Hi everybody,
Knowing how nectar glands - and how they are scattered on the lid underside surface - are one of the ways to identify Nepenthes species, I tried to see the glands of N. smilesii (clone from Phu Kradung) and N. viking (clone from Ao Panga) with my microscope. I wanted to make a drawing of them, but then I made a "crazy" trial. Why not trying to just take my digital camera and take a picture of what I could see inside the microscope? I did it. It worked !!
I give you here the links to the two photos. And I ask you to please try and do the same with the unidentified Nepenthes you're growing under the name "thorelii". N. smilesii seems to be very widespread and very variable, so if we find a more reliable way to distinguish it, like the shape of its nectar glands (as you can see they're crater-shaped), it would be a great thing.
I hope N. smilesii is the only one in Thailand with this kind of glands ! N. Viking has more spheric glands, and I wouldn't be surprised if they look exactly the same as N. mirabilis. But in this last species the glands are scattered everywhere and uniformely under the lid, while in N. viking they're mainly on the two sides.
By the way, together with the other pictures of the yahoo album, you'll be able to give a look to my three Heliamphora, that under the sodium lamp are giving now great results. Rob, the tatei is the one I had from you!
cheers,
Marcello
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph.....src=ph
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph....acb.jpg
Knowing how nectar glands - and how they are scattered on the lid underside surface - are one of the ways to identify Nepenthes species, I tried to see the glands of N. smilesii (clone from Phu Kradung) and N. viking (clone from Ao Panga) with my microscope. I wanted to make a drawing of them, but then I made a "crazy" trial. Why not trying to just take my digital camera and take a picture of what I could see inside the microscope? I did it. It worked !!
I give you here the links to the two photos. And I ask you to please try and do the same with the unidentified Nepenthes you're growing under the name "thorelii". N. smilesii seems to be very widespread and very variable, so if we find a more reliable way to distinguish it, like the shape of its nectar glands (as you can see they're crater-shaped), it would be a great thing.
I hope N. smilesii is the only one in Thailand with this kind of glands ! N. Viking has more spheric glands, and I wouldn't be surprised if they look exactly the same as N. mirabilis. But in this last species the glands are scattered everywhere and uniformely under the lid, while in N. viking they're mainly on the two sides.
By the way, together with the other pictures of the yahoo album, you'll be able to give a look to my three Heliamphora, that under the sodium lamp are giving now great results. Rob, the tatei is the one I had from you!
cheers,
Marcello
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph.....src=ph
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph....acb.jpg