My observations about our N. hookeriana(??): as mentioned in the article, my
plant is slightly fuzzy (can't see it, but it can be felt if stem is brushed
with a finger). The stem doesn't look reddish to me. The leaves look much
"yellower" than other species and hybrids. The petiole looks winged at stem
maybe pointing to an amplexicaul parent like N. hirsuta (N. rafflesiana
petioles are canaliculate aren't they?).
It just so happens I heard from Bruce today. He just repeats what's in the
CPN article. He adds, "Keep in mind - according to old Gardener's Chronicles
of the 1890's, N. hirsuta had been in collections for years without anyone
knowing what it was due to its 'common appearance' - no one cared! I'm trying
to re-create that hybrid to prove my theory - hopefully one day soon I will
be able to prove it."
Other Nepenthes info from Bruce,
He will sell N. truncata for $100 per plant in late fall. N. truncalata
is a 1989 hybrid made by Bruce and O. Clyde Bramblett made between N.
truncata and N. alata. N. x margaretea is N. * (kampotiana x
ventricosa). N. x yarosis is N. * (truncata x alata) x (kampotiana x
ventricosa) About N. burkei: "I don't feel N. burkei is in cultivation.
It is just N. ventricosa. The main difference was in the angle of the
peristome - one is flat and the other at an angle - I'm sure this is
just natural variation. Danser's description is of a different, more
pubescent plant. When Turnbull and Middleton went to the Phillippines
to locate and collect herbarium specimens none were found. The type
locale had been destroyed for man's progress. I don't believe this is a
valid species - perhaps it was 100 years ago but not now. N. alata v.
boschiana is simply the glaborous green form of N. alata. N. boschiana
is a valid species from Borneo and is not in cultivation at this time
(to the best of my knowledge). The "boschiana" variety applied to N.
alata I believe is from Longwood and started in the 1950's."
About Marcel Lecoufle:
Don't blame him [for mislabeling plants]. He is a good friend of mine.
We did a lot of Nepenthes, Sarracenia, and Platycerium trades in the
early 1980's. I met him in 1984 and we went out in the Everglades
photographing stuff. A few of our pictures are in his new book as is my
credits. Although he owns the nursery, all the work is done by people
with little or no knowledge of the plants. Even as recent as the early
1980's, 80% of his Nepenthes were mis-labelled. He knows it and we
tried to sort out the correct names. He gave up after 2 years - his
main interests were orchids. Nepenthes were just a side-line and not a
money maker for him. Be the way, N. x boissiense "rubra" is a hybrid N.
(distillatoria 'rubra' x mixta) cross! Many thought it was with N.
gracilis. However, gracilis is very similar to N. distillatoria 'rubra'
and this single clone came from Lecoufle in the early 1950's to the USA
labelled "gracilis". It's a female plant, has a red stem, is very
difficult to pitcher. When it does, its mostly brown with some purple
inside the pitcher. The leaf connection to stem is more decurrent than
gracilis. It does grow easy and roots easy. The same clone went on to
Japan and they call it "green trichocarpa" - bogus of course. Check it
against Danser's line drawings and descriptions - nails it on the head!
A photo in Kondo's "CP of the World" p. 100 shows it growing in the
wild. Keep in mind the French had their hands in Ceylon for a long time
and this plant has been in Lecoufle's since his grand-father's days back
at the turn of the century.