Nepenthes

Synonyms: flytrap, Phyllamphora Lour., Anurosperma (Bl.) Hallier., pitcher-plant

Непентес (Nepenthes L.) - the only genus of the family Nepenthaceae (Nepenthes). The genus was first distinguished by Carl Linnaeus in 1737 in «Hortus Cliffortianus». In 1753 a description of this genus was first published in Species Plantarum.

In nature it occurs in the tropical part of Asia (mainly on the island of Kalimantan). The western boundary reaches the Seychelles and Madagascar, the eastern — New Guinea, northern Australia and New Caledonia.

Mostly these are shrub-like or subshrub lianas with long thin herbaceous and slightly woody stems that climb trunks and thick branches of neighboring trees for tens of meters upward.

Leaves alternate, large, with a pronounced convex midrib and an attenuate apex. In pitcher leaves the lower part of the petiole is flat, broad and green. The petiole then passes into a thin, long tendril that twines around the host tree's branch. A pitcher for trapping insects hangs at the end of the tendril, formed from the leaf blade. Pitcher length varies from 2.5 to 30 (50) cm. Pitchers are often colored brightly: red, matte-white, spotted, light green with purple spots. A toothed rim is located on the outer, more convex wall of the pitcher. The upper edge is turned inward and is covered with grooves of pink or lilac color; between them a sweet and fragrant nectar flows, secreted by glandular nectaries.

Flowers are inconspicuous, dioecious, small, actinomorphic, apetalous, with 4 (3) imbricate sepals.

Fruits are leathery capsules divided internally by partitions into separate chambers, in which small seeds with fleshy endosperm and a straight cylindrical small embryo are attached to the column.

Species: there are about 120 species. Some of them:

• Nepenthes andamana M.Catal.
• Nepenthes attenboroughii A.S.Rob., S.McPherson & V.Heinrich — Nepenthes Attenborough
• Nepenthes rajah Hook.f. - Nepenthes Rajah
• Nepenthes gracilis Korth.
• Nepenthes bellii Kondo
• Nepenthes glabrata J.R.Turnbull & A.T.Middleton

Hybrids:

• N. × coccinea ((N. rafflesiana × N. ampullaria) × N. mirabilis)
• N. x ventrata (N. ventricosa x N. alata)
• N. x bloody mary (N. ventricosa x N. ampullaria)
• N. D'mato (N. lowii x ventricosa)
• N. × mixta (N. northiana × N. maxima)
• N. 'Emmarene' (N. khasiana × N. ventricosa)
• N. 'Judith Finn' (N. spathulata × N. veitchii)

Hardiness zone: for lowland species optimal daytime temperature 30—34 °C, night +8 °C; for montane species – daytime 25—30 °C, night +10 °C.

Light: grow well in diffused light; shade from direct sunlight with gauze or other fabric. In the autumn-winter period supplemental lighting for 16 hours is recommended.

Humidity: require high humidity 60—90%. With insufficient air moisture the leaf margins wilt and tendrils do not develop into pitchers.

Watering: watering moderate. Do not allow the substrate to dry out completely or to become waterlogged. Use settled or rainwater for watering, and water free of lime. Bottom watering is preferable. In summer they need abundant watering; in autumn and winter moderate, about 2 days after the top layer dries. At 16°C watering should be done very carefully and in small amounts.

Planting: Soil mixture: coarse leaf mold, charcoal and sphagnum. The most universal composition: sphagnum and perlite in a 50:50 ratio.

Repotting: done annually, in spring. Grows well in orchid baskets or hanging pots. The pot should be at least 14 cm in diameter.

Care: use special fertilizers for orchids and epiphytes at very low concentration — pour them into the pitcher 1-2 times a month. Pitcher coloration shows better when the plant is kept in bright light. The dormant period in indoor conditions is forced (less light and insufficient humidity) — from October to February.

Pruning: performed in the 2nd year. For this, pinch shoots above the 5th-6th leaf to stimulate pitcher development. Before repotting cut shoots back to a well-developed bud at their lower part.

Propagation: by cuttings. Cuttings are cut below a leaf. Root at temperatures not lower than 25 °C. Sphagnum is used as a substrate. It is necessary to maintain high humidity of air and substrate and to shade from the sun. Climbing Nepenthes are propagated by air layering.

Pests: mealybugs, aphids.

Use: rarely encountered in house culture, since many species are not suitable in size for small greenhouses. Keeping on a windowsill is quite difficult due to low air humidity. Grown in greenhouses, conservatories, indoors (in terrariums), in a closed flower window or as a hanging plant in orchid baskets.