N. xhareliana

[Vertigo]

Hey guys, i'm looking for any hints, tips, even theories on how to handle this guy.

N. xHareliana

The parentage breaks down to N. (xHachijo) x [thorelli x (xDyeriana)]  or further into this:

N. ((mirabilis x thorelli) x mirabilis-red) x (thorelli x((northiana x maxima) x (rafflesiana x veitchii))

I know it's a lowland, but that's about as far as I can figure to set it up.


Oh yeah, and if someone could clear this up for me, the exact plant is N. xHareliana var. 'Red Skelton' or skeleton. ICPS, seems to disagree with the name that Bruce and the savage garden have both stated for this one, and i'd just like to know which it might actually be. I'd say it's skeleton because that sounds cooler, but who knows, he might have named it after Red Skelton.

 

[Capslock]

OK, is there a race to see who can make the most complicated hybrid So far Hareliana is winning with 8 parental influences. It takes a village to raise a Nepenthes!!!

Capslock

 

[Trent]

Okay. Here's the scoop. When Bruce Bednar came up with "Red Skeleton" it was a play on words. It obviously sounds like the famous comic-clown, but also describes the pitchers: long and narrow and heavily suffused red.

It is one of several select cultivars from the Hareliana hybrid grex. Bruce named his crosses in a very orchid-like fashion. He named the cross, and gave a "varietal name" to select individual clones. This is, unfortunately, not recognised by the hybrid registration authorities. The hybrid grex name of Hareliana is nomenclaturally incorrect, but the Red Skeleton cultivar is correct, and thus can stand on its own. Theoretically, 'Red Skeleton' should be a recognised cultivar because a description has been published.

Hope this is helpful.
Trent

 

[Vertigo]

Makes sense in a confusing sort of way.

I guess a message would have to be sent to Bruce to find out what the actual spelling of this cultivar would be. His site along with the Savage Garden both refer to it as Skelton. ICPS has it written as Skeleton. Bruce seemed to use a naming strategy of actually using names, or places for a while for his "cultivars", this is why I was thinking that it truly is Skelton.

I guess i'll find out anyway if he labels the plants he ships.

 

[Trent]

It could be 'Red Skelton'. I have another clone he calls 'Mae West'. Maybe Bruce is simply paying tribute to classic comic performers of stage and screen.

Trent

 

[Vertigo]

That would definately make sense. Have you seen this speciman before?

 

[Trent]

I don't have 'Red Skelton', but i have seen it in Bruce's greenhouse. It has long narrow leaves and long, spotted pitchers with a heavy reddish suffusion. The Hareliana grex had a lot of variation amongst the siblings, probably due to the cross complexity. Big gene pool there!

Trent

 

[Vertigo]

Did it seem to carry a lot of traits from mirabilis or did it seem like a well carried cross?

Thanks for all the info Trent.

Btw, do you have any info on Banta as well?

 

[goldtrap2690]

if it were red skeleton then the pitcher would probably have red streaks all over that would make it look like a skeleton but if it were red skelton than probably bruce bednar named it after the comedian , red skelton , it would probably not be a good name for it unless the pictures looked clownish and funny . this is quite a complicated hybrid , what is the most complicated hybrid of nepenthes .

 

[Trent]

No doubt the red suffusion comes from the Hachijo-thorelii influence. The spotting would be the Dyeriana. the peristome was dark, with fine banding. It is distictive-I wouldn't mind having one myself

. As I recall (this was several years ago) the pitcher had a distinctive waist with the lower, more bulbous portion having a kind of angular front where the tendril formed-very elongated.
In my opinion, people dis mirabilis way too much. It adds vigor and speed of growth to hybrids. The trick is to use a good clone-my preference would be echinostoma or one of the really dark red-purple-black ones.

Trent

 

[Vertigo]

Trent,
I'm not dissing on mirabilis at all, it's more of a question of how the leaf structure is. So far I haven't had a problem with any neps that have generally thicker, waxy leaves. The thinner leafed neps such as mirabilis tend to be slightly picky with any sort of fluctuations.

Hehe, I guess in the long run, i'm trying to figure out if this guy's gonna require a more mirabilis suited habitat, or is it a little more relaxed.

 

[Trent]

As I recall, the leaves were intermediate between the two-actually, more like a thorelii, but long and lanceolate.

Trent

 

[Vertigo]

Thanks again Trent. That makes me feel a whole lot better.

It sounds like i'm really going to like this one.