S. oreophila

[nepenthes gracilis]

Hey all, regarding the recent CPN issue and the article on S. oreophila composed by Michael, the one photo of the oreophila plants really matches my form for the description of "heavily veined". Anywho I thought I would capture the early buds because they happened to catch my eye....

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

Here we go:

The typical looking flower of S. oreophila...

Of course it hints an pecularities to come.....

The pitchers coming up

Any comments? I'd appreaciate some word of wisdom from anyone like sarracenia, Mike King, or Sarraceniaobsessed since those people have a great deal of expierence and can indeed confirm the identity of this plant.

(If's there's any Sarracenia guru I forgot to mention, my apologies!

)

 

[eplants02]

Oooooo Aaaaaahhh

 

[Bugweed]

S. oreophila, heavily veined form is best recognized when the pitcher fully opens and is standing in direct sun for a week or so. This will give the color a real chance to shine through. Oreo's can be anywhere from veinless, to a rare all maroon plant. And all points in between. The oreo "Don Schnell", Peter D'Amatos cultivar, is about as heavily veined as I have ever seen, and not in cultivation at this time. The maroon form was found by yours truly on the Little River in Alabama in a, at that time, unknown stand. They have since been put under F&WS protection. I doubt that these will ever be in cultivation, but I think that the rare color is still locked in their genes, and is just a matter of time before someone out there comes up with another one from another plant that is in cultivation. Show us a picture of a pitcher after it has been in the sun for a week, and an absolutely positive ID can then be made. Also, oreophila's can grow in much dryer situations than most other pitcher plants, but do best in damp to wet soil.

 

[Alvin Meister]

I think I'd just call it S. oreophila heavily veined.

It's a nice looking plant but where has the hood gone on the largest pitcher

 

[Bugweed]

Maybe Alvin. But for sure, let the pitcher develop. And Alvin is right, what happened to the large pitcher?

 

[Spectabilis73]

Nice, dustin! You shied me away from taking pics of my oreophylla... not quite as big and magnificent as yours

Maybe the top of the pitcher broke off while it was say, a centimeter tall? it would have sealed up, but still kept growing

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

Thanks for information guys!


Um the pitcher was...hehe nicked by clumsy me. ;p Oh well, it still will be big just a little goofy looking.

There are some other pitchers the same size or larger so its not that big of a loss.

Oh, BTW my phyllodia on the plant looked like a "C" , extremely curved and Mike King assured me when I showed a photo of the phyllodia it must be S. oreophila, but not sure what form it is yet.

 

[Alvin Meister]

The pitchers definitely look like oreophila anyway. I wish my plants were as far on as yours!

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

Hey Alvin, they seemed to wake up quite early...I think beginning or middle of February S. flava buds appeared. BTW, what do you make of the red inside of the petals in the flower? There are also satellite areas of red on the tepals and sepals as well, near where the flower is connected to the stalk.

Thanks

 

[Capslock]

Nice plant, Dustin! My S. oreophila is much less veined than yours, and is labeled Sand Mountain, clone #2. I have veining only at the throat, and they are largely green otherwise. (I also have the C-shaped phyllodia.) It looks like mine are about three weeks behind yours, having been outside in San Francisco all winter.

Capslock

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

Hey Max,

Yes, mine woke up really early this year. I already have a full sized S. flava pitcher open and starting to color up. The flava and S. x catesbaie are already out of prime flowering. Where did you obtain your "Sand Mountain" variant out of curiosity. PM me if you wish to.

 

[Capslock]

I got it from D'Amatos place, Dustin. Incidentally, they have a little booth every weekend at a little "farmer's market" at the Ferry Plaza in San Francisco (kind of a funny name when you think of it). This week they had huge, flowering S. oreophilas for thirty bucks. I almost bought one, but thought better of it. However, I was weak, and bought a young, small hybrid they made which is S. (x willisii) x flava "copper top." It's a really nice plant! And it came with a bunch of U. subdulata in the pot as a bonus! I really shouldn't go visit their booth, as I lack the self control. I REALLY have to avoid going to his actual nursery. In the face of thousands of great CPs, I'm totally powerless.

Capslock

 

[Mike D]

You bought that (x willisi) x flava "copper top"? I swear I saw that exact plant at the booth last Sunday, unless there were two. Looked nice, as I recall.

I know what you mean about California Carnivores - I was up in Santa Rosa a couple of weekends ago and of course "dropped by," and, of course, came away with a large flava and leucophylla. So I'll be the second to admit that I really need to work on this self-control thing.

Mike

 

[Alvin Meister]

Mine are now throwing up flower stalks and an S.x moorei is growing a pitcher. In a month there should be pitchers opening everywhere.
I've never had a flower on my oreophila but I think the red parts are normal. Sometimes I get streaky petals or odd colours here and there on flowers.

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

Hi guys, if you think a BOOTH is bad....heh, you should see my down at Tony's when he has a new Nepenthes or Heliamphora or whatever arrive! lol!

 

[Capslock]

I thank my lucky stars I have only Tony's website to look at instead of being able to go to his greenhouse. It might be called Capslock's Carnivores by now!

Capslock

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

LMAO!

Update, S. oreophila has opened a pitcher....waiting for it to fully unfurl to get a photo of it.

 

[Capslock]

Here's a pic of how mine is coming along. Don't know how long till it opens. You can see there is almost no veining at this point:

Capslock

 

[NickHubbell]

My S. oreos have finally started to pitcher. I am a bit bummed as either something fell onto one of the newly emerging pitchers or someone tried to cut it as the newest of the pitchers has been slit horizontal just below the lip.

However, the first pitcher to open has blown me away on my second plant. I did not get a fully developed pitcher last year on my first plant, and only plant at the time, as it appeared to have been confused as to what it should do. My second plant has produced a wonderful pitcher for me to enjoy.