Quick question about uppers and lowers.

[Nepenthes]

Suppose I take a cutting off of a vining nep and root it (cutting off the top). I understand the rooted cutting will then produce upper pitchers, assuming that is what the mother plant was producing. Well suppose after rooting, I then cut the top off of the rooted cutting, and the plant activates a dormant node, or basal. Will the basal then produce lowers, or keep on producing uppers? I don't have much experience with older Nepenthes, so please forgive my noob-skillz

 

[Zero]

the basal will produce lowers

 

[Clint]

I'd like to clarify that an activated dormant node is not synonymous with a basal. Basals are only formed at (you guessed it) the base of the plant, while a node can activate at any location along the vine, usually when the apical meristem is severed. Sometimes an odd node will activate by it's self and the vine will bifurcate, and sometimes nodes will activate on their own on an old, woody vine.

 

[Nepenthes]

Ahh thank you for the information. And thank you for that clarification Clint. I had suspected that the two were not synonymous, but I was not sure as to which would form when the tip is cut off. That is, either a dormant node would activate, or a basal would be formed. Thanks again =).

Edit: So will the activated node also produce lowers?

 

[Clint]

It'll start off where the vine was when it was developed. If the activated node was one a section of the vine that produced lowers, then it will produce lowers. If it was on a section of vine that was producing uppers, it'll produce uppers, and if it was on a section of the vine that produced intermediates, it will produce intermediates for a while and then start producing uppers.