ECOLOGY PHOTOGRAPHIC         

The genus name, Nepenthes, is derived from the Greek word nepenthe - the Egyptian drug Helen mixed with wine in Homer's Odyssey, meaning "without care" or "no sorrow." Carl Linnaeus applied the name to N. distillatoria, the second species discovered, making reference to the jubilation a botanist might express for such an unusual plant. Today, more than 70 species are known, being distributed in the humid tropics from Borneo to Madagascar.

The species can be segregated into two groups. The highland species grow above 3,200 ft. elevation where the night temperature may drop as low as 41° Fahrenheit (F). They experience little seasonal temperature variation; rather, the greatest temperature differential occurs during the day. The lowland species occur below 3,200' and experience a nighttime temperature only down to 59°F.

This genus represents the only group of carnivorous plants with a vining growth habit. They generally begin life in the nutrient-poor forest floor soils and clamber into the canopy with leaf tendrils, situated between the winged petiole at the base of the leaf and jug-like pitcher at the tip. These tendrils become longer with each successive leaf and the pitchers change shape as the plants mature. Juvenile plants produce pitchers that are winged and squat with broad openings, while mature plants produce ones that are more elongate, tapering toward the bases, have reduced wings, or none.

Carnivorous plant activity is active, as in Venus fly trap, or passive, as in Nepenthes. Two zones can be observed in the pitchers. The upper is waxy and the lower packed with glands that secrete digestive enzymes. The lid restricts rain from diluting the digestive enzymes in most species and does not move once it has opened, as thought by some. Fluid in the pitchers is clear and often very viscous.

These curious plants perform best when grown in a planting mix that affords excellent drainage, such as long-fibered sphagnum moss in teak baskets or a mixture of equal parts peat and scoria in pots. Grow them in bright light to full sun, high humidity and temperature, with lots of water during the active growing season. Cut back to 12 inches every few years, after which they will branch from the base. Fertilize with half-strength applications, twice a month during warmer months and once a month in the winter. Apply to the leaves or through the planting mix if watered heavily, but avoid dispensing into the pitchers. They may be grown from seed, cuttings stuck in sphagnum moss or by air layering. Potting media should be kept moist at all times, but slightly drier in cooler conditions.

In some cultures, the pitchers have been used as vessels for cooking rice or gathering water. The sterile fluid from unopened pitchers reportedly has been used as an eyewash, asthma reliever or painkiller during childbirth. Various parts of the plant have also been used to treat indigestion, heartburn, stomach ailments and dysentery.

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