N.sanguinea
Alastair Robinson (100611.1627@compuserve.com)
13 Feb 96 08:13:21 EST
Some of you may have read the revelation of my trip, in the summer of
1995, back home to Malaysia whereupon I visited several habitats on both
the peninsular and the Eastern state of Sabah, Borneo. I referred to a
lowland Nepenthes sp. which I found growing solitary, but for another
specimen about 45 mins. walk away, near our house in Kuala Lumpur.
Well, as I mentioned, I took four cuttings, three of which I kept, and
the fourth I sent to a friend, Olivier, in Switzerland (Andreas and Jean
probably both know him). Well, the three cuttings have taken, one of
which has produced its first pitcher which is 14cm high. The pitcher
(an intermediate) itself can be likened most closely to that of
N.sanguinea, though more robust than those I have seen both cultivated
and in the wild, also having a 'heavier', wider peristome. The
resemblance of this cultivated pitcher is not so similar to those of the
plant from which it was taken however which suggests that the
environment in which it was found has affected its growth and
appearance. I can only suggest that the specimens found are a lowland
form of N.sanguinea - being an amateur grower -The temperatures were
fairly high reaching about 35 degrees c. at midday, and only as low as
20 degrees by night. The cuttings show an aversion to temperatures as
low as those N.sanguinea can tolerate, and do far better in the range
suitable for lowland species in general. Obviously it may be a hybrid,
but only N.mirabilis, to which it shows no morphological similarities,
grew nearby.
Best wishes,
Alastair.