Hooker's Pitcher Plant

Taxonomi

Familj:	Nepenthaceae
Släkte:	Nepenthes
Beställa:	Caryophyllales

Översikt

Nepenthes × hookeriana is a common natural hybrid between N. ampullaria and N. rafflesiana. It grows wild in the lowlands of Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Sumatra, wherever its two parents grow together.

Nepenthes × hookeriana is a lowland climber. Its leaves are glossy and leathery, arranged spirally along the stem, with smooth margins, and each leaf tip is modified into a pitcher. The pitchers have a wide peristome and an oval lid held upright or angled upwards. Their color ranges from green with red spots to dark red with green spots, and they grow larger and more colorful in bright light than in filtered light.

The plant was originally described as a species and was long assumed, from its appearance, to be a hybrid of N. ampullaria and N. rafflesiana. A 2012 study using DNA markers on 'spotted' and 'green' variants from Central Kalimantan supported that hybrid origin and found the plants genetically closer to N. rafflesiana than to N. ampullaria.

Like its parents it generally grows in recently disturbed clearings.

Geografisk information

Ursprungsregion: Lowlands of Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Sumatra, and nearby islands such as Natuna

Klimatzoner: Tropical lowland; grown under glass outside the tropics

Lowland tropical areas where the ranges of N. ampullaria and N. rafflesiana overlap. Like its parent species, it usually grows in recently disturbed clearings.

Fysiska egenskaper

Mogen storlek: Climbing plant; pitcher size is not given in the cited sources

Tillväxttakt: Moderate

Fälltyp: Pitfall Trap

Each leaf tip ends in a watertight pitcher that catches insects. The wide, ribbed peristome helps retain prey and guide it inside, and the slippery walls make escape very difficult. The lid carries nectar glands that attract prey; in this hybrid it is held upright or angled up, rather than over the mouth.

Vårdguide

Ljuskrav

Bright light. Singapore's National Parks Board lists it for full sun, and its pitchers are larger and more colorful in bright light than in filtered light. Under glass, bright diffuse light works well.

Bright light year round dagligen

Vattenkrav

Typ: Purified water (distilled, reverse osmosis or rain) is safest

Metod: Keep it well watered from above and let the excess drain. Plants left standing in trays often develop dwarfed root systems.

Frekvens: Generously; keep the mix constantly moist

Fuktighet: High: at least 60%, ideally near 90%

Jord

A 50:50 mix of long-fiber sphagnum moss and perlite is a good general starting point. Check the roots after about a year and change the mix if they are not spreading through it.

pH: Acidic (sphagnum based)

Temperatur

Sommar: Days 86-93°F (30-34°C), nights 14°F (8°C) cooler

Vinter: Same as summer (lowland hybrid)

Matning

Frekvens: Only if no insects are caught; avoid regular fertilizing

Regular fertilizing inhibits pitcher production. If the plant catches no insects, feed the pitchers tiny dabs of a paste made from powdered fish food and a little water.

Fortplantning

Metoder: Stem cuttings with about two leaves each, leaves trimmed to about a third, kept in very high humidity; roots usually form in about a month. Seed needs a male and a female plant flowering at the same time.

Svårighet: Moderate

Nybörjartips

Give it plenty of light, warmth, humidity and water, and do not fertilize the soil regularly. Bright light brings out the best pitcher color.

Felsökning

Few or no new pitchers: too little humidity or light, or too much fertilizer. Small, pale pitchers: move to brighter light. Weak root system: the pot has been standing in water.

Odlingstips

Keep lowland temperatures General

As a lowland plant it grows best with days around 30-34°C (86-93°F) and nights about 8°C (14°F) cooler, at high humidity.

Go easy on fertilizer Troubleshooting

Regular fertilizing inhibits pitcher production. If insects are scarce, feed a tiny dab of moistened powdered fish food into a pitcher instead.

Light brings out the color General

Pitchers of N. × hookeriana are larger and more colorful in bright light than in filtered light.

Intressanta fakta

It is named after Joseph Dalton Hooker, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, from 1865 to 1885.
It is a relatively common natural hybrid throughout the lowlands of Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Sumatra.
DNA markers show it is genetically closer to its N. rafflesiana parent.
Pitchers range from green with red spots to dark red with green spots.
Singapore's National Parks Board lists it as a native hybrid.

Bakgrund

The name Nepenthes hookeriana, used by the Veitch nurseries, was published for this plant as a species by Maxwell T. Masters in The Gardeners' Chronicle in 1881, named in honour of Joseph Dalton Hooker. An elongated form was named N. hookeri var. elongata in 1877 and N. hookeriana f. elongata in 1879. Odoardo Beccari treated it in 1886 as a variety of N. rafflesiana.

Later botanists recognized it as a natural hybrid of N. ampullaria and N. rafflesiana, which is why the name is now written with the multiplication sign. In 2012 Kusumadewi Sri Yulita and Muhammad Mansur confirmed the hybrid origin with RAPD and ISSR DNA markers.

Källor

Vanliga frågor

Bright light. Singapore's National Parks Board lists it for full sun, and its pitchers are larger and more colorful in bright light than in filtered light. Under glass, bright diffuse light works well. Sikta på ungefär Bright light year round ljus per dag.

Purified water (distilled, reverse osmosis or rain) is safest. Keep it well watered from above and let the excess drain. Plants left standing in trays often develop dwarfed root systems.

A 50:50 mix of long-fiber sphagnum moss and perlite is a good general starting point. Check the roots after about a year and change the mix if they are not spreading through it. Jord-pH: Acidic (sphagnum based).

Den behöver ingen vila. Vintertemperaturer: Same as summer (lowland hybrid).

Regular fertilizing inhibits pitcher production. If the plant catches no insects, feed the pitchers tiny dabs of a paste made from powdered fish food and a little water. Hur ofta: Only if no insects are caught; avoid regular fertilizing.

Lowlands of Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Sumatra, and nearby islands such as Natuna. Lowland tropical areas where the ranges of N. ampullaria and N. rafflesiana overlap.

Stem cuttings with about two leaves each, leaves trimmed to about a third, kept in very high humidity; roots usually form in about a month. Seed needs a male and a female plant flowering at the same time.

Few or no new pitchers: too little humidity or light, or too much fertilizer. Small, pale pitchers: move to brighter light. Weak root system: the pot has been standing in water.

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