Nepenthes

Morphology

They are plants with woody stem variable length (20cm with 20m), climbing, fascinating support on a tree or lying on the ground.

Népenthès are species whose prolongation of the vein of the sheet forms a ballot box or Ascidie which is the traps of the plant.

The upper part of the ballot box comprises a épicuticulaire layer of wax, organized around modified Stomates, the lunates concealments . This wax, organized in sharp-edged spangles, has a strong capacity of contamination of the systems of adhesion of the insects (=les Pulvilli). In contact with the legs of insects, this wax tranforme in an amorphous paste, which destabilizes the insect, which slips towards the digestive part.

The ballot box is surmounted by a lid (the cover) which acts as umbrella.

The flowers in bunches are many and small and are generally of greenish or brown color.

Geographical distribution

One finds the Nepenthes kind in the wet intertropical zone of the “ old monde ”. It is present on the triangle formed by Madagascar, the Khasi Indien, and the New Caledonia.

There exist 72 species living in a natural state and of very many Hybride S. They are the islands of Sumatra and Borneo which is richest in cash, in particular endemic S.

Type of medium

Népenthès push between 0 and 3200m in wetlands and low in nutritive substances. So some of these plants are terrestrial the different one on the contrary are épiphyte S.

Culture

The Culture of Népenthès is rather delicate, out of a Serre or under tropical Climat, because they have need for conditions recreating to them Natural environment. The lack of Humidité particularly is harmful for the production of the Urne S. On the level of the Température S there are two groups:

known as of Flat S: Approximately 20°c the Winter. Between 25-35°c the be
known as of Mountain S: Between 10-15°c the winter. Between 20-30°c the summer

On the level of moisture Népenthés require a Hygrométrie ranging between 75 and 100%. It is a factor very imortant for their good Développement. The Substrat must always be wet, but water should never stagnate there because that could make rot the plant. The substrate must be light and very Poreux, there are various mixtures which can be used according to the Plante, the épiphyte S will prefer Fiber of coconut. The first mixture is enough general practitioner, with utliser for all Népenthès:

50% of fair Peat, 20% of coarse Sand, 20% of Vermiculite, 10% of Polystyrene

This mixture consists of coconut fiber mainly, but the matérieux ones will be more difficult to find:

70% of coconut fiber, 10% of coarse gravel, 10% of bark S stabilized, 10% of polysterene.

These plants need strong a Luminosité, but not direct sun.

Anglophone articles:

Do Gaume, L., Perret, P., Gorb, E., Gorb, S., Labat, J.J., Rowe, NR. How C seedling waxes cause flies to slide? Experimental tests off wax-based trapping mechanisms in three pitfall carnivorous seedlings. Arthropod Structure & Development, 2004 (vol. 33) (No 1) 103-111

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