One of the endemic Nepenthes species of Australia along with Nepenthes tenax, N. rowanae is an interesting plant. I consider it to form with the diminutive N. tenax to form a "complex" which of course includes N. mirabilis and its two described varieties: the spectacular N. mirabilis var. echinostoma and the recently described N. mirabilis var. globosa (aka "N. viking").
Nepenthes rowanae is not a real fast grower for me but it produces new leaves and pitchers at a decent pace. The pitchers production seems to be seasonal in (my) cultivation like it is in the wild. This species, in the same fashion as the species of the N. thorelii aggregate, develop a water storage organ in the form of a fleshy rootstock which enables the plant to survive the dry season. In that period, pitchers are barely produced. I'm not able yet to clearly identify the beginning and the end of that "dormant period" for my cultivated specimen but when you're used to inspect your plants on a regular basis, you can tell whether thay are sleeping and slowing down or alive and kicking!
Anyway, I keep this Australian pitcher plant in my lowland tanks along with other species. It's not a big plant yet but, then again, I do not really have the room for a giant plant in my enclosure ;-(
0 comments:
Post a Comment