Bicals & Friends

Nepenthes bicalcarata

 The upgrade of my lowland setup to a grow tent was a great move, especially for the bicals. I have, probably, about a dozen bicals and bical hybrids. Many are young, right now, but within a few years I anticipate them needing the majority of the grow tent's space.

Nepenthes bicalcarata "Brunei Orange Clone"

My first bical, this BE one, has turned out quite nicely. Like the two other large, but younger bicals, it has suffered somewhat in the cooler conditions provided in the prior setup. Bicals prefer hot, humid conditions. They really don't tolerate temperatures below 70 degrees Fahrenheit that well (although there is one infamous plant in Florida which tolerates temperatures down to the 50s in winter). As a consequence of my colder conditions, most plants had lost all but a few leaves. In the new setup, they should never experience anything below 70.

Nepenthes bicalcarata

 One of the most fascinating parts of growing plants from various locales is the variety. The pitchers look quite different on each plant. Some of my younger plants, of course, lack any distinguishing pitchers at the moment, but, in time, I anticipate that they, too, will have some interesting features.

Nepenthes bicalcarata x (maxima x merrilliana)

In addition to the above three bicals (and the ones from Monday's post), I also wanted to share this new plant from California Carnivores. It's a seed-grown Nepenthes bicalcarata x (maxima x merrilliana). It has stubby little fangs, which I don't anticipate will develop any further, but it's a neat hybrid.