Expert: Christopher Littrell - 10/13/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hello my name is justin. i was just wondering how to reproduce   them by taking cutting? where do i make the cuttings? also, i would like to know how to tell if the plant is male of female or if the flowers have both reproductive parts?


ANSWER: Hello Justin,

What kind of plant are you trying to reproduce? There are well over 500 species of carnivorous plant, with more being found still, so there are many different ways each can be reproduced. Some can reproduce by leaf cutting or leaf pulling, some by root cuttings, some by rhizome division, and some by self-pollination or only by cross-pollination. Some have only male or female flowers, and some have hermaphroditic flowers.

First, classify the plant you want to reproduce.

Broad categories are as follows:

Venus Flytraps (Dionaea)

Temperate and tropical sundews, tuborous sundews, and pygmy sundews (Drosera)

Portugese sundews (Drosophyllum)

Rainbow Plants (Byblis)

Waterwheel plants (Aldrovanda)

Bladderworts (Utricularia)

Butterworts (Pinguicula)

Asian Pitcher Plants (Nepenthes)

North American Pitcher Plants (Sarracenia and Darlingtonia)

South American Pitcher Plants (Heliamphora)

Australian Pitcher Plants (Cephalotus)

Each has its own modes of reproduction that might or might not be appropriate for all genera or even species.

Take a look at online sources, like cobraplant.com or just type in some of the species and genera names I mentioned to identify the plant or plants you want to know more about. You mght even find the information your seeking that way.

Send me a follow-up so I can help you further with information as needed.

Christopher

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

QUESTION: im sorry, i did not realize that i had not specified which plant i have.  well, the plant that i want to know about is nepenthes miranda.

Answer
Hello Justin,

The easiest way to reproduce a Nepenthes would be simply by waiting long enough for the plant to grow several feet in length, then taking cuttings like you would with an ivy (make diagonal cuts between leaves and leave enough stem to plant several inches deep in soil). Make sure each cutting is about a foot long and has several good leaves attached for photosynthesis... make sure to leave some leaves for the parent plant to work with too (the cuttings are more likely to root when they have the end growth point where new leaves are produced (Slack, p. 139, 1986)). Place the cuttings in moist Nepenthes soil or in a darkened vase of water and wait a couple of months for roots to grow (if in a vase, check for roots occasionally, like every few weeks, then pot the cutting when you see roots growing in). Some ways to increase the chances of root development on Nepenthes cuttings would be to notch the base of each cutting several times with a razor blade or knife and even coating the notches with rooting hormone (best used if you wrap or plant the end of the cutting in Nepenthes soil). Nepenthes cuttings might or might not take, according to environment and health of the parent plant and other considerations, but it is an easy way to reproduce your Nepenthes, but takes patience.

Another method is to air layer the plant by notching an attached section of stem between leaves where you want to make a cutting, then using rooting hormone on the notch and wrapping it in long fiber sphagnum moss taped in cellophane (Slack, pp. 140-141, 1986). Wait a month or so and it should root, then cut it off the parent plant and pot it (Slack).

Slack (1986) also provided a third way to take cuttings by soil layering Nepenthes with several pots around the parent plant. Take the vine and notch it where you want a cutting, put some rooting hormone on the notch, then plant the knotched section in a seperate pot near the parent plant... wait a month or so, then completely cut the notched vine from the parent to continue growing on its own.

Yes, Nepenthes flowers are single sex, so must be cross-pollinated. If your Nepenthes is flowering, the way to tell if the plant is male or female is to look at the flowers when they open. Male flowers will have a thin extension with a whorl like globe at the end called the anther in the center of the flower. Female flowers will also have an extension in the center, but the extension (ovary) is thick and oval shaped and has the stigma at the end to collect pollen from passing insects.

This is hard to explain in print alone, so I will add a site that shows some good drawings that depict the side on view of the male and female flowers so you can see the differences in the parts of interest.

http://www.triffidpark.com.au/htm_pages/photogallery/growingcps_nepenthes_flower

Getting seeds from Nepenthes is difficult as no two Nepenthes flower at exactly the same time and often growers simply have two or more Nepenthes of the same sex and cannot find one of the opposite sex in time to pollinate them. When pollination is successful, hundreds of seeds can be obtained from each flower.

I hope this helps you out with some ideas on how best to reproduce your Nepenthes.

Christopher

Reference

Slack, A. (1986). Insect-Eating Plants and How to Grow Them. Sherborn, Dorset, England: Alphabooks Ltd.