Flask-shaped pitcher plant

A carnivore that eats leaves

Nepenthes ampullaria is one of the most recognisable pitcher plants of the genus Nepenthes. Its pitchers — the famous carnivorous "jugs" — are small, rounded and flask-shaped, with a reduced lid folded back out of the way. They often sprout in dense clusters straight from the base of the plant, carpeting the forest floor like a mat of green and reddish cups.

Habitat and range

It grows across much of Southeast Asia: Borneo, the Maluku Islands, New Guinea, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra and Thailand, from sea level to over 2000 metres. It favours the damp, shaded areas of rainforests, peat swamps and marshy margins.

An unusual diet

Unlike most pitcher plants, which trap insects, N. ampullaria has largely switched to a detritivorous diet: its upward-facing pitchers collect leaves falling from the trees and absorb their nitrogen as they decompose. This is why the lid is small and does not act as a "roof" — it lets the litter in.

Cultivation

It is a warm-glasshouse plant: it loves high temperatures, high humidity and filtered light. Grow it in a poor, acidic mix kept constantly moist and watered only with rainwater or deionised water, never hard tap water and never fed like an ordinary plant. There is no need to feed it insects.

Conservation

The species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN thanks to its wide range, but local populations suffer from the destruction of peat-swamp forests and from illegal collection.