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| nepenthes rafflesiana |
Flower on my Nepenthes rafflesiana.
I am not sure why this flower did not develop into a long inflorescence as it does on my other Nepenthes plants.
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| not very showy |
This Nepenthes, or pitcher plant grows well in a hanging pot in well draining mix of orchid bark and soil. It likes to be kept warm, in light shade and with high humidity, so when temperatures drop below 35F I bring it inside.
Nepenthes are not grown for their flowers but for the pitchers, those pitchers are heavily modified leaves.
Insects crawl into the pitchers searching for nectar. Once inside, the pitcher walls are too slippery for them to crawl back out. They drown in the liquid and digestive enzymes released by the plant do the rest.
Amazing macros!! Interesting description, too.
ReplyDeletePitcher plants are some of the most interesting plants in the plant world. I see them at the botanical garden and they make great study subjects for botanical drawings. I would love to have some of my own, but they would be hard to care for in the home. I especially like the one in the last image.
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