Hi Tom,
Could this be a result of the trapping devices being incompatible?
The hybrid S.purpurea * S.psittacina seems to be a very robust
grower while as you point out mixing these two with other species
doesn't *seem* to work as well. After allowing a plant to become
well established, which can take a year or two, I've seen tremendous
growth in S.oreophila * S.purpurea much better than what S.oreophila
is doing on it's own. Now I find this hybrid to be really displeasing,
though. The tops of the pitchers are open so any time it rains, they
fill up and flop over. In places where there are taller grasses or
some other competition for light, this could be a very limiting factor
as to how well it could do.
I don't have as much experience with S.psittacina hybrids but I
expect them to suffer similar problems as the pitchers tend to
fall over for these crosses also. I did get S.minor * S.psitt
last year and S.flava * S.psitt, the pitchers on the minor cross
are upright while the flava's are set at a 50-60~ angle. I saw an
older plant of flava * psitt and it seems to be a robust grower,
at least in a greenhouse... It was quite a sight! It is pale
yellow with these really long red veins going up and down the
pitcher, the tops were almost protected 100% by the hoods. Very
Heliamphora younger pitcher looking but the leaves were between
18" and two feet long!
Dave Evans