Nepenthes

This genus contains around 70 species. They are shrubs or herbaceous and climb, and all of them are carnivorous. They come from a wide area in the tropics that includes tropical parts of Asia, Madagascar, the Seychelles and Northern Queensland. They all have pitchers which are elongated containers that have an open mouth at the top. These are designed to entice, entrap, and then engorge their prey. Children generally love them. The pitchers are in shades of green, brown, red and greenish yellow. Many of them are spotted. There is generally a protective lid that is poised above the mouth of the pitcher. The variation in form is large and fascinating. Nepenthes sanguinea, from Malaysia, has fringed pitchers that are up to 30cm deep. Nepenthes rajah from Borneo has 35cm deep pitchers that have been known to drown rats. Nepenthes edwardsiana, also from Borneo, manages yellow and tan pitchers up to 45cm deep with a 15cm wide mouth. On a smaller scale Nepenthes burbidgeae from Borneo has mint-coloured pitchers with burgundy stripes worked round the mouth and spotted elsewhere. It looks rather like a high budget lady's handbag. In addition to these marvels there are a range of cultivars available.