Uh, id please?

[Username]

So I picked this up about a month ago from a garden centre (along with another VFT) and I have no idea what type it is. It currently lives in the bathroom, on the windowsill with a curtain between it and the shower. (pics are thumbnails)

This is the plant today.

And this is one of the new pitchers it has sent out (not inflated):

Also, the pitchers it came with have water in them. Should I put water in the newest pitchres when they open, or leave them?

Finally, any advice at all on growing this sort of nep would be usefu - never grown one before!

Thanks for your help.

Edited October 26, 2008 by Username

[scarlett]

Looks like a Nepenthes Ventricosa.

As far as putting water in them - I would not do that - the ones I have produce their own and quite alot. Most of my pitchers are nearly half full.

I've never heard of adding water BUT I'm not an expert either so wait and see what the others say.

[manders]

Allmost certainly the ubiquitous Ventrata

[LJ]

No need to add water to the pitchers and it looks like ventrata to me too. A nice easy nep, just dont keep it too wet - ie dont stand it in water.

Heather

[Amar]

No need to add water to the pitchers and it looks like ventrata to me too. A nice easy nep, just dont keep it too wet - ie dont stand it in water.

Heather

what she said. :)

[Username]

Well, I have been standing it in water, but also waiting quite a while between refills.

So a nepenthes ventrata? This is the common one to pick up in the garden centres?

Oh, so they produce their own water/liquid! Ok.

Thanks for the info.

[LJ]

Yep, ventrata is what you normally find in garden centres, sometimes you find other ones if you're lucky though!

I wouldn't recommend standing neps in water, although ventrata will be more forgiving that most. I keep mine on upturned water trays so they are just out of the water tray and water again from above when the substrate is getting a bit drier (and let it drain though) but I try not to let it dry out completely. ....

Heather

[Username]

I think mine will be ok if it's forgiving - I let the tray be empty for a while before filling it up again (not so much the soil dries out, though!)

[dashman]

It looks to me to be Northiana.

You see I have all of the aforementioned plants either in species or their hybrid form. The base of the growth point looks more like a Northiana. The leaves are too broad for ventricosa in my opinion and not quite green and waxy enough for ventrata.

It looks strikingly like my N. Miranda (maxima X (maxima X northiana)) especially at the base of the growth point and the leaves which look like they will turn a bronzish color with a little more light. However, N. Miranda has a bit more colorful pitchers and is spotted. Northiana can have a more pale-greenish color and has wings hence my guess that it is northiana.

Edited November 8, 2008 by dashman

[Username]

OK, so it might be a northiana. Well, I havem't had it for long so I'll wait to see if it colours up.

EDIT: Had a look at some pictures of northiaa on Google, and none of the pitchers on my plant have to wide...lips? at the edge of the hole to the pitcher. So unless mine in immature (which it may well be) it may not be a nothiana.

Edited November 9, 2008 by Username

[Dicon]

It looks to me to be Northiana.

You see I have all of the aforementioned plants either in species or their hybrid form. The base of the growth point looks more like a Northiana. The leaves are too broad for ventricosa in my opinion and not quite green and waxy enough for ventrata.

It looks strikingly like my N. Miranda (maxima X (maxima X northiana)) especially at the base of the growth point and the leaves which look like they will turn a bronzish color with a little more light. However, N. Miranda has a bit more colorful pitchers and is spotted. Northiana can have a more pale-greenish color and has wings hence my guess that it is northiana.

Hey Dashman,

Your glasses are really dark, do you have a dog to go with them?

I don't think N.northiana is available at "your local garden centre"

[dashman]

Dicon,

Hillarious! No I am not blind. I did see the wings on the pitchers. Could a blind man do that?

Username,

I guess the best advice I can offer is to stick with identifying it by similarities and differences by using a process of elimination, not by probabilities of what you can find at a garden center. But that is my humble opinion.

It may not be a northiana, but it does look similar to my Miranda (maxima (maxima X northiana)) minus the colors.

I do know, however, it is not ventricosa or ventrata because neither of those have wings. See below...

N. Miranda

N. Ventricosa

.

N. Ventrata

Edited November 14, 2008 by dashman

[mobile]

If it's not ventrata then that's unusual for a garden centre plant here in the UK. I've only ever seen Nepethes x ventrata and Nepenthes × hookeriana in UK garden centres, with the former being the most common by far.

I think mine will be ok if it's forgiving - I let the tray be empty for a while before filling it up again (not so much the soil dries out, though!)

Long term it may not like this treatment. My garden centre purchased ventrata really didn't like being too wet and it didn't do very well until I repotted it into a much more open media. I now have it in sphagnum moss and it only gets watered once or twice a week so it's kept on the dry side which it seems to prefer.

Edited November 14, 2008 by mobile

[Username]

Well, I've taken it out of the tray, and am going to leave it like that. I check the moistness of the soil with my finger every few days, but it doesn't seemt o need a water yet - it is definitely still wet.

I don't think it's a Nepenthes × hookeriana as the pitchers are the wrong shape. And if ventrata doesn't have wings..well then. Maybe it'll become more like one or the other later?

Here's a close up of one of the opened pitchers it came with, and another of the more developed new pitcher (unopened):

[LJ]

I have to agree that its highly doubtful you'd find northiana in a garden center here.

Glad to hear you've taken it out of the water tray too, I'm sure it will prefer this - just give it some more water from above when it starts too look drier - aim to keep it just damp rather than wet looking and you'll be fine. Also, when you re-pot in the future it might be worth adding some bark and perlite to mix too if its just in peat at the moment.

The pitchers on the 2 pictures look quite different! The second looks like ventrata with the colouring but the first one certainly doesnt with the wings, reminds me of sanguina a bit though. I look forward to seeing an updated pic when the new pitcher has fully opened. Nice to see the new one has some better colour on it too

Heather

[dashman]

You are probably right LJ. My guess was most likely not.

I have to agree, it does look like sanguinea. Especially after seeing the new photos. The first one shows the multiple spurs. Which sanguinea has and the pitcher shape is the same as sanguinea. I think we have a winner.

Edited November 15, 2008 by dashman

[Tony]

When trying to ID a plant you have to take many factors into account.

Size/age of the plant.

Origin of the plant.

Leaf shape

Pitcher shape and coloration.

The catch though is that plant size/age can heavily influence the all important pitcher shape and coloration. It can also influence leaf shape but nearly as much. So you need to look at all these factors and how they interact with each other.

While it is true that mature N. ventrata do not have wings, young plants of nearly all Nepenthes do. Including N. ventrata.

This photo is clearly a very immature pitcher and has typical characteristics you find on the vast majority of Nepenthes, regardless of type. You can see the very small leaf it originates from, the wings and the lid projections off the top. Those are not multiple spurs.

It can take a while for N. ventrata to outgrow the wings because N. alata typically has wings on mature lower pitchers. It is not uncommon to see some partial wings on a N. ventrata pitcher that is several inches tall.

The leaf shape and the developing pitcher are without a doubt N. ventrata. A very common, easy to grow Nepenthes found in many retail stores.

Tony

Edited November 16, 2008 by Tony

[LJ]

Great post Tony, I've never seen a young ventrata but interesting to know they have wings when young, I've only seen ones with mature pitchers. Come to think of it though, all nep seedlings look the same but considering the size of the plant you'd think it should be a fairly mature pitcher.........until you see the small leaf that its actually coming from - very observant!

Sounds like the initial guesses of a ventrata are likely correct then, atleast the newer pitcher does look like ventrata.

Try to post a new pic when the new pitcher has fully opened....

Heather

[Dicon]

This clearly shows, what Tony has said.

This ia a new pitcher on a bassal of a mature N x Ventrata also showing a mature pitcher.

All should now be clear

[LJ]

Nicely demonstrated Dicon, good to see

Heather

[Username]

So after jumping around a few different species, it it probably the first one - ventrata? Ok. Easy to grow. That's good.

How long until a new pitcher opens, on average? The biggest new on hasn't even grown a lid yet.

[dashman]

I will have to respectfully concede to the experts here. I tried to help, but only ended up causing confusion. My apologies.

Although, I am starting to wonder what the heck I have. My ventrata also has basal shoots and none of the small pitchers have wings. Perhaps this is just variation among hybrids? Or perhaps the pitchers or too small. The largest one is only a few cm.

Oh well.

Nicely demonstrated Dicon, good to see

Heather