Species and Hybrid Photo Page

Species & Hybrid Photos

The following information is from my personal experiences growing various varieties of Nepenthes. Please keep in mind that I grow my plants outdoors. Some of my Nepenthes are grown in full sun or partially shaded areas. Every environment is different and unique! What works for me may not work for someone else. But I hope that my experiences will help enthusiasts enjoy and demystify the constraints of growing these fantastic plants. And finally, all of the pictures of my Nepenthes are at various growth stages. Some are not fully adult, pitchering plants yet. It takes years to get size 2, size 3, and slow growing highlander Nepenthes to adult pitchering size.

Generally speaking, most Nepenthes will arrive in about 3 stages of development from most vendors. Leaf span is the diameter of the plant excluding the tendrils.

Size 2 or small Nepenthes 1"-3" leaf span These plants are fresh from tissue culture or perhaps seed grown. They are very small with tiny pitchers. Hopefully the vendor has "greenhouse" hardened them off. I've noticed that upon arrival they tend to have a pale green color. They haven't developed the "waxy" leaf outercoat that seems to help with lower humidity. Most rarer and harder to procure species MAY arrive in this state. I've found that these plants do adapt to outdoor conditions fairly well, but because of their size I usually grow them as windowsill plants until they get a little larger. They don't seem to show any signs of "shock" when transplanting them into moss. This is good! Some vendors ship already in pots, so root shock can be totally avoided. Be careful of high light levels at first. They can burn somewhat easily. After a few weeks or so, they will adapt and should do fine.
Size 3 or medium Nepenthes 4"- 8" leaf span These plants have been greenhouse hardened off and are adapt well to new environments. They may arrive bare root or in pots. They generally take the 4-6 inch plastic pots for planting. They seem to have very little, if any shock from transplanting and will start pitchering up quickly. These plants will exhibit the "waxy" outer leaf coat too. They are generally a little more expensive than "size 2's" but less than rooted cuttings!

Rooted Cuttings / Large Plants or 8" & greater leaf span

Rooted cuttings are just that. They come from mature plants and develop adult pitchers quickly. Once again, some vendors ship bare root while others ship in pots. I've found this may be a critical part of adapting rooted cuttings and larger varieties. The leaves may become droopy, pitchers will drop off and turn brown, and some leaf damage may occur because of transplant shock. This really depends on the species / hybrid. Some could care less what happens while others take it badly. Of course, the upside is you get a MATURE plant with adult pitchers quicker than with the other sizes. Also, rooted cuttings and larger plants have taken the grower longer to develop at their nursery so they are generally more expensive and there aren't as many available. Especially the rarer species. So keep this in mind when you are purchasing your Nepenthes.

As I said, I grow all of my highlanders and intermediates outdoors. I don't grow many lowlanders but the few that I do are grown as bedroom or windowsill plants. All my plants go directly from the box, into a pot, and outside upon arrival. Once in a while I will acclimate a plant indoors for a few weeks or so if it looks weak or shows signs of stress before putting it outdoors. I do not do anything special when the plants arrive. If the vendors greenhouse hardened their plants, then I find no particular problems with the plants. On occasion, some plants will show some leaf curl, pitcher drop off, and / or burnt tendril tips. This can be the result of shock, humidity, and sunlight level to name a few. Adapting intermediate / lowlanders outdoors can be challenging. Most Nepenthes that are from 1000 meters or higher adjust fine to outdoor conditions. True lowlanders DO NOT like going outside in highland conditions I've found out. Finally, some varieties adjust quickly while others take their sweet time. I've purchased the same species from two different vendors and one plant will respond totally different than the other. But overall, growing them outdoors seems to be very easy. Species / Hybrids
(If underlined, click for picture)

is for updated material and photos

*N. alata
*N. alata x khasiana
*N. alata x maxima
*N. alata "giant" X spectabilis
*N. Ali'i (N. kampotiana X maxima) X sanguinea
*N. X "andrewensis" (kampotiana X ventricosa) X khasiana
*N. angasanensis
*N. aristolochioides
*N. aristolochioides X diatas
*N. aristolochioides X spectabilis
*N. bellii X trusmadiensis
*N. bellii X (ventricosa X aristolochioides)
*N. X Black Dragon
*N. bongso
*N. bongso X maxima
*N. boschiana
*N. X briggsiana
*N. burbidgeae
*N. burbidgeae X edwardsiana
*N. burkei
*N. campanulata X veitchii
*N. carunculata
*N. carunculata var. robusta X trusmadiensis
*N. carunculata var. robusta X ventricosa
*N. chaniana X veitchii
*N. clipeata X (clipeata x eymae)
*N. clipeata X ventricosa
*N. copelandii
*N. densiflora
*N. densiflora X spectabilis
*N. densiflora X truncata "King of Clubs"
*N. diatas
*N. X Dreamy Koto
*N. dubia
*N. X Dyeriana
*N. ephippiata
*N. eustachya
*N. eymae
*N. eymae X spectabilis
*N. eymae X (stenophylla X lowii)

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