Expert: Christopher Littrell - 12/7/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hi! The sundew is doing fine, but being a-mad-about-carnivorous plants person, I would like some help yet again, this time with a Nepenthes.

First I will describe the plant and it's conditions. I live in New Zealand, in the lower part of the North Island, in the Upper Hutt area.

The plant is not very big. It's biggest leaf is only 7 1/2 cm long, excluding the pitcher. It's largest, full grown pitcher is less than 8 cm in height and approximately 6.2cm in diameter at the fattest point, which is the base.
The pitchers are small and roughly cylindrical. They are shaped roughly like upside down lightbulbs, but are more ovally than spherical at the bottom. The operculums are round, directly above the entrance to the traps, and covered in sparse thick hairs that resemble fine spidery roots. The pitchers are light green with some red veining and two lines of the hairs found on the operculum protuding out of the front of each pitcher, parrallel to each other. Each hair is tipped in red. There is also one distinctive hair that is found on the lid of every operculum, which is larger than the rest and protrudes out at the very back of the operculum, where it hinges to the pitcher. This hair sticks straight up and is accompanied by a few smaller hairs along the same hinge beside it.
The pitcher stalks are faintly red, but more pinkish than green. The leaves are bright, healthy green, and quite broad at the widest point (4cm across average). They taper out from a central point of the plant in a formation that seems similar to that of my Drosera Capensis, except that there is no tall stem.
Each leaf has a central vein which runs along underneath the leaf like a little stem, so that when you look down on the leaf there seems to be an indent where the vein is.
All of the pitchers close to the ground are very small, but still hairy in the same places and still the same colour. The plant may be a young plant, and it was probably grown from seed. It is unlikely native to New Zealand.
The plant is growing in a soggy, mushy type of brown looking moss that is slightly greenish on top. There is no soil in the pot, which is small, black and plastic, the whole pot is full of this moss. The pot is about 25.1cm in diameter across the top, it tapers down slightly towards the bottom, and is 7.5cm tall. I have the pot set in a round, plastic container it fits easily into which is 31.4 cm in diameter and quite deep compared to the other tray sI use for my carnivorous plants as it is 3cm deep. I have just got the plant today, so know nothing gof its habits, but I put it out into the medium shade/sunshine/air outisde on theporch and gave it about 2mm of water which it greedily sucked up leaving none left.
Here is some weather information for my area. It is exact and up to date:

The highest humidity measured this year: 100%
The lowest humidity measured this year: 27%
Highest Temperature: 28.1 degrees
Lowest Temperature: 0 degrees
Warmest Day: 23.5 degrees
Coldest Day: 3.6 degrees
As an observation the temperature seems to drop and the humidity seems to rise at night.

My questions are:

1. Can you identify this plants species?
2. What are the growing requirements of this species?
3. Is my plant healthy?
4. Any other useful information?

ANSWER: Hello Katherine,

Great description of your Nepenthes. The main problem with identifying a Nepenthes would be age as adult pitchers are often more easily identified than young pitchers since young pitchers often posses hair or "baby" fuzz and might not be shaped exactly like the adult pitchers. From your excellent description, the best I can come up with is that your plant is N. tentaculata if the hairs are on top of the lid, or N. fuscia or N. lowii if the hairs are under the lid. Several species have these hair like structures as adults. In addition, you might have a hybrid of any of these species, making identification even more difficult until it grows a bit.

Here is a link to N. tentaculata pictures:

http://home.arcor.de/j.danz/N_tentaculata_f.html

Nepenthes are not native to New Zealand, as a matter of fact, they are tropical plants from Asia, typically found growing on mountains or in valleys between mountains like Mount Pinatubo in the Phillipines and in Malaysia, particularly the Borneo region. There they acquire high humidity of over 70 percent constantly and can tolerate a fair range of temperatures, usually between 50-90 degrees. They cannot tolerate freezing temperatures at all and hate quick changes in environment. They will typically stop pitchering and grow more slowly when the humdity or temperature changes drastically for instance. Some species of Nepenthes can tolerate low humidity, but only if they are given a slow adaptation over several weeks to progessively lower humidity.

Since your plant is young, the best bet would be to keep its humidity high for now, over 70 percent, and give it slightly shaded sun, about like it would get under a shade tree. So long as new leaves form and pitchers develop it is healthy and likes the environment. If it develops good coloring, keeping the pinks and reds you described on new pitchers and tendrils, it has enough light.

The moss it is growing in now is long fibre sphagnum moss. Nepenthes can also be grown in a mix of 1/3 each of peat moss, orchid bark, and coconut husk/fibre, or 1/3 peat moss to 2/3 perlite. The main thing is to keep the soil acidic and low in nutrients, what the peat moss or sphagnum moss provide, and high in water drainage, what the coconut husk, orchid bark, and perlite provide.

Nepenthes can suffer from root rot if they stand in too much water, so never leave a tray of water under the plant for days at a time. Just water the plant a little at a time often, usually once every 2-3 days, and let any excess water drain out and away from the pot. They do not like to be kept too dry or too wet, so it is a balancing act. Just leave the moss moist to the touch, but never too soggy. If you want to leave a tray under the pot, make sure that any excess water draining from the pot is only a small amount and that it dries within a day. Otherwise, empty the tray if too much water, over 1/8 inch, is left after watering.

Nepenthes will grow close to the ground for a couple of years, then develop a long trailing vine that, according to species, can grow straight up a few feet, trail across the ground for several meters, or grow up trees for several meters.

Many of the highland and ultra-highland species of Nepenthes, those that grow at higher elevations on mountains, like a temperature drop at night. In most cases, Nepenthes can be grown in consistent temperatures and lower humidity and adapt to 70-80 degree room temperatures readily, however; a few more difficult species, like N. rajah, require temperature drops and high humidity.

In this case, we really do not know for sure what species your plant is, so we really cannot determine an exact environment for it. Best bet would be to contact the supplier and find out what species the plant is so we can provide it with the best environment. If you bought it at a generic nursery or a store, it is likely an easier plant to grow in your area, however; should always be kept from freezing temperatures since it is tropical. Many easy to grow Nepenthes make great open pot houseplants in a well lit window where they get consistant humidity and temperature arrangements.

Keep up the great care of your plants,

Christopher

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thankyou for the answer, it was quite helpful. Is there anyway I could send you some photos of the plant and its pitchers?
The hairs are on top of the operculum, not underneath and the peristome is completely green, and not particularly spectacular. It is perfectly round with only shallow grooves around it's surface, if this helps at all. It is not growing any vines, and the inside of the pitchers is a bright green, not freckled with red or anything. The leaves have a sort of shiny apperance as well. The tendrils that connect traps to leaves are not loopy very much.
I have another question too: the new shoots the nepenthes is growing are reddish at the end where the pitcher will be, and they're kind've woody there too. Is this normal? All of the new pitcher shoots are doing this.

Answer
Hello Katherine,

Sorry, I do not have a public E-mail here, but you could talk to Sarracenia Northwest, a carnivorous plant company that is also a source of expert advice here, and send them a photo of your plant. You could also search for carnivorous plant forums and post pictures of your plant there for perusal and ask for people on the forum to help ID it.

The tendrils will remain straight while the plant is young, after it elongates a bit, some of the upper tendrils will loop as they search for branches to grab on to.

Reddish coloration would be a sign of good light, however; if the tips are dry and woody, they might be experiencing a reaction to either low humidity or too much sun at once. A sudden drop in humidity or a sudden increase in ultraviolet radiation will dry the new pitcher buds out and they will not develop. If the buds remain firm yet pliant and continue growing larger over time each day, usually taking a month or so for full pitcher development, then they are fine.

A shiny appearance will develop as the plant produces waxy coatings on the leaves to handle low humidity and high levels of light. Some Nepenthes are able to do this and others are not.

The hairs on top of the operculum sound like those of N. tentaculata or hybrid thereof if they grow straight up from the lid. If they are just thin, light colored fluff that lies close to the lid, then they are probably baby Nepenthes fuzz.

Good luck identifying your Nepenthes,

Christopher