Nepenthes alata, a rare carnivorous plant
Nepenthes alata
- Exposure
- Sun
- Hardiness (USDA)
- 11b (7.2°C ≤ T° < 10°C)
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Family
- Nepenthaceae
- Genus
- Nepenthes
- Species
- Nepenthes alata
Other name:Nepenthes blanco
If, as Baudelaire said, the beautiful is the bizarre, then Nepenthes alata is magnificent. With its deep urns and hairy stems, this plant native to the Philippines is like no other.
How to recognize Nepenthes alata
Nepenthes alata is an epiphytic or terrestrial carnivorous plant. In its natural habitat, this climbing shrub reaches several meters in height. Its lianas can even exceed four meters. Potted in temperate climates, it reaches a maximum height of 30 centimetres with a spread of 50.
Scattered leaves grow on hairy stems. The lanceolate blades are up to 20 centimetres long and five centimetres wide. White or red hairs may adorn the glossy green foliage.
The trap is located at the tip of the leaf. Depending on the variety, it can be any shade of green, red, orange or violet. It takes the form of a rounded urn crowned by a sloping lid. This prevents rainwater from entering the tank and diluting the digestive fluid. The smallest traps, located close to the foot, are 18 centimetres long. The larger, upper ascidians are over 20 centimetres long.
Nepenthes alata flowers in summer. The green and red flowers have four tepals. Each plant has both male and female flowers. In autumn, they turn into tough, seed-filled capsules.
Ruthless to insects, Nepenthes alata is harmless to humans and pets. Its foliage and urns are non-toxic, and the entrance to the traps is too small for a dog or cat to taste the nectar.
In garden centers and on the Internet, most carnivorous plants sold under the name Nepenthes alata are actually hybrids, Nepenthes ventrata. But don't panic! Both can be grown in the same way. But there are many ways to tell them apart. If you want to know which variety of Nepenthes you have, look at the peristome. In Nepenthes alata, the neck of the trap is green and regular in shape. In Nepenthes ventrata, it's wavy and bright red.
Our care tips
To produce its urns, your Nepenthes alata needs light, heat and humidity. But even when these three parameters are under control, your carnivorous plant will have to adapt to its new growing conditions. You'll probably have to wait a few weeks, even months, before witnessing the birth of the traps.
Watering
The substrate should always remain moist, but the plant's roots should not be sitting in water. Remove any standing water from the saucer or planter to prevent the roots from rotting.
Water the soil with non-hard water at room temperature. Use rainwater or, if you don't have any, demineralized water.
Misting
Your Nepenthes alata appreciates high humidity. Spray the foliage with non-calcareous water at room temperature.
Repotting
In spring, transfer your Nepenthes alata to a larger pot, so that it can continue to grow.
Get a plastic pot with holes, larger than the previous one. If your Nepenthes alata has reached its adult size, there's no need to change containers. Clean the old one and reuse it.
Fill the bottom with a light, draining substrate. You can choose a commercially available potting soil for carnivorous plants. If you want to make your own growing medium, mix 70% sphagnum moss or blond peat with perlite, vermiculite or non-limestone sand.
Plant your Nepenthes alata and fill the pot with potting soil. Your plant loves to climb! Install a wooden stake so it can hang its aerial roots and grow straight.
Pack the substrate lightly without suffocating the roots. Rather than using your hands, tap the bottom of your pot against the table two or three times. Mist the soil with non-calcareous water and wait 24 hours before watering.
To improve humidity, place your pot on a saucer filled with moist clay balls. You can also cover the surface of the substrate with live sphagnum moss.
Prune
To encourage the growth of your Nepenthes alata, prune regularly.
Cut urns completely dry using a clean pair of scissors or pruning shears.
Shorten the stem if it dries out. Cut off the brown part and keep only the green.
Taking cuttings
Cutting is carried out during the strong growth phase, generally in spring and early summer.
Cut green sections from the main stem. They should have at least three or four leaves.
To enable the plant to concentrate on root production, remove the urns and remove about two-thirds of each leaf. You can also remove the limbs at the base.
Surround the base of your cutting (the lower part) with living sphagnum moss. You can form a ball around the stem or plant your young shoot in a plastic pot-bin lined with sphagnum moss.
Then provide your Nepenthes alata with a warm, moist atmosphere. If you don't have a bathroom with a window, grow your cutting in a smothered environment. Place it in a terrarium or in a zipped food bag, which you open for a few minutes each day.
Disease / Threat
Information
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Exposure
- Sun
- Substrate
- Humus soil
- Planting method
- In pots
- Categories
- ClimberIndoorHerbaceousHanging plants
- Tags
- Cold-sensitiveThirsty
- Origin
- Southeast Asia
- Hardiness (USDA)
- 11b (7.2°C ≤ T° < 10°C)
- Leaf colors
- Light greenRedOrangeViolet
- Flower colors
- Light greenRed
- Fruit color
- Brown
Discover plants from the same family
Nepenthes ventrata
Nepenthes x ventrata
Nepenthes gaya
Nepenthes x Gaya
Find out more
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