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I have a N. miranda and after a vigorous search I found out it is: N. maxima x. N. x superba. 'Miranda' has been around since before 1960 and the leaves all seem to grow 2.5 feet in lenght and 8 inches to a foot wide. It can grow as a highland or intermediate. My sources are
Gordon Cheers A guide to Carnivorous plants of the World P. 13
F.A. Novak The pictorial Enclopedia of Plants and Flowers P.105
My plant and a ruler + various internet sites.
 
I guess, I never looked up what N. s. superba was
 
ive always seen it as N. mixta x maxima. its an extreamly hardy hybrid and much showier than ventrata IMHO so i usually recommend this one to beginers over ventrata as it is closer to what most beginners invision Tropical Pitcher plants to be: large and showy.
 
Hi Everyone,
There seems to be some confusion about N. 'Miranda'.  First, it has not been around since the 1960.  It comes from tissue culture.  Tissue culture of Nepenthes didn't exist in 1960.  
The parentage is trademarked - "proprietary information" as the supplier says.  We believe it to be N. maxima x Mixta.  N. Mixta is not the same as N. Superba (made by James Taplin in 1880 = hybrida x hookeriana), and is not to be confused with Mixta var. Superba.  Rattler is almost correct, but there are no female N. Mixta outside of Kew Gardens, so the female parent is most likely maxima.  
FYI  When naming a hybrid the female is always listed first.

Tre, the photo on page 13 of Gordon Cheers book shows a Mixta 'Superba' not Miranda (or true Superba - which looks nothing like Mixta).  Quite often, Mixta superba is mislabeled as Superba, and that is an example of misconstrued information - so typical in Nepenthes hybrids.  
For a while, Deroose plants was wholesaleing Miranda as "N. maxima 'Miranda'" and have since dropped the "maxima".  Deroose names thier plants after the pod parent, or "mom", even if it is not crossed with the same species (hence all of the tobaica confusion, and ventrata being called alata).
The ICPS doesn't officially recognize 'Miranda' as a cultivar, even though it is probably one of the most popular Nepenthes in history.  

Here is a pic from our greenhouse.  Pitcher is 15 inches from the bottom of the tendril to the tip of the lid.
   
N.%20'Miranda'%20huge%201-24-05.JPG
 
Yes, you are correct sir!
Mixta is the old Victorian hybrid of maxima x northiana. There are several clones out there. The most famous and spectacular is N. Mixta 'Superba', it is a male and looks very much like N. 'Miranda' at first glance. It is most likely the plant used to make the 'Miranda' hybrid, but we have not been able to confirm.

N. 'Miranda' = maxima x Mixta = [maxima x (maxima x northiana)]
 
Thanks. Well I am incapible of scaning the book I have from 1960 and showing the picture. But if I get the capibiblity I will in the future
 
In your book from 1960, what is there a photo of? It's probably Mixta 'Superba', just like pg 13 in the Gordon Cheers book you mentioned.
 
  • #10
Probably. I did not know both were so similar
 
  • #11
This is the reason I don't like the use of 'names' for Nepenthes hybrids - x mixta, x miranda, x dominii, x predator etc - the parentage gets lost or confused over time, particularly info as to which parent was the pod parent.
 
  • #12
Where do you get very big Nepenthes plants like that one in the picture with very big pictchers just like trent has?
 
  • #14
Or your local home improvement store: Ace, Home Depot, Lowes. BUt they might be more expensive (Up to $30) and a very limited supply/variety
 
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