borneo, Malaysia, Sumatra )
  Nepenthes rhombicaulis {Kurata}( H )( C )( Sumatra )

  Nepenthes sanguinea {Lindl.}( H )( C )( Malaysia )
  Nepenthes sibuyanensis {Nerz}( H )( Philippines )
  Nepenthes singalana {Becc.}( H )( C )( Sumatra )
  Nepenthes spathulata {Danser}( H )( Sumatra )
  Nepenthes spectabilis {Danser}( H )( C )( Sumatra )
  Nepenthes stenophylla {Mast.}( H )( C )( Borneo, Malaysia )
  Nepenthes sumatrana {(Miq.) G.Beck}( L )( C )( Borneo )

  Nepenthes talangensis {Nerz & Wistuba}( H )( C )( Sumatra )
  Nepenthes tentaculata {Hook.f.}( H )( C )( Borneo, Sulawesi )
  Nepenthes tenuis {Nerz & Wistuba}( C )( Borneo,Sulawesi )
  Nepenthes thorelii {Lecomte}( L )( S )( Cambodia )
  Nepenthes tobaica {Danser}( H )( C )( Sumatra )
  Nepenthes tomoriana {Danser}( L )( C )( Sulawesi )
  Nepenthes treubiana {Warb.}( H )( C )( New Guinea, Sumatra )
  Nepenthes truncata {Macf.}( H )( L )( S )( Philippines )

  Nepenthes veitchii {Hook.f.}( H )( C )( Borneo )
  Nepenthes ventricosa {Blanco}( H )( Philippines )
  Nepenthes vieillardii {Hook.f.}( H )( C )( New Caledonia )
  Nepenthes villosa {Hook.f.}( H )( S )( Borneo )

   A Haines © 2003/04 /08
 

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