N. alata

[biggun110]

Hi All,

I let myself go nuts today

. I have all the stuff for a 55 gallon lowland Neps terrarium but I haven't had time to set it up and order plants, plus I wanted to learn more. So, today, I run by a small local nursery to pick up a pot for some ferns I bought and right when I walk in their greenhouse to check out the orchids I am hit by 5 hanging baskets of N. alata. I got all excited. Some had all green pitchers and some had green with reddish brown spotted pitchers. They were big -- 6 inch pots. I tried to resist

I couldn't

. They were only $15 each. I bought 2

. A green one and a spotted one. The plants look healthy and growing.
When I got home I watered them -- they were pretty dry -- with fresh rainwater and hung the baskets on small branches of a big tree in my backyard. They should get filtered sunlight all day.
My worry is this. The Savage Garden says alata can be a lowland or highland species but lists them under highland. I have no idea what location these are. They had a commercial nursery picture tag on them with culture information but that's it.
Will commercially raised alata do ok in Houston's summer weather (90-100F days, 75F nights)? The humidity will not be a problem as most days are 60-100% 24/7.

Bobby

 

[swords]

N. alata is generally said to do well in either climate so long as humidity and light remains high. Can you post us a picture to see what they look like? Someone may be able to tell you the difference (I think the highland is spotted). Mine is a solid red lowland form I believe, at least that's how I grow it, and it grows fast.
Many times Neps from a greenhouse are not what they are labeled to be. For example I've purchased 4 different plants labeled N. x Coccinea, only two even resemble it and of them only one truly is Coccinea.

 

[NickHubbell]

Hello,

What got me back into cps big time was the purchase of two N. alata plants from my local Meijer Store. I found this forum and website while doing research on the plant. During my first posts on the plants there were several responses that suggested the plants were not N. alata, but a hybrid. Over the course of the next few months, I found several other websites with identical plants that were all labled as N. x ventrata.

Here are a couple photos of my N. ventrata that were labled as N. alata.

These plants have grown over 3 feet long vines. I have been cutting them back every so often.

This was my largest pitcher on the plant. Unfortunatly, I cut the wrong stem and this pitcher came off with it

Different view of last photo.

If your plant looks like this, it should do find in lowland to intermediate temperatures. Currently this plant is pitchering in high temps of 85°F and humidity levels between 60-90%. Night time temps are in the 70's. The temperature has been over 90°F and no ill effects have been observed.

If your plants look nothing like these, then I would go by what swords has said.

Hope this helps some.

 

[Tony Paroubek]

I think that regardless of whether they are .. N. xVentrata, N. alata highland etc.  They will do fine in your location.  Just be ready to water!  They are going to drink a ton with the temps your looking at.

Tony

 

[biggun110]

Hi Nick, Swords and Tony,

Thanks for all the information. Nick, one does resemble the pictures of your plants. Swords, I don't have a camera so I can't photograph mine. The one does have the same shaped pitchers with the bottom half being green and the top half trying to turn a reddish color -- it's no where near as deep and nice as the color on yours. The photo on the plant's commercial label looks exactly like your plants. It's labeled alata but the alata is in quotes -- 'alata' -- so maybe that is a clue that the identification is sort of questionable. Now the other plant has a totally different looking pitcher. It is more symmetrical from top to bottom, heavily spotted with brownish red spots, has a thick reddish brown lip at the top of the pitcher and is a bit hairy. The green/faint red pitchers on the other plant are smooth. They both had the same label. There must be 3 plants in each pot and lots of little shoots coming up -- would that be due to tissue culturing?
Tony, I am not sure on my lighting. I may have them in too shaded a space under a tree. The tree is old and big so the sunlight is really filtered. They may get stronger afternoon sun. I never quite know about light until I just see how things go.
Watering? Just keep the soil moist at all times?
They look so cool hanging under the tree -- makes me want to turn the whole yard into a hanging Neps jungle. What weird and fascinating plants. I am surprised they are not more popular and better known.

Bobby

 

[biggun110]

Hi Nick,

I just saw the tag hanging on your plant in your photo and it looks exactly like the tag that was on mine!!!! The photo on the label, even from a distance, looks to be the same. Both of mine had the same tag even though the pitchers look very different.

Bobby

 

[D muscipula]

Bobby, there are two photos of my N. alata 'spotted' on the first page of the photo thread pinned at the top of the nepenthes forum.  All spotted alatas i've seen look almost identical to the pitchers on my plant, so it's pretty easy to tell if that's what you have.

There are other forms of alata, though.

 

[Tony Paroubek]

Deffinately better to err on the side of too low light initially... and increase it slowly as necessary. When I was referring to watering it was to indicate that you will really need to keep an eye on it. Particularly as the plants grow. You may find that you water in the morning and by afternoon the potting mix is near dry.

Tony

 

[biggun110]

Hi D muscipula and Tony,

Tony, I will keep the light as it is for now then and see how things develop -- and you were right on the water they are soaking it up.
D, my spotted pitchers are shaped like the one on the left in your photo (long and thinner on the bottom half) but colored like the one on the right (greener body and more brownish spotting that is spaced about like on yours).

Bobby

 

[D muscipula]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (biggun110 @ June 24 2003,10:48)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"> D, my spotted pitchers are shaped like the one on the left in your photo (long and thinner on the bottom half) but colored like the one on the right (greener body and more brownish spotting that is spaced about like on yours).[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
The pitcher on the left is a new one, it hasn't finished coloring up. The coloration on the right is the mature coloration, and the pitcher on the left is the mature shape. The one on the right was a bit deformed because i moved it from the terrarium to the windowsill as it was forming. The leaves should be oval with narrow ends, symmetric. There are small wings on the pitchers and faint hairs on the foliage, especially the growing tip.

That's about the extent of my eye for taxonomy.