Slender Pitcher Plant
Nepenthes gracilis
72 prospectus
Taxonomia
| Familia: | Nepenthaceae |
|---|---|
| Genus: | Nepenthes |
| Ordo: | Caryophyllales |
Conspectus
Nepenthes gracilis, the slender pitcher plant, is a common and weedy lowland species found across the Sunda region, from Thailand and Cambodia to Borneo and Sulawesi. Its small, narrow pitchers use raindrops to knock insects off the underside of the lid.
Nepenthes gracilis is a slender climber, usually about 2 m tall and occasionally up to 5 m, with triangular stems and leaf bases that run down the stem ridges. Its small, elongated pitchers look unremarkable, with a very thin peristome. Upper pitchers are about 7 to 14.5 cm (3 to 6 in) long, sub-cylindrical and slightly narrowed in the middle.
It is often confused with N. albomarginata, which has a band of white hairs below the peristome, and with N. reinwardtiana, which has eye-spots inside the pitcher and an untoothed peristome. The species varies little across its range, and most of the varieties once named are no longer recognised.
Despite its abundance, natural hybrids are fairly rare. Those recorded include N. × trichocarpa (with N. ampullaria) and N. × cantleyi (with N. bicalcarata). Genetic studies place it as the sister group to a 'N. mirabilis group' that includes N. bicalcarata, N. ampullaria, N. mirabilis and N. rafflesiana.
Informationes Geographicae
Regio Nativa: Borneo, Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, central Sulawesi, southern Thailand and Cambodia
Zonae Climaticae: Tropical lowland, mostly below 100 m
Nepenthes gracilis grows in lowland peat swamp forest, kerangas (heath) forest, heath scrub on podzol soils, swamp edges and disturbed places such as roadsides, on poor soils and sometimes on sandstone or ultramafic rock. It has been recorded from sea level to about 1,100 m, but most populations are below 100 m and plants are rare above 1,000 m.
Characteres Physicae
Magnitudo Matura: Climbs to about 2 m (up to 5 m); upper pitchers 7-14.5 cm (3-6 in)
Incrementum Ratio: Moderate
Typus Laquei: Pitfall Trap
The underside of the lid of N. gracilis carries an uneven layer of wax crystals, a feature that may be unique in the genus. It is thinner than, and different in structure from, the waxy zone inside the pitcher, and in dry weather insects can walk on it easily. During rain, however, the impact of raindrops on the lid shakes insects off their footing and drops them into the pitcher below. In this way the lid works as a rain-powered part of the trap.
Dux Curae
Requisita Lucis
Bright, diffuse light is excellent, and artificial lighting can be adequate if it is bright enough.
Bright light year round; no seasonal rest cotidie
Aquae Requisita
Typus: Purified water (distilled, reverse osmosis or rain) is safest
Methodus: Water from above and let the excess drain. Do not keep the pot standing in a tray of water: plants sitting in trays often have dwarfed root systems.
Frequentia: Often enough to keep the mix evenly moist
Humiditas: Very high: at least 60%, ideally near 90%
Solum
A 50:50 mix of long-fiber sphagnum moss and perlite is a good general starting point. After about a year, knock the plant out of its pot and look at the roots; if they are not exploring the mix, try a different one.
pH: Acidic (sphagnum based)
Temperatura
Aestas: Days 86-93°F (30-34°C), nights about 14°F cooler
Hiems: Same as summer; tropical, grows all year
Pascens
Frequentia: Optional; at most once or twice a month into the pitchers
Plants that catch insects need no feeding. Growers who want to fertilize can pour a small amount of orchid or epiphyte fertilizer into the pitchers once or twice a month, starting small and watching the effect. Fertilizing is optional.
Propagatio
Methodi: Stem cuttings: cut green stems into segments with about two leaves each, trim each leaf to about a third of its size, set the lower half in the mix and keep the cutting at very high humidity. Roots usually form within about a month. Seed needs a male and a female plant flowering at the same time; it is short-lived and should be sown at once.
Difficultas: Moderate
Consilia Incipientium
One of the best Nepenthes to start with: small, forgiving of mistakes and well suited to a terrarium, where the high humidity it needs is easy to provide.
Difficultates solvendi (vel difficultates solvendi)
Leaf edges burning and tendrils failing to form pitchers: humidity too low. A small plant with a weak root system: the pot has been standing in water.
Consilia Crescentia
Do not leave it standing in water Troubleshooting
Water from above and let it drain. A pot kept standing in a tray develops a dwarfed root system.
Warm and humid Advanced
As a lowland plant it likes days of 86-93°F (30-34°C), nights only about 14°F (8°C) cooler, and humidity of 60% or more.
A good first Nepenthes General
Small and forgiving, N. gracilis is an excellent choice for a terrarium.
Facta Curiosa
Gracilis is Latin for slender.
Its lid acts as a springboard in rain: raindrops knock insects into the pitcher.
It is one of the most widespread Nepenthes, also found on many small islands such as Penang, Phuket and Langkawi.
The Philippine species N. abgracilis is named for its superficial similarity to it.
Barry Rice calls it quite forgiving of cultivation errors and an excellent choice for terrarium growers.
The IUCN Red List assessed it as Least Concern in 2018 (Clarke, assessment T39663A143960417).
Historia
Pieter Willem Korthals described Nepenthes gracilis in his 1839 monograph Over het geslacht Nepenthes, from a specimen collected in Borneo on Gunung Pamatton at 325 m. Lindley's N. laevis of 1848 is a synonym. Several varieties were named in the 19th and 20th centuries, among them var. elongata, var. teysmanniana and var. arenaria, but most are no longer considered valid. In 2001 Charles Clarke's analysis of morphology placed it beside N. reinwardtiana, but genetic data later showed it is not closely related to that species.
Fontes
- Nepenthes gracilis, Wikipedia
- Nepenthes gracilis, Caryophyllales Network: Nepenthaceae (after Cheek & Jebb 2001, Flora Malesiana I, 15)
- Nepenthes: species of Borneo, The Carnivorous Plant FAQ (Barry Rice)
- Nepenthes: basic cultivation, The Carnivorous Plant FAQ (Barry Rice)
- Nepenthes: advanced cultivation, The Carnivorous Plant FAQ (Barry Rice)
- Thumbnail guidelines on growing a tropical pitcher plant, The Carnivorous Plant FAQ (Barry Rice)
Frequentes interrogationes
Emptioni Disponibilis
Species Affines
Mane Novus de Slender Pitcher Plant
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