NEPENTHES 



NEPENTHES 



1069 



great majority of the species are found on equatorial 

 islands at low elevations near the seacoast, in a climate 

 of wonderfully uniform temperatures and a yearly rain- 

 fall of 70-80 in. As a general rule the greatest heat of 

 the day does not exceed 90-92 F., while it seldom falls 

 during the night below 74 F. The usual daily range is 

 only 10 and the extreme 15. During a large part of 

 the year the air of the Nepenthes region is nearly satu- 

 rated with moisture, so that a very slight fall of tem- 

 perature produces copious dews and showers even at 

 high temperatures and low altitudes. 



The species which grow at high altitudes form a most 

 remarkable and exceptional group. There are four of 

 them, which grow only on Kina Balou, a mountain in 

 Borneo, which is 13,700 feet high. These species are 

 found at altitudes ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 feet, in 

 the following order: N. Lowii, Edwardsiana, Rajah 

 and villosa. These four are amongst the largest and 

 most distinct of all Nepenthes. .ZV. Lowii gapes at one 

 like a sardonic pelican (see Fig. 1472). JY. Rajah has 

 pitchers of immense size and unique shape (Fig. 1472). 

 N. villosa and Edwardsiana differ from all other species 

 in their rim, which is cut up, as shown in Fig. 1472, into 

 rather few large coarse disks instead of numerous fine, 

 crowded rings. Some of the best collectors in the world 

 have been sent after these treasures, and the history of 

 the chase for them rivals the most romantic and excit- 

 ing orchid hunts. Up to Sept., 1897, only the Rajah had 

 been successfuly brought to our northern hothouses, 

 where it remains an unwilling prisoner. The capture of 

 the others should be one of the horticultural triumphs of 

 the twentieth century. In the particular zone in which 

 these four species grow there is a peculiar combination 

 of cold and wetness in the air rising from the sea which 

 meets the cold air decending from the peak. There is 

 a constant state of " Scotch mist " associated with a 

 temp, of 40-45 F. "When plants of these noble species 

 are brought down to the hot plains they soon die off, and 

 even if shipped safely in Wardian cases, they cannot 

 withstand the heat of the sea voyage." The Rajah was 

 introduced in the form of seeds. 



To grow the Rajah may well be regarded as the sum- 

 mit of tLc gardener's skill. w It is terrestrial in yellow 

 loam and decomposed granite, with its great basal 

 pitchers resting and often buried in dead leaves, moss 

 and other detritus or debris." N. villosa is also terres- 

 trial; JV. Lowii and N. Edwardsiana epiphytal. For 

 the Rajah and its three companions Burbidge proposes 

 a cold greenhouse surrounded by hot ones, so arranged 

 that the warm moisture-laden air of the latter could be 

 admitted to the former, thus imitating the cold mois- 

 ture-saturated atmosphere of their native habitat. In 

 such a house the Odontoglossums of the higher slopes 

 of the Andes and many other difficult things should be 

 able to thrive. 



As a whole, Nepenthes is a difficult group to grow. 

 Pitcher plants deserve a house of their own, and they 

 often get it. Within the group, however, there are cer- 

 tain kinds which are relatively easy to cultivate. The 

 hybrids, as a rule, are easier to grow than the species. 

 Anyone who wishes to begin in a small way should start 

 with N. Mastersiana, which is often said by connois- 

 seurs to be the largest, best colored and most desirable 

 of all Nepenthes. This fine hybrid is named after Dr. 

 Maxwell T. Masters, editor of the Gardeners' Chronicle, 

 who has done more to preserve careful records of Ne- 

 penthes hybrids than anyone else. Some of the points 

 of a good hybrid are: It should be easy to propagate 

 and easy to grow; every leaf should bear a pitcher; the 

 pitcher should be large and highly colored, the reddest 

 ones being the most attractive; the wings should be 

 broad and copiously fringed ; the plants should never 

 be without some pitchers, and the perfect pitchers 

 should last all summer at least, without browning at 

 the top. All or nearly all these points are met in N. 

 Mastersiana, pitchers of which have been known to 

 last two years. 



Among the species one of the most distinct types is 

 N. Rafflesiana, which is remarkable for its high neck 

 supporting the lid. A form of it, known as N. Hookeri- 

 ana, is thought to be a parent of more hybrids than any 

 other Nepenthes. The wide rim of JV. Veitchii gives its 

 pitchers a strong individuality and makes it a favorite 



for hybridizing. The four Kina Balou species are very 

 distinct, but for most people impossible. N. albo-mar- 

 ginata and a supposed hybrid of it named cincta are re- 

 markable for a white ring just below the rim. The rest 

 are for the hobbyist. 



The literature of Nepenthes is very extensive. The 

 only botanical monograph is that by J. D. Hooker in 

 DeCandolle's Prodromus 17:91-105 (1873). Thip is an 

 account in Latin of 34 species, of which a dozen or so 

 are cultivated. For the origin and development of the 

 pitchers, see J. D. Hooker in Trans. Linn. Soc. 22:415- 

 424 (1859). For the horticultural side, see Veitch and 

 Burbidge in Jour. Roy. Hort. Soc. of London 21:226- 

 262 (1897). 



Nepenthes are fanciers' plants par excellence. The 

 problems connected with their insectivorous habits are 

 of perennial interest to scientists, students and the gen- 

 eral public, but to the gardener the fascination of Ne- 

 penthes lies chiefly in their oddity and the difficulty of 

 their culture. The feeling of curiosity soon yields to 

 a sense of their beauty. America is too young to have 

 made many contributions to fanciers' groups in general, 

 but the hybrid Nepenthes raised in America by the late 

 Mr. Taplin are so remarkable for their continued suc- 

 cess on both sides of the water that they deserve separ- 

 ate notice. ^ M. 



The Taplin Hybrids. It is certainly true that my 

 father's hybrids were superior to many of the European 

 hybrids. He worked on them for many years, but left 

 nothing whatever in the form of manuscript concerning 

 them. He never wrote for publication, and the notes he 

 made from time to time were distinctly hieroglyphic, 

 and merely concerned the period of blooming of different 

 kinds. He began his work in this line while at Chats- 

 worth, but many varieties did not flower satisfactorily 

 in England, or did not ripen viable seed. Consequently, 

 he succeeded much beyond his expectations in this 

 warmer climate. Most of his hybrids resulted from 

 two varieties blooming at different times, and the under- 

 signed has vivid recollections of an array of little 

 thumb-pots, carefully lined and sealed with tinfoil, and 

 kept in a dry place, which contained pollen saved from 

 one period of blooming to another. He used W. Phyl- 

 lamphora, Hookeriana, distillatoria and Sedenii quite 

 largely. The majority of his hybrids were sold to B. S. 

 Williams, of London, when the George Such collection 

 at South Amboy was dispersed. N. Taplini is a very 

 richly colored one. N. Morganice, Outramiana, Wil- 

 liamsii and Lawrenceana are his varieties, and the 

 writer is fairly certain that Courtii is also, Court and 

 Outram both being warm personal friends. Most of the 

 plants were renamed when sent out in England. 



EMILY TAPLIN ROYLE. 



Nepenthes Culture at Washington, D. C. Nepenthes 

 ai-e increased by cuttings and by seeds. The ripened 

 shoots, with 4 or 5 leaves attached, make the best cut- 

 tings. They may be put in to root from December till 

 the end of January, but under proper conditions the 

 operation may be performed at any time during the 

 year. Some of the free-rooting kinds, such as N. Dom- 

 iniana, N. Icevis, N. gracilis, W. Phyllamphora and 

 N. Mastersiana, may be rooted in sand under a glass 

 with a little moss tied around the base of each cutting. 

 Under this treatment the temperature of the sand should 

 be about 80 F. When the roots show through the moss 

 they should be put in small pots and kept close for a 

 couple of weeks. The most satisfactory method of 

 propagation is to put the base of each cutting through 

 the hole of an inverted 2-inch rose pot, plunging the pot 

 in sphagnum moss in a temperature of from 80-90 F. 

 See Fig. 1468. During the operation of rooting they 

 must be kept in a close propagating frame and frequently 

 syringed. See Fig. 1469. When the roots are about 

 three-quarters of an inch long the cuttings should be 

 potted, using a mixture of finely chopped fibrous peat, 

 moss and sand, with a little finely broken charcoal 

 added. They should be replaced in the moss and kept 

 close until the pots are fairly well filled with roots and 

 then gradually hardened off. All of the kinds do best 

 suspended from the roof of a hothouse, the temperature 

 of which should not fall below 65 F. in winter. The 

 plants may be grown either in orchid pots or baskets. 



