Thanks again to Lindsay for writing today's entry:
Thank you to San for sharing today's photo (original image | Miss North's pitcher plant, the specific epithet northiana refers to Marianne North, who first illustrated this species. Nepenthes northiana is the largest of the lowland carnivorous pitcher plants endemic to the Kuching Division of Sarawak, Malaysia. The forest here is situated on an alluvial plain that is home to many rare and endemic species, particularly in the limestone hills around the village of Bau. Unfortunately, this area has not been widely researched and due to complicating factors, including adjacent quarry operations, the ecosystem is considered very fragile.
I've visited the area mentioned today and saw some spectacular nepenthes, mostly N. ampullaria:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericinsf/435093286/
In fact we botanized for an afternoon down one of the mining quarry roads and decided to leave when the miners saw us and said blasting could start unannounced and we might get hit with flying rocks if we stayed.
I would put more photo links in but the blog software used here holds posts with 2 or more links.
Nepenthe.... also the name of a GREAT restaurant in Big Sur, California, USA http://www.nepenthebigsur.com/
The strange connections you find in life! Go Figure!
Excellent photos.
and the winner is....Miss North's pitcher plant..!...for the most unusal....bizzare...scary plant i've ever seen on BPOD...!!..ain't having this for dinner...!
I find the picture with the hand gently cupping the flower is vulgar.
Wow - that's fantastic! What a bizarre treat.
To Jason, what a one-track mind! You must have trouble at the green-grocers.
You don't agree? i mean the nerve of that hand to grasp such a delicate beautiful specimen with such dangerously long nails that could damage!
Two CPs within 1 week?! This is great! I've heard that a nepenthes in a greenhouse was documented to have caught a mouse. If anyone is interested in more CPs there's a neat site sarracenia.com with photos and good info.
Whoa. Dude.
Blasting is still rampant - locals are mining gold from the area in an uncontrolled way and sometimes giant pitchers fall from the sky...literally.
Nice pitcha of a pitcher! The hand is a great help in understanding the size of the flower.
To Jason again. Don't worry, it looks like the flower can take care of itself; just look at those spikes!
Hey folks, why talking about a flower while it is not. Its a leave, transformed into a flesh-eating organism.
GreenConnection is so right which would indicate that phillip should watch out that it doesn´t have him for dinner! (Just kidding)
There is a Nepenthes rajah that is endemic to Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia that has been found with drowned rats within it! These are my all-time favourite plants, beautiful photos. Thank-you.
To philip, who said, "ain't having this for dinner...!"
Oh, but you can! See the following link for instructions on how to cook them:
http://www.neofarmthailand.com/index.php?lay=show&ac=article&Id=105724&Ntype=6
I'm also surprised at the two carnivorous plants in one week. What's next, a write-up on Genlisea margaretae, the carnivorous plant with the smallest known angiosperm genome? Perhaps a carnivorous plant week? I'd look forward to that!
Amazing plants! Thanks Ryan for the link, it's incredible they eat these plants, but as they do, I guess they're good...
Respite - respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'
-Poe
"ain't having this for dinner...!"
Nope, but it might have you for dinner . . . ;-)
Amazing! And going through all of Eric's pix is well worth your time (first poster)!
.......bonnie....thanks...!
well vampires are popular
-Nature, red in tooth and claw...(Tennyson)
Amazing photos Eric - I love the N. ampullaria shots. I've never seen nepenthes growing on the ground like that.
It's a shame about the quarry, probably causing all kinds of damage to the ecosystem.
What a beautiful plant, and it eats what it kills...I am glad that the hand was there for scale, Jason and Heather, you make me miss the West Coast, you folks are a riot! Thanks for posting this plant and all these great comments, recipes and a poem too. who knew that this Nepenthes had this much power to inspire. I hope it outlasts and survives the miners.
Wow! to be brief.