Tom Bennet

By Tom Bennet
Last updated 16 July 2024

I've been growing a wide variety of carnivorous plants for over 2 decades. I got my first Venus flytrap at age 10 and now have an entire greenhouse full of carnivores.

As with all plants, the key to successfully growing Nepenthes in cultivation is the ability to replicate the conditions of their natural habitat.

Most of the 170+ Nepenthes species are found in Southeast Asia - particularly Borneo, Sumatra, and the Philippines - and the genus ranges from highland montane plants to those inhabiting steamy lowland jungles. But their cross-fertile nature has resulted in countless unique hybrids, both in cultivation and in the wild.

This guide aims to help growers of Nepenthes estimate the requirements of specific plants. It comprises two tools: (1) a calculator which visualises the temperatures likely preferred by a given species or hybrid, and (2) an interactive list of every Nepenthes species, which can be sorted and filtered according to altitude and locale.

Happy growing!

Looking to buy a tropical pitcher plant?

Plants bought from specialist nurseries tend to be much stronger than those from hardware / DIY stores. You’ll also get better advice on successful cultivation, and you’ll be supporting a small business!

Still want to learn more?

If you’re interested in learning about general Nepenthes cultivation, such as soil preferences, light levels, and water, I recommend you check out my Complete Guide to Tropical Pitcher Plants.

I’d also highly recommend the following resources:

• The Savage Garden, by Peter D’Amato. In my opinion, this is the best introduction to carnivorous plants you can buy. Its chapters on Nepenthes are detailed and accessible and include some brilliant photography. Available on Amazon.
• Nepenthes: The Tropical Pitcher Plants, Vols 1-3. This monograph by Stewart McPherson is essential reading for anyone with a serious interest in the genus. His beautiful hardbacks include photography and detailed descriptions of all known species. Available on the Redfern website.
• Identify my Nepenthes. If you’re not sure what species you’ve got, you could try putting it into my Nepenthes Species Identifier. This is an AI-powered image recognition app which can identify many popular pitcher plant species.

Top photo: Nepenthes villosa, by Brad Wilson.

Happy growing!