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Nepenthes alata Identification

NickHubbell

It’s a trap!
When I bought these two plants, they were identified on the tag as Nepenthes alata. The more I look at the pictures of N. alata online, the more questionable I become.

nepenthes_alata_twob.jpg

This is what they looked like the day they came home.

nepenthesalataurns.jpg

Close-up of one of the urns.

nepenthes_alata_spot.jpg

This one has more speckles on it. Not that there are many. The other seems to have more pink on the upper 1/2 of the urn.

nepenthes_alata_peri.jpg

Close-up of the peristome.

nepenthes_alata_urn_half.jpg

Inside of the urn.

Could this be a cross?

Thanks,

Nick
 
The second picture looks like the typical highland Alata. But the other pictures specifically the closeup look like it may be a Ventrata. But the leaves don't look Ventrata-ish. I say it is still an Alata.
 
Looks like an alata that I have. Of course mine could be a cross too.
 
My guess is ventrata. Lower pitchers from an N alata have wings and your plants definitely don't have any on the pitchers. The peristome on the pitchers is also slightly flared (a trait from ventricosa) and I'm pretty sure that pure N alata never has a flared peristome. I can't comment much on the leaves, except that they look like the leaves on my N ventrata.

I still think that those are 2 wonderfully looking plants, even if they aren't pure alata.
smile.gif


Jœl
 
I have what was sold as "alata" which looks very similar to your plants, people say it's a ventrata
N.alata8-02.jpg



It grows very fast, the above plant was grown from a 2" peice of vine with two half leaves since easter (about 4 months), the pitchers are about 4-5" tall.
N.alatap-s.jpg
 
I would have to say that they are N. alata, not to say that they arent N. ventrata. From what I have seen some N. alata's look like N. ventrata and I think the only way that i would consider it one, one way or the other is if the person you bought it from knows his plants and wouldnt of sold it to you if there was a doubt.
 
Ventrata, Ventrata and Ventrata!

Shape of the pitchers and peristome and the leaf margins going all the way down the petiole to the stem are all classic Ventrata.
Tony
 
All the plants pictured look like Ventrata to me.
 
Here is a close-up of one of my urns. The urn that this plant is on seems to have more red in it than the other plant. This urn has turned a deeper red over the last few days. I think this is because I have dropped about 5 insects into it. Its the closest to me and I just drop them in.



nepenthes_alata_necterglands.jpg


This urn does have wings. This is about 1/5 the size of the above urn.

NalataLittleUrn.jpg


Nick
 
  • #10
The reason that pitcher has wings is because it is still a younge pitcher. My Ventricosa had wings when it had younger pitchers too. Once the plant matures and produces mature pitchers it will make more mature characteristics.
 
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