Nepenthaceae alata--'Monkey Cups'
 

I've never had a big interest in carnivorous plants.
But sometimes you see something and you just want to add it to your collection.
I read one site that says it's a great plant to grow with/around orchids (super, double bonus, plus)!

I was out visiting a newly located, private orchid grower.
Lovely lady who insists I come back to visit and stroll threw her orchids anytime.

Well, she had this "plant" that caught my eye from a long distance. I've seen this plant before but only in pictures or online.

She made me a deal I couldn't refuse and I brought home my first H. alata, commonly called 'Monkey Cups'.

Spent some time online checking out it's needs and requirements.
Seems the light, temps, and humidity that I have around here meet this tropical plant's needs pretty well.

A pair of quick pics....

Nice big one, cool!

More pix of the orchids on the ficus!

Very nice plant, but its not actually the species N. alata, its a primary hybrid called N. Ventrata. Its care is the same as for alata, though. Very easy plant to care for. Enjoy!

ventrata is a very sturdy hybrid, you'll do well with it as long as you've got good water

Thank you, Whimgrinder!
The lovely woman I got this from is a native of Thailand and I was having some communication issues...because my hearing isn't what it used to be either :blushing:

I did my own internet ID search, and N.alata is what I thought mine looked like.
I really appreciate the actuate ID.
Glad to know that needs and care are the same.

Yeah, well that's a minor issue.
Florida has notoriously hard water and my tiny community treats it's own supply, i.e.: a crap load of chemicals besides that hardness.

The soil was good and moist when I got it home.
I'll get some distilled water when I go out today.

95% of the photos of "N. alata" you find on the Web are inaccurate: they almost always show N. Ventrata, since the majority of plants out there are Ventrata, erroneously labeled as alata. The mistake has been propagated thousands of times.

And the majority of the remaining 5% are pictures of N. graciliflora

Only one blooming right now..pics coming.

But I did promise a thread about my "Orchid Tree" (see what I did there..word twisting, moving brain cells around, humorous pun...ehm, ya. More coffee/less meds--or the other way around).

I'm close to re-potting that Ficus and moving it off the car-port (a move of about 5 or 6 feet), and give it it's annual Spring Trimming.


I can do this.
"Orchid Tree" discussion.
Present, past, and as the future develops.

I'll get a picture soon, but there's a new baby plant growing.
I know there wasn't one when I got it home.

Seems like it's fairly fast grower on new plants.
It's bigger this morning then when I noticed it yesterday afternoon.


Update, with pics, soon...

That is one cool plant you have there.

cjm3fl, I'm near you and have similar conditions... I have your Nepenthes and 3 others (don't know species/grex- the bigger ones also commonly available with red spots on the cups). I've had them a couple years now and they grow great with the orchids. I've had to divide and repot the larger one, hence having 3. They're hanging in a shadier spot than most of the orchids- more dappled to shade than dappled to sun. Potted in sphagnum in hanging plastic pots. I think you'll find your 'monkey cups' quite rewarding!

p.s. when it isn't raining, they get watered with plain old hose water from the city system. Hasn't killed them yet.

Thanks for the info pipsxlch and always great to hear from a 'neighbor'!

I decide to "upgrade" my water choice and got some Spring Water. I'll spend a few cents more.

I live in a retirement community that "does" it's own water.
It's really heavy with chemicals so I hate to use it so much but we haven't had much in the way of rain yet.


The "new" one is still too small to worry about re-potting yet but I really want to have/get more plants that will reduce the number of mosquitoes and other nuisance bugs

While I don't have any plants with dip-plates or resevoirs it seems all these guys like to hang out around my carport plants.

I would avoid spring water at all costs
They have minerals in them that can kill the roots.

I love mine and it's constantly growing more pitchers. I make sure all the pitchers have a little water in them so they don't dry out. Mine is in part shade.


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See the shoots on top? They just continue coming.
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...3176da25a9.jpg


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OK. I'll use the distilled then.
Thanks!

---------- Post added at 07:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:45 PM ----------

Mine have also started making new pitchers.
It's a really interesting plant and I enjoy staring at it every time I'm outside.

Surprise!
Second baby plant seen growing this morning.

Nice, those are called basals! Eventually you can separate them if you'd like