Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 09:11:58 -0400 (EDT) From: Perry Malouf <pmalouf@access.digex.net> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg3252$foo@default> Subject: Re: Epiphytic Neps
Johnathan wrote:
> Has anyone else noticed that epiphytic Nepenthes seem to have larger
> pitchers, both in actual dimensions and in proportion to their leaf
> size, than terrestrial ones? This is especially noticeable in N.
> ampullaria.
I question the labelling of any Nepenthes as epiphytic, in
the sense of being absolutely and exclusively epiphytic. Rather I
would say that some Nepenthes are found growing epiphytically as
well as terrestrially.
As for the pitcher size, some of the largest pitchers are found
on plants that are seen to grow terrestrially most of the time.
Has anyone seen an epiphytic N. rajah, or N. burbidgeae, or
N. rafflesiana 'giant'? Maybe they exist but I haven't seen or
heard of any.
The example of N. ampullaria being exclusively terrestrial and
(therefore) having small pitchers is a little weak. There are
plenty of terrestrial counter-examples.
> ...Has anyone tried to grow a Nep on bark?
I find these plants challenging enough to grow, without making
it even harder on myself :-) To grow a Nepenthes epiphytically
you'd need to mimic the climate in which they are found to grow
naturally as epiphytes. Saturated humidity all the time comes
to mind, with controlled temperatures, lighting, etc. If you
live in a place that has these things, then it's easy. If
you don't live in such a place, then it's a pain.
A friend of mine has experimented with Nepenthes seed germination
on a variety of media including wet bark. The seeds sprouted
on the bark. But seedlings which were potted in other media performed
much better, so the bark idea was abandoned.
Regards,
Perry Malouf
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