Nepenthes flowers

A few Nepenthes are currently in bloom. This is a chance to take a closer look at some flowers we don’t often see!

Nepenthes are dioecious carnivorous plants. In practical terms, this means that each plant produces either male or female flowers; it is therefore impossible to determine the plant’s sex before it flowers, and impossible to pollinate a flower without having a male and a female plant flowering at the same time! Be patient, as it usually takes several years for a plant to finally flower.

Male flowers can be recognised by the presence of pollen on the stamens (small balls that look like a ball of fluff). In female flowers, the part situated between the sepals and the pistil is rounded. To carry out pollination, simply transfer the pollen onto the pistils using a brush with very dry bristles. Five months later… the seeds are ready to be harvested!