Nepenthes flower

Author: Elena N. Category: Houseplants Published: February 27, 2017Last edits: April 15, 2021

  • Nepenthes flowering
      Care during flowering
  • Nepenthes in winter
  • Reproduction of Nepenthes
      Growing from seeds
  • Cuttings
  • Dividing the bush
  • Diseases and pests
      Diseases and their treatment
  • Pests and their control
  • Types and varieties
      Nepenthes alata
  • Nepenthes Rajah
  • Nepenthes madagascariensis
  • Nepenthes rafflesiana
  • Nepenthes truncata
  • Nepenthes gracillima
  • Nepenthes Miranda
  • Nepenthes maxima
  • Nepenthes attenboroughii
  • Nepenthes bicalcarata
  • Literature
  • useful links
  • Comments
  • flower (lat. Nepenthes), or pitcher plant, is the only genus of the monotypic family Nepentheaceae. The name “nepenthes” comes from the word “nepenthes” - this is what the herb of oblivion was called in ancient Greek mythology. Where does Nepenthes grow? Most of the representatives of this genus grow in the tropics of Asia, in particular on the island of Kalimantan. The distribution border of Nepenthes in the west reaches Madagascar and the Seychelles, and in the east – New Caledonia, New Guinea and Northern Australia. The predatory plant Nepenthes, which feeds on insects, has strong symbiotic relationships with some representatives of the animal world. For example, large species of the plant are used by mountain tupai as dry toilets: the animals feast on Nepenthes nectar and leave their droppings in the jugs, which serve as fertilizer for the plant. And bats climb into traps to sleep - here they are not bothered by insects and do not have to compete for a sleeping place. As a thank you, the mice leave the plant their excrement, which contains the nitrogen it needs.

    Planting and caring for nepenthes

    • Flowering: 3 to 7 months in spring and summer.
    • Lighting: bright diffused light (southern or eastern window sills with shading during the midday hours). When grown on a northern windowsill in winter, the plant will require additional artificial lighting for 16 hours.
    • Temperature: mountain species feel good in the warm season at a temperature of 18-20 ˚C, and in winter at 12-15 ˚C. Lowland Nepenthes prefer temperatures from 22 to 26 ˚C during the period of active growth, and in winter – 16-20 ˚C.
    • Watering: regular, preferably through drainage holes. In the warm season, the substrate in the pot should be slightly damp all the time, and in winter it should be allowed to dry to a depth of 5 mm.
    • Air humidity: some species require very high humidity - 70-90%; for others, a humidity level of 40% during the day and at least 50% at night is sufficient. Keep Nepenthes on a tray of wet peat or expanded clay and spray its leaves with water daily.
    • Fertilizing: Nepenthes is an insectivorous plant and does not require fertilizers. Once a month, place a live bloodworm, fly or spider in one jug, and a different one each time.
    • Dormant period: not clearly expressed, but due to operating heating devices, the jugs begin to dry out. In the spring, simply cut the leaves almost to the base, restore the watering regime and water the substrate with a very weak solution of complex mineral fertilizer.
    • Replanting: in spring, if absolutely necessary.
    • Reproduction: by cuttings, dividing the bush and by seed.
    • Pests: aphids and mealybugs.
    • Diseases: fungal rot.

    Read more about growing Nepenthes below.

    Rules for caring for Nepenthes

    Hyacinths: flowers, plant, home care

    Basic care measures will help prolong the life of the plant and improve its development. Nepenthes care:

    • Regular watering followed by loosening;
    • Fertilizing with complex fertilizers;
    • Replant as needed;
    • Prevention of diseases and pests.


    With proper care, the plant will delight you with its beauty for a long time.

    Also, one should not forget about regularly feeding the predator with animal food. Nepenthes care at home is a constant concern for protein feeding to maintain the vitality of a carnivorous plant.

    Pests, diseases and possible problems

    Nepenthes pitcher often suffers from diseases and pests, so you need to care for it very carefully. If aphids are infested, you can only collect pests manually, without the use of industrially produced insecticides. Spraying with fungicide solutions will help with fungus. If leaves or traps begin to dry, you should increase watering.

    Watering mode

    Nepenthes is a plant sensitive to moisture deficiency. All types of carnivorous Nepenthes plants require intensive watering, especially in hot summers. The optimal frequency of watering in the warm season is twice a day, morning and evening. In winter, when the plant goes into hibernation, watering once or twice a week is sufficient.


    Watering should be frequent

    Before pouring tap water into the pot, it must be kept in a bottle for 24 hours so that the aggressive chemicals contained in tap water precipitate. The optimal liquid temperature is room temperature.

    Transfer

    Reproduction and replanting of nepenthes are important aspects of flower care. Transplantation is carried out infrequently, because this procedure is a lot of stress for the flower. The roots affected by the fungus are carefully trimmed.

    Important! For a month after transplantation, any fertilizing with mineral fertilizers and feeding with animal food is prohibited. The recommended method of propagation is using root layering.

    Soil and proper fertilizers

    The insectivorous pitcher plant needs regular feeding. For nepenthes flowers, it is better to choose slightly acidic or neutral soil. The optimal frequency of feeding in the warm season is once every three weeks. Any complex fertilizer for orchids is perfect, since Nepenthes is a distant “relative” of this flower.

    Additionally, you can add bone meal or crushed eggshells to the soil to compensate for calcium deficiency. Good results are obtained by using preparations rich in copper and iron.

    Botanical description

    The insectivorous plant Nepenthes is most often a subshrub or shrubby mixotrophic vine. Nepenthes, with long herbaceous stems, climb branches and tree trunks to many meters in height in search of sunlight for their narrow terminal paniculate or racemose inflorescences. The leaves of Nepenthes are large, alternate, with a convex midrib and an elongated apex.

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    In addition to ordinary leaves, the plant also develops pitcher leaves, the lower part of the petiole of which, connecting to the stem, is flat and wide, and then it transforms into a thin tendril wrapping around a branch, at the end of which hangs a pitcher, similar to an outlandish flower. The size, shape and color of the jug depend on the type of Nepenthes. The length of the trap can be from 2.5 to 30 cm, although there are species with jugs of half a meter. The color of the pitchers is usually bright - matte white, spotted, red or light green with purple dots. The upper edge of the jug is curved inward and covered with purple or pink grooves.

    Special cells located on the inner edge of the jug produce sweet nectar, the inside of the jug is filled with water or digestive fluid containing the nepenthesin enzyme, and the neck is covered with a lid that protects the trap from debris getting into it. Insects, attracted by the aroma of nectar, crawl under the cap, slide into the digestive fluid and drown in it. Digestion of food lasts from 5 to 8 hours, as a result of which only the chitinous shell remains of the insects. Sometimes even birds, amphibians and rodents get into the jugs.

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    Nepenthes flowers are inconspicuous, dioecious, petalless, with imbricated sepals. The fruit is a leathery capsule, divided by partitions into chambers, in each of which small seeds ripen.

    In indoor culture, Nepenthes is still rare, since almost all representatives of the genus are too large for small greenhouses, and it is difficult to keep predatory Nepenthes on a windowsill - it requires high air humidity. It is best to grow nepenthes in greenhouses, and their smaller species in a “closed tropical window.”

    Nepenthes plant - description

    The insectivorous plant Nepenthes is most often a subshrub or shrubby mixotrophic vine. Nepenthes, with long herbaceous stems, climb branches and tree trunks to many meters in height in search of sunlight for their narrow terminal paniculate or racemose inflorescences. The leaves of Nepenthes are large, alternate, with a convex midrib and an elongated apex.

    In addition to ordinary leaves, the plant also develops pitcher leaves, the lower part of the petiole of which, connecting to the stem, is flat and wide, and then it transforms into a thin tendril wrapping around a branch, at the end of which hangs a pitcher, similar to an outlandish flower. The size, shape and color of the jug depend on the type of Nepenthes. The length of the trap can be from 2.5 to 30 cm, although there are species with jugs of half a meter. The color of the pitchers is usually bright - matte white, spotted, red or light green with purple dots. The upper edge of the jug is curved inward and covered with purple or pink grooves.

    Special cells located on the inner edge of the jug produce sweet nectar, the inside of the jug is filled with water or digestive fluid containing the nepenthesin enzyme, and the neck is covered with a lid that protects the trap from debris getting into it. Insects, attracted by the aroma of nectar, crawl under the cap, slide into the digestive fluid and drown in it. Digestion of food lasts from 5 to 8 hours, as a result of which only the chitinous shell remains of the insects. Sometimes even birds, amphibians and rodents get into the jugs.

    Nepenthes flowers are inconspicuous, dioecious, petalless, with imbricated sepals. The fruit is a leathery capsule, divided by partitions into chambers, in each of which small seeds ripen.

    In indoor culture, Nepenthes is still rare, since almost all representatives of the genus are too large for small greenhouses, and it is difficult to keep predatory Nepenthes on a windowsill - it requires high air humidity. It is best to grow nepenthes in greenhouses, and their smaller species in a “closed tropical window.”

    Caring for Nepenthes at home

    Growing conditions

    Nepenthes needs bright but diffused light, so it is best to keep the plant on a southern or eastern windowsill, protected from the scorching midday rays with a translucent cloth or paper. When growing a pitcher plant on a western or northern window, provide additional lighting for it. In winter, artificial lighting should work for 16 hours.

    According to the requirements for temperature conditions, Nepenthes species can be divided into two groups:

    • mountainous - these plants develop comfortably in spring and summer at a temperature of 18-20 ºC, and in winter at 12-15 ºC. Too high a temperature for a long time can provoke the development of diseases;
    • lowland nepenthes prefer temperatures from 22 to 26 ºC in summer, but in winter it should be between 16-20 ºC. At lower temperatures, plant life may be at risk.

    Ventilate the room regularly so that the air in it does not stagnate, but protect nepenthes from drafts and try to move it as little as possible, because the plant does not like moving and turning around its axis. If you disturb it, Nepenthes may freeze for a month or a month and a half and stop forming pitchers.

    Since Nepenthes is a vine, you should prepare a support for it, to which it will need to be tied as soon as it reaches a height of half a meter. It is best to install a support when transplanting a one-year-old plant.

    Watering

    Caring for Nepenthes includes such a mandatory item as regular moistening of the substrate. To water the plants, use distilled or at least filtered, settled or rainwater at room temperature, or preferably a couple of degrees warmer. The method of watering Nepenthes is from the bottom, after which you must allow excess water to drain. In spring and summer, the substrate in the pot should be slightly moist all the time; in winter, Nepenthes is watered a couple of days after the top 5 mm thick layer of the substrate has dried. If the plant overwinters in a cool place, watering should be careful and not very abundant.

    The moisture-loving predator Nepenthes needs not only moist soil - many species also need high air humidity in the range of 70-90%. However, among the pitcher plants grown indoors, there are many that require a humidity level of 40% during the day and 50% at night. Observe the condition of the plant under your usual conditions - it is quite possible that it will be able to adapt to the humidity of the air in your home, but if this does not happen, spray it daily with settled water and place the pot with nepenthes on a tray with damp peat or expanded clay.

    Transfer

    Nepenthes is replanted only if necessary, which arises, for example, when mold appears on the substrate or the pot no longer corresponds to the size of the root system. Pots, hanging baskets for orchids or flowerpots are used as dishes, and the diameter of the dishes must be at least 14 cm. Store-bought soil for orchids can serve as a substrate.

    If you prefer to prepare the soil for nepenthes yourself, mix three parts leaf soil, two parts peat, one part sand and add a little charcoal to this mixture. Or add two parts of high-moor peat to two parts perlite and one part vermiculite. Keep in mind that the pitcher plant does not like acidic soils.

    Transplantation is carried out in the spring. If the plant is absolutely healthy, it is transferred from the old container to a new one, trying not to damage the roots. But if you are concerned about the appearance of Nepenthes, remove the plant from the old pot, clean the root system from the substrate and rinse it with distillate, then finish the replanting in the usual way, water the substrate and spray the pitcher plant on the leaves with a solution of Fundazol or Topaz so that the composition gets into the substrate .

    If the rooting of Nepenthes is successful, after a couple of weeks, spray the flower and spill its substrate with Zircon solution at the rate of 2-3 drops of the drug per 200 ml of distilled water. After a correctly performed transplant, Nepenthes will live in a new pot for 3-5 years, and if you use volcanic stone, mineral wool, coconut shells or any other slowly decomposing materials as a substrate, then the next time the plant will need to be replanted only after 10 years.

    Fertilizer

    There is no need to fertilize the Nepenthes soil, since the carnivorous flower obtains its food by eating insects. But there will be no harm if in the summer, once a month, you add complex flower fertilizer to the substrate in a consistency three times weaker than recommended for indoor plants: if you overfeed Nepenthes with fertilizers, it will not form jugs.

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    Nepenthes at home is fed once a month, throwing a bloodworm, spider or fly into a jug - one insect per jug, and not all of it, but only half of it, otherwise the plant will die from excess nitrogen. The insect must be alive. The digestive secretion is formed in the jugs only once, and if the jug is suddenly empty, it will no longer work as a stomach, so do not throw insects into it - this will only lead to the death of the leaf. To extend the life of an empty jug, fill it one-third full with distilled water.

    Nepenthes care at home

    The Nepenthes flower predator is very capricious, demanding and finicky to grow. To see your plant strong and healthy, you need to create conditions appropriate for it to grow.

    Selecting a location

    A very important point in growing nepenthes is to choose a sunny place for it. From the experience of flower growers: on the sunny, warm side of the bush a large number of flowers - vases - grew, but on the other side of the bush - not a single one.

    The best place for Nepenthes will be an east window.

    The plant's daily consumption of direct light should be at least three to four hours. And in the summer, the flower should be illuminated for at least fourteen hours, and in winter - twelve hours using artificial lighting. But Nepenthes still goes into hibernation in winter.

    If Nepenthes is located on southern or southwestern window sills, it needs to be shaded from direct sun. According to the stories of flower growers, it was from this location that the largest bushes with large jugs grew.

    Nepenthes in bloom

    Nepenthes blooms for quite a long time, forming a racemose inflorescence. To tell the truth, it does not look very impressive, but there is something original and unusual about it. Each extraordinary original “monkey cup” blooms for at least two months. As a result, the flowering of the entire bush continues for more than six months. With the approach of cold weather, the pitchers lose their attractiveness and dry out and fly away from the tree. The onset of spring brings an active change in the growth of Nepenthes. The jugs grow again and delight their owners. You can also place Nepenthes on a hanging pot. It will look very original, because there will be more space for jugs.

    Nepenthes plant is a big fan of heat, bright diffused light, sun and does not like drafts.

    The temperature that the Nepenthes flytrap prefers must be kept in the range from fifteen to thirty-five degrees.

    Air humidity also significantly affects plant growth; 40-70% humidity can be considered ideal. The Nepenthes plant must be watered with soft distilled water, not over-watered, but also not allowed to dry out the soil.

    Nepenthes must be fully cared for, and in return we will receive a sea of ​​beauty and unique unusual charm.

    Reproduction of Nepenthes

    Growing nepenthes from seeds is actually quite a complex process, almost impossible.

    Reproduction is carried out by dividing the bush or cuttings obtained from an adult well-acclimatized plant.

    It is advisable to treat the cut cuttings with a root formation stimulator; the propagation conditions are greenhouse, high air humidity, and the temperature is not lower than 25 degrees. The rooting process takes about 1.5-3 months.

    Nepenthes transplant

    It’s easy to buy Nepenthes in a store. And then you need to make efforts and skill to maintain it well. Plant transplantation plays an important role. It can be done after the plant has adapted (1.5-2 months) to local living conditions and only if roots are visible from the holes in the slide. When replanting, make the plastic pot larger and transfer the plant, carefully adding the required amount of fresh, well-drained soil.

    Nepenthes pests and diseases

    With good care, as a rule, damage to the plant does not occur. In the negative case, sometimes aphids or mealybugs may be found on it. To reduce the likelihood of pest infestation, it is necessary to regularly carry out prevention and constantly inspect the plant. If damage to the plant is detected, the flower must be immediately treated with special preparations.

    Problematic points when growing Nepenthes:
    • Nepenthes stretches out, grows slowly, the leaves are small, pitchers do not appear - all these misunderstandings can be caused by a lack of lighting;
    • Nepenthes leaves turn red, burns or brownish spots with dead particles appear - this is an indicator of an excess of lighting;
    • The plant turns yellow - nepenthes is experiencing a lack of nutrition. You need to feed the flower.
    • The stem becomes black, the leaves become wrinkled and drooping - excessive watering can lead to root rot;
    • The leaves of Nepenthes are covered with brownish and red spots - apparently the plant has suffered a fungal disease from excessive moisture. The disease must be controlled with fungicides.

    And if you conscientiously follow all the care recommendations, this extraordinary green predator will delight you and grow hardy and unusually beautiful.

    Nepenthes flowering

    Care during flowering

    Nepenthes flowers, regular, reddish-brown, collected in erect inflorescences, bloom for quite a long time, sometimes more than six months. You can’t call them spectacular, but their unusualness still attracts.

    Nepenthes in winter

    Nepenthes does not need rest, but due to the fact that our winters are not like tropical ones, maintaining the plant has its own subtleties. With the onset of deep autumn, all feeding of the plants stops, and the intervals between waterings become longer. Don't worry about the jugs starting to dry out - this is because the indoor air is too dry in winter. In the spring, before the start of a new growing season, cut off all the leaves almost to the base, resume normal watering, add a fertilizer solution to the substrate, and Nepenthes will begin to grow again.

    Reproduction of Nepenthes

    Growing from seeds

    Generative propagation of Nepenthes is an interesting and not very complicated process, if you do not take into account the fact that you are unlikely to be able to buy seed material: no matter what the sellers promise you, instead of Nepenthes seeds you will most likely receive the seeds of some other plant. Another problem with generative propagation is that pitcher plant seeds remain viable for no longer than 2-3 weeks. But if you manage to get your hands on fresh seed, you will almost certainly be able to grow Nepenthes from seeds.

    The seeds are evenly distributed over the surface of moistened sphagnum moisturized and disinfected for 2-3 minutes in the microwave, then placed in a plastic container with drainage holes. The crops are moistened with a fine spray, immersed in a plastic box, covered with a transparent lid to create maximum air humidity around the crops, and placed in a greenhouse under a phytolamp.

    You will have to ventilate the crops daily and measure the humidity and air temperature in the greenhouse, which should be maintained at 20 ºC and 90-100%, respectively. As soon as the sprouts appear, care for them as you would for any tropical plant, but try to spread their adaptation to the conditions of your home over several weeks.

    Cuttings

    It is much easier to propagate nepenthes by vegetative methods, for example, by cuttings, especially since in early spring after pruning the pitcher plant you will have many cuttings for rooting. The ideal cutting is a piece with three leaves, which are shortened by 2/3. If the cutting is apical, the small top leaf does not need to be cut off. Before planting, the cuttings are placed in Kornevin’s solution for 30 minutes, after which the sections are sprinkled with crushed coal.

    The container for planting cuttings must be washed well with bleach, and then be sure to rinse with distillate. The substrate for cuttings is made up of coconut fiber, sphagnum and peat in a ratio of 3:2:5 with the addition of a small amount of vermiculite, after which the soil must be processed in the microwave for 15 minutes. Do not forget to moisten the substrate with distilled water before doing this.

    The lower cut of the cuttings is immersed in the soil by at least 5 mm, the substrate is carefully pressed around the cuttings, watered with distillate, and the cuttings are sprayed with a solution of Fundazol, after which the container is placed in a greenhouse - under a large plastic bag or a transparent plastic cap. Keep the greenhouse in a bright place at a temperature of 23 ºC. After two weeks, you need to spray the cuttings and spill the substrate with Zircon solution - 2-3 drops of the drug are dissolved in 200 ml of distilled water.

    Rooting usually lasts a month or a month and a half, but after two weeks it will become clear whether the cuttings have taken root: if they darken, then rooting has not taken place, but if the planted sections produce new shoots with jugs, we can assume that the process was successful. And in a year it will be possible to transfer the new plants into personal pots.

    Dividing the bush

    Nepenthes also reproduces by dividing the bush when transplanting, but its roots are so fragile that they can easily be damaged. If you have experience in such matters, then take the risk of carrying out this type of reproduction. The procedure for dividing a nepenthes bush is no different from the process of dividing other plants.

    Diseases and pests

    Diseases and their treatment

    Sometimes the leaves of Nepenthes become covered with brown or red spots, which is a sign of a fungal disease that develops against the background of increased soil and air humidity. To treat plants from infection, fungicidal preparations are used. If the stem of your nepenthes turns black and the leaves wrinkle and droop, it means you are watering it too often and its roots are rotting.

    Why do Nepenthes leaves rot? For the same reason - due to excess moisture. Try to save the flower by removing it from the substrate, carefully cutting off the rotten organs and areas with a sterile instrument, treating the sections with crushed coal and transplanting the plant into a new sterile substrate. If you couldn’t save the Nepenthes, root as many cuttings as possible, and it is quite possible that after a while you will have new Nepenthes.

    Leaves that turn yellow at the wrong time indicate that the plant lacks nutrition, and if the leaves turn red, it is likely that this is a consequence of sunburn. Brown spots with necrotic areas on the leaves indicate that the nepenthes has too much light, and from insufficient lighting the plant painfully stretches, but at the same time its development slows down, the leaves grow small, and the pitchers do not form.

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    Pests and their control

    Among the insects that damage Nepenthes are aphids and mealybugs. Scale insects suck the juices from young shoots and leaves of the plant, which slows down their growth. To protect nepenthes from the appearance of scale insects, promptly remove dry leaves and keep the plant clean - wash it and spray it, because scale insects do not like moisture. If they do appear, remove them mechanically with a cotton swab or ear swab soaked in beer, alcohol or soap solution, then treat Nepenthes for six weeks with an imidacloprid-based drug with an interval between sessions of 7-10 days.

    Unfortunately, aphids are discovered on plants only when the damage they cause becomes obvious - colonies of the pest are located on the underside of the leaves, which become covered with honeydew and gradually turn yellow. In addition, aphids carry viral and bacterial diseases for which there is no cure.

    The most harmless way for plants to get rid of aphids is to dilute 20 g of grated green potassium soap in one liter of water and wash the plant with this solution, not forgetting to protect the substrate from soapy water getting into it. Instead of green, you can use laundry soap or liquid dishwashing detergent. Antitlin, Biotlin, Karate and Decis, which have low toxicity, are effective against aphids.

    Types and varieties

    In nature, there are 7 species of pitcher plant, and the place in the classification of another 247 hybrid plants is still in question. Nepenthes grown indoors are included in both groups. We offer you a description of the most common plants in cultivation:

    Nepenthes alata

    Or winged nepenthes, native to the Philippines. In nature, it reaches a length of 1.5 to 4 m. The leaf blades of plants of this species are green, oblong or lanceolate, with sharp tips. The pitchers of Nepenthes winged have a light but bright light green color with red speckles. Inflorescences paniculate or racemose;

    Nepenthes Rajah

    The rarest and largest liana in the world grows up to 6 m in natural conditions. Its pitchers reach a width of 16 and a length of 35 cm. This plant feeds not only on insects, but also on small vertebrates;

    Nepenthes madagascariensis

    An insectivorous perennial from 60 to 90 cm high with oblong-lanceolate leaves and winged crimson pitchers up to 25 cm long;

    Nepenthes rafflesiana

    This is a Sumatran epiphyte with oval lanceolate leaves up to 50 cm long and about 10 cm wide. Light green pitchers with red stripes and spots reach a length of 10 to 20 cm and a width of 7 to 10 cm. The internal cavity of the pitcher is painted in a bluish tint and covered with red spots;

    Nepenthes truncata

    Endemic to the Philippine island of Mindanao, growing in the mountains at altitudes from 230 to 600 meters. Some of its varieties can also be found in higher mountain areas. The jugs of this species reach a length of 50 cm, so the plant is grown mainly in the greenhouse;

    Nepenthes gracillima

    In nature it reaches a length of 5 m. It has long but narrow leaves and green cylindrical pitchers with red and dark green specks;

    Nepenthes Miranda

    This is a semi-epiphyte with large pitchers of a pungent green color with bright red speckles;

    Nepenthes maxima

    It grows in length up to only 3 m. It has long – up to 30 cm – narrow leaves. The upper cylindrical jugs grow up to 30 cm in length, the lower flask-shaped ones are much shorter. The color of the traps is yellow-green, their surface is covered with warty red protrusions;

    Nepenthes attenboroughii

    It grows on the Philippine island of Palawan. This is a shrub up to 1.5 m high and branches up to 3.5 cm thick, with leathery, almost sessile leaves and jugs with a volume of up to 1.5 liters, about 25 long and about 12 cm wide. The color of the jugs is bright green with a purple streak;

    Nepenthes bicalcarata

    One of the largest and most attractive species of pitcher plant. It has leathery petiolate leaves of an obovate-lanceolate shape, reaching a length of 80 and a width of 12 cm. The pitchers of this species are green, orange or red.

    In addition to those described, such nepenthes as hairy, Pervilla, white-bordered, sloped, wall-leaved and others are known in culture.

    Nepenthes - what kind of predatory flower is this?

    The pitcher plant is part of the Nepenthaceae family. There are 7 officially recognized and 247 unofficial species in the genus.

    The plant's homeland is New Guinea, Madagascar, the Philippines and Sumatra. Today the growing area is Sri Lanka, Malaysia, northern India, the islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.


    Nepenthes. Appearance

    Brief description of Nepenthes, what it looks like

    Nepenthes is an evergreen vine up to 20 meters long, which sometimes grows as a shrub.

    The plant has green, oblong foliage with rounded ends. The length of each leaf is up to 30 cm. Small hanging jugs are available in various tones with specks or stripes.

    Dried fruit compotes - benefits and harms

    Each of these jugs has its own lid that protects it from raindrops and debris. The flowers are small, inconspicuous, brown or greenish in color.

    At the bottom of the jugs there is fragrant nectar secreted by the walls. It attracts the attention of insects, which climb inside and drown in the sweet liquid. And plants absorb dead insects and thereby receive organic nutrition in addition to the nutrients obtained from the soil.

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