Heirloom CP?

[Fatbunny]

Well, this is going to be a newbie-ish question. I've been wondering if there is such a thing as'heirloom' carnivorous plant? I think heirloom is defined as a plant passing down through generations and before the 1950s when commercial hybridization took off. If Darwin wrote about CPs in 1875, then maybe some CP were passed down generations by collectors? Actually, how long can a CP of any kind live?

 

[Cthulhu138]

There are still several of the old Victorian Nepenthes hybrids floating around such as N. x'Mixta', N. x'Dyeriana', N. x'Mastersiana'.......etc..... .

 

[nimbulan]

Most of the hybrids from that time period have been lost. It was the unfortunate result of the fuel being used to heat greenhouses being diverted to war.

The other issue is, I'm not sure you could consider any carnivorous plant a true heirloom variety since they will not breed true from seed. Maybe there's a few out there though.

 

[hcarlton]

There are some species that breed true from seeds. Many of the sundews are good examples. However, a lot of the named cultivars other than the old Nepenthes are very recent, so the Victorian-era survivors may be the only ones qualified for such a label.

 

[swords]

Nepenthes x Coccinea and N. Wrigglyana were available back when I first got into CPs (both from the 1880s) however I haven't seen them in years. Wish I still had cuttings from mine! Very easy growers in hot lowland terrarium conditions.

Oh also, as far as Nepenthes lifespans go they could be considered as essentially "living forever". As long as you continue to create new cuttings from the original plant, you can keep a specific hybrid or cultivar going indefinitely so long as proper care is observed.