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Carnivorous Plant Encyclopedia

Encyclopedia of popular carnivorous plants with care guides, trapping mechanisms, and cultivation tips.

Featured Carnivorous Plant

Showing 39 of 140 species(1–24)

Nepenthes × dyeriana

Nepenthes × dyeriana

Intermediate

A complex hybrid pitcher plant sold as N. × mixta (N. northiana × N. maxima) crossed with N. × dicksoniana (N. rafflesiana × N. veitchii). A hybrid of the same parentage was raised at Veitch's nursery in Britain in 1900.

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Nepenthes × hookeriana© en:User:Rbrtjong / Public domain

Nepenthes × hookeriana

Nepenthes × hookeriana

Intermediate

A natural hybrid of N. ampullaria and N. rafflesiana, relatively common in the lowlands of Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia and nearby, known as Hooker's pitcher-plant. A staple of hanging-basket sales in Japan.

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Nepenthes × kinabaluensis

Nepenthes × kinabaluensis

Advanced

A natural hybrid between N. rajah and N. villosa, found only around Mount Kinabalu in Borneo. Ribs on the inner edge of the peristome end in long teeth, and its pitchers are intermediate between the parents. It forms upper pitchers more readily than either parent.

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Nepenthes × ventrata

Nepenthes × ventrata

Beginner

The pitcher plant most often seen at garden centres and home stores: a cross between the Philippine species N. ventricosa and N. alata (in the broad sense), bearing green pitchers flushed with red. Easy indoors, it is often sold under the name N. alata.

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Nepenthes Alata

Nepenthes alata

Beginner

One of the easiest Nepenthes, growable indoors by beginners, producing many green pitchers.

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Nepenthes albomarginata

Nepenthes albomarginata

Intermediate

True to its name ('white-margined'), this pitcher plant has a band of white hairs just below the rim. The hairs lure termites, making it known as a termite-specialist carnivore. Pitchers are about 15 cm tall.

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Nepenthes Ampullaria

Nepenthes ampullaria

Intermediate

A unique Nepenthes clustering pitchers on the ground, decomposing fallen leaves for nutrition.

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Nepenthes attenboroughii

Nepenthes attenboroughii

Nepenthes attenboroughii

Advanced

A large pitcher plant found only on Mount Victoria on Palawan in the Philippines. Its bell-shaped pitchers reach 30 cm tall, with volumes over 1.5 litres recorded. Named after the naturalist David Attenborough.

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Nepenthes Bicalcarata

Nepenthes bicalcarata

Advanced

A Nepenthes with two fang-like projections at the pitcher mouth, famous for ant symbiosis.

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Nepenthes Bloody Mary

Nepenthes 'Bloody Mary'

Beginner

A hybrid of N. ventricosa and N. ampullaria with pitchers and leaves stained deep blood red. Tough and treated as a beginner's houseplant, it is often said to be the same clone as 'Lady Luck'.

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Nepenthes clipeata

Nepenthes clipeata

Advanced

A pitcher plant with round, shield-shaped leaves whose tendril joins the underside of the blade, and large pitchers swollen at the base. It grows only on the granite cliffs of Mount Kelam in Borneo and is among the most threatened species in the wild.

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Nepenthes Edwardsiana

Nepenthes edwardsiana

Advanced

A ultra-rare Kinabalu endemic with exquisitely toothed peristome of unmatched beauty.

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Nepenthes eymae

Nepenthes eymae

Advanced

A highland pitcher plant endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia. Its upper pitchers are narrow below and flare abruptly above like a wine glass, the feature that separates it from its close relative N. maxima.

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Nepenthes Gaya

Nepenthes 'Gaya'

Beginner

A hybrid pitcher plant recorded as N. khasiana × (N. ventricosa × N. maxima); the same cross is sold abroad as 'St. Gaya'. It is sold everywhere from mass-market hanging baskets to aquarium plant stores.

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Nepenthes Gracilis

Nepenthes gracilis

Beginner

A slender Nepenthes with a unique lid mechanism that flicks insects in with raindrop impact.

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Nepenthes Hamata

Nepenthes hamata

Advanced

A fearsome-looking Nepenthes with fang-like sharp projections inside pitchers, from Sulawesi highlands.

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Nepenthes jamban

Nepenthes jamban

Advanced

A small highland pitcher plant endemic to northern Sumatra. Its name is Indonesian for 'toilet', after the wide-mouthed yellow upper pitchers shaped like a toilet bowl. It was described only in 2006.

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Nepenthes khasiana© JeremiahsCPs (English Wikipedia) / Public domain

Nepenthes khasiana

Nepenthes khasiana

Intermediate

The only pitcher plant native to India. It bears slender green pitchers streaked with reddish brown, thought to lure insects with blue fluorescence. It is a CITES Appendix I species, so transfers in Japan need a registration certificate.

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Nepenthes Lady Luck

Nepenthes 'Lady Luck'

Beginner

A pitcher plant selected from a cross of N. ampullaria and N. ventricosa, bearing pitchers coloured deep blood red all over. Short internodes and many basal shoots make a dense, bushy plant. It is often said to be the same clone as 'Bloody Mary'.

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Nepenthes Linda

Nepenthes 'Linda'

Intermediate

A highland hybrid pitcher plant selected from 'Rebecca Soper' crossed with a red N. ventricosa. Deep burgundy pitchers pinch in at the middle beneath a glossy dark rim. It resembles its parent, so check the label.

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Nepenthes Lowii

Nepenthes lowii

Advanced

A Nepenthes with toilet-shaped pitchers that collect tree shrew droppings as nutrition.

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Nepenthes madagascariensis

Nepenthes madagascariensis

Intermediate

A lowland pitcher plant of the east coast of Madagascar. It bears mostly slender, funnel-shaped yellow upper pitchers with a broad peristome and an almost circular lid, and was the first Nepenthes species recorded scientifically, in the 17th century.

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Nepenthes Maxima

Nepenthes maxima

Intermediate

A beautiful Nepenthes from Sulawesi with large pitchers and diverse color forms, relatively hardy.

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Nepenthes merrilliana

Nepenthes merrilliana

Advanced

A lowland pitcher plant from the southern Philippines. Its upper pitchers reach 40 cm long, among the largest in the genus and rivalling N. rajah, with a broad, strongly ribbed peristome and a large lid.

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Carnivorous Plant FAQ

How much do carnivorous plants cost?
Venus Flytraps cost 500-2,000 yen, Nepenthes 1,000-10,000 yen, and rare highland Nepenthes can exceed tens of thousands of yen depending on species and size.
Can beginners grow carnivorous plants?
Venus Flytraps, Sundews, and Sarracenia are relatively easy and beginner-friendly. Keep them in a tray of water for humidity and place in a sunny spot.
How long do carnivorous plants live?
Venus Flytraps can live 10+ years with proper care, and Sarracenia are similarly long-lived. Nepenthes can grow for decades in the right conditions, getting progressively larger.
What should I check when buying carnivorous plants?
Check that leaves and traps are healthy with no root rot. For Nepenthes, choose specimens with pitchers. Avoid sudden environment changes after purchase and acclimate gradually.
Do I need to feed insects to carnivorous plants?
They grow fine through photosynthesis alone without feeding. Insects are supplemental nutrition and don't need to be force-fed. Outdoor plants catch bugs naturally, which is fun to observe.