Re: Nepenthes habits
Rand Nicholson (writserv@mi.net)
Thu, 2 May 1996 05:59:23 -0300
>On Wed, 1 May 1996 NPLUMMER@hg-basic1mail.hg.med.umich.edu wrote:
>
>>
>> The plant also seems to have two types of stem. One type has leaves set
>> relatively close together, and the tendrils do not coil. The second
>> type has leaves that are far apart and tendrils which coil. If they fail
>> to wrap around something, the tendrils seem to die. When they do wrap
>> (tightly) around a bamboo cane that I put in the pot, the tendrils form
>> a pitcher that is indistinguishable from the ones on the non-coiling
>> leaves. Am I imagining things, or do Nepenthes have climbing and
>> non-climbing stems?
> Could _this_ be why me gracilis hasn't been pitchering lately? A
>N.mirabilis in the same terrarium is pitchering (pitchers not as large as
>before I moved them to their present location).
>
>Ben
My N. alata (which seems to want to grow over six feet tall and more) has
survived several cutbacks. Each time the new growth put out tendrils that
seemed disinterested in gripping or twining. As the plant put on more and
heavier top growth it also started to lean out of its pot. At this time the
tendrils would twine around anything they could reach, including each
other. Although the lower pitchers were different than the upper, there did
not seem to be any difference in the _rate_ of pitchering. The lower
pitchers were generally smaller and squater than the upper pitchers. The
upper leaf tendrils could be hanging freely and still pitcher, although the
tendril would form a loop previous to this.
Kind Regards,
Rand