Merrill's Pitcher Plant
Nepenthes merrilliana
128 hevitra
panasokajiana
| Family: | Nepenthaceae |
|---|---|
| karazana: | Nepenthes |
| mba: | Caryophyllales |
Overview
Nepenthes merrilliana is a lowland tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Philippines, found in northern and central Mindanao and on nearby Dinagat. It produces some of the largest pitchers in the genus, rivalling those of N. rajah.
Nepenthes merrilliana is one of the giant-pitchered species of the genus. The Field Museum's account of Philippine pitcher plants gives its pitchers as up to 34 cm deep and 17 cm wide, holding as much as one and a half liters of liquid.
N. surigaoensis is closely related and was for a long time treated as a synonym of N. merrilliana; N. samar is another close ally, which Barry Rice notes is possibly the same species.
In the wild it hybridizes with N. alata (the hybrid named N. × merrilliata), N. bellii, N. mindanaoensis and N. mirabilis. Like all Nepenthes, individual plants are either male or female.
Fampahalalana ara-jeografika
Faritra teratany: Philippines (endemic): northern and central Mindanao, Dinagat and nearby islands
Zone toetr'andro: Tropical lowland to lower montane; cultivated under glass outside the tropics
Wikipedia describes its habitat as coastal forest on steep slopes from sea level to about 1,100 m (3,600 ft), and its presence in southern Mindanao as uncertain. Co's Digital Flora of the Philippines records it from Bucas Grande, Dinagat and the Mindanao provinces of Agusan del Norte, Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental and Surigao, in forests and sometimes as an epiphyte, at 20-1,700 m. The Field Museum notes plants in Surigao flourishing on exposed, sunny edges of shrubland in very poor, reddish, iron-rich soil.
Toetra ara-batana
Habe matotra: Pitchers up to about 34 cm (13 in) deep and 17 cm (7 in) wide
Taham-pitomboana: Moderate
Karazana fandrika: Pitfall Trap
Like other Nepenthes, each pitcher is a modified leaf tip that holds digestive fluid. Prey is attracted by color, nectar and scent. The ridged rim around the mouth, the peristome, is slippery, and when it is wet a thin film of water makes insects 'aquaplane' into the pitcher. A waxy coating on the upper inner wall makes escape nearly impossible, and glands in the lower part absorb nutrients from the digested prey. The lid above the mouth helps keep rain out, and its underside may carry nectar glands.
Torolàlana momba ny fikarakarana
Fitakiana hazavana
Bright, diffuse light. In the wild it often grows on exposed, sunny shrubland edges, so give it a very bright position.
Bright light year round; no seasonal rest isan'andro
Fitakiana rano
Type: Purified water (distilled, reverse osmosis or rain) is safest
FOMBA: Water from above to keep the mix evenly moist and let it drain. Do not leave the pot standing in a tray of water.
hatetika: Often enough that the mix stays moist
Hamandoana: High: at least 60%, ideally near 90%
nofon-tany
A 50:50 mix of long-fiber sphagnum moss and perlite is a good starting point. Check the roots after a year and adjust the mix if they are not spreading through it.
pH: Acidic (sphagnum based)
hafanana
vanin-taona mafana: Days 86-93°F (30-34°C), nights 14°F (8°C) cooler
ririnina: Same as summer; keep warm all year
sakafo
hatetika: Optional; any fertilizer at most once or twice a month into pitchers
Some growers add a little orchid or epiphyte fertilizer to the pitchers once or twice a month, starting with small amounts. Chemical fertilizers are best used at low strength.
fampielezana
FOMBA: Cuttings rooted in damp sphagnum moss in a bag or tank with high humidity and moderate light; they begin to root in one to two months and start to form pitchers in about six months. Seed loses viability soon after harvest. Tissue culture is used commercially.
fahasarotana: Moderate
Torohevitra ho an'ny vao manomboka
Treat it as a warm-growing lowlander: heat, humidity and bright light all year, with water from above.
Fanamboarana
Leaf edges burning and no new pitchers: raise the humidity. Slow growth in a warm house: check that nights are not too cold for a lowland species.
Torohevitra mitombo
Humidity first Troubleshooting
If tendrils stop producing pitchers, raise the humidity before changing anything else; Nepenthes do best at 60-90% relative humidity.
Plenty of light Advanced
In Surigao it grows on sunny, exposed edges of shrubland. Bright light helps it color up and produce large pitchers.
Keep it warm General
This is a lowland species. Aim for days around 30-34°C (86-93°F) with nights only about 8°C (14°F) cooler, all year round.
Zava-misy mahaliana
It is named after the American botanist Elmer Drew Merrill.
Its pitchers can hold as much as one and a half liters of liquid.
The Manobo people of the Surigao region call it lapsay.
N. samar and N. surigaoensis are close relatives; N. surigaoensis was long treated as the same species.
The IUCN Red List classes it as Vulnerable (Clarke et al., 2000, assessment T39676A10255369); the Philippine national list (DAO) classes it as Critically Endangered.
Diarin'ny rakitra
John Muirhead Macfarlane described Nepenthes merrilliana in 1911, in the Contributions from the Botanical Laboratory of the University of Pennsylvania, naming it after Elmer Drew Merrill. B. H. Danser's 1928 monograph also cited it from Sulawesi, but Jebb and Cheek (1997) disagreed, and it is now regarded as a Philippine endemic. Several authors, including Danser and Jebb and Cheek, applied the name to plants that included the closely related N. surigaoensis, which was long treated as a synonym and is now listed as a separate species.
Loharano
- Nepenthes merrilliana, Wikipedia
- Nepenthes, Wikipedia
- Nepenthes: species of the Philippines, The Carnivorous Plant FAQ (Barry Rice)
- Nepenthaceae, Co's Digital Flora of the Philippines
- Pitcher Plants, Vanishing Treasures of the Philippine Rain Forest, The Field Museum
- Nepenthes: basic cultivation, The Carnivorous Plant FAQ (Barry Rice)
Fanontaniana matetika
Azo vidiana
Karazana karazana mifandraika
Mijanona ho vaovao amin'ny Merrill's Pitcher Plant
Misoratra anarana mba hahazoana toro-hevitra momba ny fikarakarana, torolalana momba ny fitomboana ary fanavaozana manokana Merrill's Pitcher Plant ary zavamaniry mpihinam-bitsika hafa.