How do neps grow in the wild?

[jeffsz28]

do they just grow on the ground? just curious since when they get bigger alot of people have them in hanging baskets because the pitchers hang so low.

 

[swords]

Hi Jeff,

I haven't been fortunate enough to go on any travels to Maylasia or Indonesia but I've seen photos and read in monologues on the subject that Nepenthes can grow in a number of ways. It depends upon the species and in part to the specific micro-climate of where its growing. The same species may grow differently at different elevations or locations.

terrestrially (on the ground)

hemiepiphytically (from ground to tree or bush)

epiphytically (growing in the moss on tree trunks with the roots never having touched ground)

lithophytically (on rock, many highland species grow on mossy rocks and some lowlanders grow in moss pockets of limestone cliffs)

Some neps after growing for very long periods of time will rot away from their roots and continue to grow throughout the tree canopy living on the water collected in pitchers during rains not connected to anything.

People grow them in hanging planters because the leaves and tendrils are long. They do just fine sitting on a table or bench, for the most part they are climbers but unless they have a support to climb they will hang down after a while.

Hope that helps some!

 

[VeiledFighter]

I only know one person the has seen them in the wild that is Fatboy (Pat - Correct me if I am wrong). She has pictures which amaze me all the time! Here is the link to the Webpage. Hope she does not mind me using her web page

.

Travis

 

[goldtrap2690]

my german uncle went to souteast asia once , sumatra , indonesia , or malaysia , i can't remember , when he was young . he went there on a trip and went to mt. kinablu ( however you spell it ) , he so lucky , he told me that he saw so many pitchers plants . i'll ask him when hge goes back to germnay to bring his photos over or at least tell his parents to mail them over .

 

[goldtrap2690]

my other uncle that lives in my house said that when he grew orchids in vietnam he used to see nepenthes growing like vines in trees . i wish i could go to asia . oh ,a nd he also said that his mother used to cook rice and meat in the pitchers , he said everything that was cooked in the pitchers tasted wonderful , and then he started to stare at my own neps , if touches on of my pitchers and puts it in a frying pan i'll =feed him to my sundews

.

 

[Cindy]

This is how they grow in the wild.

Ampullaria:

Gracilis: A huge mess of vines hanging like a curtain

Rafflesiana: Individual plants - HUGE leaves (>2 feet)

These 3 are found in Singapore nature reserves. So sorry I didn't take photos of the other two...the mozzies could have had me sucked dry by then.

 

[colinliew]

Cindy, which reserve is that?

 

[carniflora]

I saw N.maxima growing in full sun in an enormous bed of sphagnum in the shallows of a large lake . Also saw the same sp. growing along the edge of a cliff near a waterfall , some of the longer stems hung down the cliff.

 

[goldtrap2690]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (swords @ Aug. 16 2003,12:38)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Some neps after growing for very long periods of time will rot away from their roots and continue to grow throughout the tree canopy living on the water collected in pitchers during rains not connected to anything.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
kinda like my d. capensi narrows

, the stalks at the bottom have all rotted and its still growing because i mist it and because its , well just growing . its quite amazing that neps can do this , probably they shoudl be all considered epiphytes when they do this and this is probably why we can succefully grow neps from stem cuttings .