Growing Guide: Nepenthes pervillei

Nepenthes pervillei

Nepenthes pervillei is one of the more unusual species of Nepenthes. It is the only species native to the Seychelles and produces pitchers, leaves, and flowers which are quite distinctive. Perhaps the oddest feature of this species is its flowers, which are unlike any other species of Nepenthes.

Nepenthes pervillei flowers

Happily, the odd flower shape does not prevent hybridization with other species. There exists at least one hybrid with Nepenthes bicalcarata in Japan. (Unfortunately, I was unable to find any photos of that hybrid anywhere online. I'm very curious to know how that hybrid looks).

Unfortunately, there is very little in the way of documentation about how to grow this strange species. Thankfully, I was able to dig up a video from Siegfried R. H. Hartmeyer from 1992 about the plant in the wild. And, I learned elsewhere that people have good luck growing it in a well draining mix often using plenty of lava rock and some combination of sphagnum, sand, pumice, and perlite.

Nepenthes pervillei

I was curious about the cultivation of Nepenthes pervillei because I recently received my own plant from Native Exotics. Strangely, despite the fact that this species grows among and near large granite boulders, no one has seemed to have tried growing it with granite in the substrate. Thankfully, I'm adventurous and live in The Granite State. So, I decided to walk out in my yard, pick up a few chunks of granite (it's everywhere here...well, I do live in/among giant granite mountains, so...) and add that to my mixture. Here's how I'm growing mine:

Media: Airy mix of 35% granite, 15% lava rock, 5% Seramis, 5% leca clay, 15% quartz sand, 10% perlite, 15% NZ long-fiber sphagnum.
Moisture: Dry! Unlike other Nepenthes, Nepenthes pervillei has thick, almost succulent leaves, which allows it to survive in the dry rain-forest between frequent rains. (These are often near daily in the rainforests, but dry-spells of up to two weeks can often occur. Rain is more frequent in the three "winter" months than during the height of summer).
Humidity: High! Like most coast-dwellers, Nepenthes pervillei is used to a high level of humidity. (Of course, humidity is a trade off with moisture, so lower humidity environments need more moisture).
Pot Size: I use whatever pots are available for my Nepenthes, so long as the root ball fits in the pot and there's a bit of room for it to grow. Generally, this means that the leaves extend slightly further than the edge of the pot.
Feeding: I'm going to feed any pitchers that form with insects until the plant grows large enough for Osmocote pellets in the pitchers. Then, I'll experiment with a couple pitchers to see if that works.
Temperature: Warm! Temperatures rarely dip below 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 C) and frequently hover around 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 C). Temperature has been reported to dramatically affect growth in cultivation with warm temperatures spurring growth).
Dormancy: There is no dormancy requirements for this Nepenthes.
Propagation: Either through seed or cuttings. Cuttings are probably easiest once the plant has begun to grow new rosettes of leaves along the scrambling or climbing stems. Propagation is probably easiest through air-layering.