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Upper/Lower Pitchers

Nepenthesis

Formerly known as Pineapple
I hear people saying things like, "The upper pitchers on this should look super nice!" and I feel stupid not knowing what they mean. :jester:

I did some reading and apparently the theory is that upper pitchers are designed to catch flying bugs and lower pitchers are designed to catch crawling bugs. Do they look different? If so, is it in shape, color, size, etc? How do I know I'm looking at an upper pitcher versus a lower pitcher? How tall does a nep need to be before it starts producing "upper pitchers?"
 
N rajah lower

170px-Rajahpitcher3.jpg


N rajah upper

220px-Kinabalu_Mesilau_N._rajah_upper_pitcher_3.jpg


Plant with both lower and upper pitchers

800px-Kinabalu_Mesilau_N._rajah_upper_pitcher_plant_2.jpg
 
Good question!.. I'm curious about some of this as well.
 
N rajah lower

N rajah upper

Plant with both lower and upper pitchers

They both look about the same height from the ground. How can you tell which is upper/lower? And they don't look very different to me... :blush:


---------- Post added at 05:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:53 PM ----------

Lowers are produced when the plant is still in a rosette like stage, when they start to vine they will create uppers. Most have different shapes, but some look quite similar.

N. inermis lower: http://www.brutalablommor.se/gfx/galleries/plants/nepenthes/inermis100216.jpg

Upper: http://home.arcor.de/bart.w/Galerie3/5.jpg

N lowii lower: http://www.cascadecarnivores.com/images/nepenthes/lowiitrusmadi.jpg

Upper: http://thegreenvision.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/nepenthes-lowii.jpg

That explains it a bit better. Do most neps have upper pitchers that look like that, or just those species?
 
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On most neps, the lower pitchers and upper pitchers will indeed look different. The lower pitchers are made while the nep is still short. As it starts to vine, you may get a couple pitchers that are intermediate (kind of a blend between upper and lower), and then once it's vining, normally all pitchers made will be uppers.

Usually, the lowers are larger, have ladders or wings on the front of the pitcher which insects can crawl up, and sometimes are more colorful. The tendril will attach from the side. The uppers can be smaller, usually don't have wings, usually aren't as colorful, and can have an elegant wine glass or goblet shape, or trumpet type shape. The tendril attaches from the rear.

Note that this is in general, there are exceptions to the above, ie having colorful/large uppers, etc. On some, the uppers are more spectacular then the lowers. Just depends.
 
Take a look at my post Pineapple, shows some good changes in pitcher structure. Also tendrils of upper pitcher make a loop to grab onto a nearby branch before the pitcher inflates.

All pitchers have different characteristics, but lowii is one that has a massive change.
 
when the plant starts to vine it will transition with intermediates, which a an in-between that looks like a mix of the two, and then form uppers
uppers will form a loop in the tendril to support itself on a branch or something, are longer and skinnier, and generally more awesome looking
 
Dont some of the neps with the flared peristome only get the flared peristome on the uppers?
 
  • #10
On most neps, the lower pitchers and upper pitchers will indeed look different. The lower pitchers are made while the nep is still short. As it starts to vine, you may get a couple pitchers that are intermediate (kind of a blend between upper and lower), and then once it's vining, normally all pitchers made will be uppers.

Usually, the lowers are larger, have ladders or wings on the front of the pitcher which insects can crawl up, and sometimes are more colorful. The tendril will attach from the side. The uppers can be smaller, usually don't have wings, usually aren't as colorful, and can have an elegant wine glass or goblet shape, or trumpet type shape. The tendril attaches from the rear.

Note that this is in general, there are exceptions to the above, ie having colorful/large uppers, etc. On some, the uppers are more spectacular then the lowers. Just depends.

Now that you mention where the tendril attaches, I understand better. My N. x Ventrata's pitchers are big, pink, have no "ladders", etc. However, there are a few large basal shoots on the plant. Two of them have green, fuzzy pitchers with ladders. So I suppose those are the lower pitchers, and the pink ones are the uppers!

Lower:
ht7dcw.jpg


Upper:
35mozfn.jpg
 
  • #11
I think ventrata is one of the 'exceptions' I mentioned. I don't have ventrata, but I know ventricosa pitchers have no ladders, on upper or lowers (and ventricosa is one of the parents of ventrata). I think ventrata is the same. Yeah, it can be a bit confusing at first.
 
  • #12
Take a look at my post Pineapple, shows some good changes in pitcher structure. Also tendrils of upper pitcher make a loop to grab onto a nearby branch before the pitcher inflates.

All pitchers have different characteristics, but lowii is one that has a massive change.

Sorry! I your posted while I was replying, but then I replied. I guess that's the issue with forums haha.

Your post was very helpful though. It showed a really big difference between upper/lowers and now I get the change. I kinda like the lower pitchers with the "ladders." Is there any way I can keep my neps pitchering like that, such as cutting them (then rooting the cuttings to make more plants)?

when the plant starts to vine it will transition with intermediates, which a an in-between that looks like a mix of the two, and then form uppers
uppers will form a loop in the tendril to support itself on a branch or something, are longer and skinnier, and generally more awesome looking

I saw a nep with a really curly tendril, twisted in a lop five or six times. I guess that explains it!
 
  • #13
Those are still lowers, or intermediates. The pitchers on the basals are green and fuzzy because they are so young still.

N. x ventrata uppers: http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/amazon-blue/pitcher21.jpg

Heres a photo of the tendril curling that an upper will have (N. rafflesiana) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Nep_raf211.jpg

haha yes we are posting at the same time quite often. Taking cuttings from a vining plant creating uppers will continue to make uppers. Cutting a basal and rooting it will create lowers until it starts vining as well.
 
  • #14
I think ventrata is one of the 'exceptions' I mentioned. I don't have ventrata, but I know ventricosa pitchers have no ladders, on upper or lowers (and ventricosa is one of the parents of ventrata). I think ventrata is the same. Yeah, it can be a bit confusing at first.

The lowers on my ventrata have ladders I believe. And they look less colorful.

---------- Post added at 06:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:10 PM ----------

Those are still lowers, or intermediates. The pitchers on the basals are green and fuzzy because they are so young still.

N. x ventrata uppers: http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/amazon-blue/pitcher21.jpg

Heres a photo of the tendril curling that an upper will have (N. rafflesiana) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Nep_raf211.jpg

haha yes we are posting at the same time quite often. Taking cuttings from a vining plant creating uppers will continue to make uppers. Cutting a basal and rooting it will create lowers until it starts vining as well.

Yay! Peristomes to come then! :boogie:

Does the tendril curl to add more stability to the pitcher so it want snap off easier? Is there another reason?
 
  • #15
I personally think N. rajah is a terrible first example of the difference between uppers and lowers, mostly because uppers are so rare and the plant never actually does climb.

A plant like N. lowii or inermis shows the massive difference between uppers and lowers.

That being said, not every plant produces upper pitchers or pitchers that are notable different. N. campanulata, glandulifera, argentii, pervillei, etc.

Also, just because a Nepenthes is vining or climbing does not mean that it will be also making upper pitchers. Generally (in my experience, anyway) the plant has to vine for some time still making lowers and intermediates before it makes some true uppers.
 
  • #16
Also, just because a Nepenthes is vining or climbing does not mean that it will be also making upper pitchers. Generally (in my experience, anyway) the plant has to vine for some time still making lowers and intermediates before it makes some true uppers.

I just don't want weirdly-shaped green pitchers on my neps rather than the regular-shaped colorful pitcher with flared peristomes, teeth, spikes and ladders. That's why I'm afraid of upper pitchers now, haha. :crazy:
 
  • #17
I personally think N. rajah is a terrible first example of the difference between uppers and lowers
Sorry about that. I'm not a big nep guy and I could tell the difference so I thought he might be able to also.
 
  • #18
Sorry about that. I'm not a big nep guy and I could tell the difference so I thought he might be able to also.

I definitely see some difference, just not much. I could tell one was darker and may have had a smaller "lid." All pictures help though! It showed me an example of one that didn't change much, but it did some. :)
 
  • #19
Does the tendril curl to add more stability to the pitcher so it wont snap off easier? Is there another reason?
in the wild the tendril will curl around a nearby branch for support
 
  • #20
I just don't want weirdly-shaped green pitchers on my neps rather than the regular-shaped colorful pitcher with flared peristomes, teeth, spikes and ladders. That's why I'm afraid of upper pitchers now, haha. :crazy:

Well, it's not like you are going to have much of a say in the matter: when a plant gets old enough to vine, you are gonna get uppers! Best to educate yourself now (before buying a boatload of plants) to learn which ones will produce the kind of uppers you wil like, and which ones you don't. People grow N. lowii because they want the uppers. Others, like N. maxima produce rather plain uppers lacking marking and color, other than green.
 
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