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Carnivorous Plants/nepenthes sexing

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Expert: - 7/11/2008


Question
I have limited growing room and would like to get male/female pairs of several species for breeding, but I never see the sex advertised when Nepenthes are offered for sale.  I don't want to just buy plants and find that I have clones that are all of the same sex.  Is there any way to specify ahead of time what I want?
Many thanks

Answer
Hello Jeffrey,

The main problem is that nobody really knows the sex of a Nepenthes until it is adult and flowers for the first time... that could take several years.... and most Nepenthes are sold as seedlings only a few inches across. Your best bet would be to contact a nursery and ask for cuttings or adult plants that have already flowered so that the sex is known ahead of time so you can begin with some of each sex. Most Nepenthes in domestic settings are male from my understanding, so it might take a while to find a female. You can also seek individuals in gardening forums that grow carnivorous plants and ask if any are taking cuttings/pruning their adult Nepenthes and find out who has what sex of each plant and try to get some cuttings that way.

Good luck in your Nepenthes pollination project,

Christopher

Carnivorous Plants

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Christopher Littrell

Expertise

I am capable of answering questions about the most common carnivorous plants found in cultivation. I have no personal experience with Byblis, Drosophyllum, Aldrovanda, and Heliamphora. I have not cultivated gemmae forming pygmy sundews nor tuberous sundews. For information regarding those aforementioned species, I would suggest contacting other experts. I can answer questions regarding most species of Nepenthes, tropical and temperate Drosera, Mexican Pinguicula, Sarracenias, and Dionaea. I have some limited experience with growing Utricularia, Cephalotus, and Darlingtonia.

Experience

I have grown carnivorous plants off and on for about 27 years. I have made the same mistakes and suffered the same mishaps that many growers make as they attempt to separate the myths from the realities of growing these plants. Currently, I am successfully growing a variety of tropical sundews, a Nepenthes, several Venus Flytraps of varying ages, and Sarracenias. I have been successful in stratifying Sarracenia seeds and providing artificial dormancy requirements for my temperate plants when needed.

Education/Credentials
I hold a Master's degree in Educational Psychology. Over my lifetime, I have constantly read books involving the growing conditions of carnivorous plants. I hope to incorporate the educational aspects involved in psychology with teaching other people how to cultivate carnivorous plants.

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