# Nepenthes alata in bloom



## gore42 (Apr 22, 2007)

This came as a bit of a surprise to me.... my Nepenthes really don't like me much, since I can't give them the constant high humidity that they need to thrive. This one keeps growing bigger, though the pitchers aren't very nice looking usually.

Anyway, I noticed last week that it was producing some buds, and they are now beginning to open. Here they are:

















The blooms are small and hard to photograph with a point and shoot... I can't control the aperture, and the plant keeps moving on me (it's hanging in front of the camera). Hope you like them 

As Ever,
Matthew Gore


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## Greenpaph (Apr 22, 2007)

Thanks for sharing!

Great photography!


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## smartie2000 (Apr 22, 2007)

wow! excellent photo and cool blooms!


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## Ernie (Apr 22, 2007)

Now that's cool! I thought N. alata had a thornier, darker bucket (I almost called it a pouch!)??? Looks like ventricosa??? 

-Ernie


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## NYEric (Apr 22, 2007)

Very nice growing and cool photography. I'm sure a number of us can sympathize w/ problem photos.


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## dave b (Apr 22, 2007)

Thats awesome. I had to look it up to refresh my memory, but it looks like a female from the flower column shape. 

I tried my first one a couple weeks ago with horrible results. It went down hill the moment i got it home.


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## gore42 (Apr 22, 2007)

Ernie - you may be right. I picked this one up at a local nursery, and that's how it was labeled, but you know how these things are... the same nursery has most of their paphs labeled as "Lady Slipper Orchid". On the other hand, all of the pitchers that are visible in the first photo are newly formed.... they do get bigger (about 6" tall) and are reddish on the top half.

- Matt


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## practicallyostensible (Apr 23, 2007)

Congratulations! Yes, that is a female plant and I'm no expert but it looks to me like an N. alata. The pitchers on alata are sleeker and more elongated then ventricosa and also do not have the characteristic large peristome or "lip" around the entrance to the pitcher that ventricosa does. Also ventricosa are normally seen in their solid red or spotted form (although there is an alba) where as alata have that green to red gradation that was mentioned. 

Nepenthes are categorized into "highland" and "lowland" and of which, alata and ventricosa are the former (although alata does have a lowland form). This means they naturally grow in lower humidity (50 to 90%), although both these species are particularly tolerant. So humidity should not be too much of an issue. Not like it matters here-- whatever you're doing it's working wonders, so keep it up.

If any of you are interested in information on carnivorous plants check out Peter D'Amato's "The Savage Garden: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants" it's a really well put together book.

Great job. Wonderful photography. :clap:


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## toddybear (Apr 23, 2007)

Great shots...I've never seen the blooms of Nepenthes...not much like our Sarracenia!


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## Ernie (Apr 23, 2007)

practicallyostensible said:


> Congratulations! Yes, that is a female plant and I'm no expert but it looks to me like an N. alata. The pitchers on alata are sleeker and more elongated then ventricosa and also do not have the characteristic large peristome or "lip" around the entrance to the pitcher that ventricosa does. Also ventricosa are normally seen in their solid red or spotted form (although there is an alba) where as alata have that green to red gradation that was mentioned.
> 
> Nepenthes are categorized into "highland" and "lowland" and of which, alata and ventricosa are the former (although alata does have a lowland form). This means they naturally grow in lower humidity (50 to 90%), although both these species are particularly tolerant. So humidity should not be too much of an issue. Not like it matters here-- whatever you're doing it's working wonders, so keep it up.



Well there you go then. 

-Ernie


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## SlipperFan (Apr 24, 2007)

Nice photos, Matt. I never knew they had flowers like this.


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## Marco (Apr 24, 2007)

looks great Matt. thats a whole lot of flowers.


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## Heather (Apr 25, 2007)

SlipperFan said:


> Nice photos, Matt. I never knew they had flowers like this.



Me neither! very cool!!


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