Nepenthes 2011

If there is a royalty among carnivorous plants, that distinction surely lies with the Nepenthes.

Tropical pitcher plants have a rich botanical and horticultural history and the plants themselves are a virtual ecosystem of give-and-take with nature. The genus has the only species known to have devoured whole rats! And they are hauntingly beautiful; their pitcher traps often as elaborate and gaudy as artistic creations by humankind.

Nepenthes usually grow as climbing or scrambling vines. Most species are found in Southeast Asia, their center of distribution being the island of Borneo.

Nepenthes are not typically jungle plants, but prefer more open and sunny ridges, slopes and stunted forests.