Largest Pitcher in the world

[Aliamyz]

Truncata is the largest nepenthes species in the world...google it up and see!
Probably the 'King Of Nepenthes' you know.
No your plants wont die but it will stress and thepitchers will dry up..
Thats all but smaller plants have low rate of survival so if you keep on changing the environment they'll die..

[caseyhoo]

Originally Posted by Aliamyz

Truncata is the largest nepenthes species in the world...google it up and see!
Probably the 'King Of Nepenthes' you know.
No your plants wont die but it will stress and thepitchers will dry up..
Thats all but smaller plants have low rate of survival so if you keep on changing the environment they'll die..

I thought N. rajah is the biggest?

[David]

Originally Posted by caseyhoo

I thought N. rajah is the biggest?

I thought so too and I agree with you casey... N. rajah is generally known to have one of the largest pitchers in the genus. It's pitchers could be bigger than a football. In the wild some pitchers contain 4 litres of pitcher fluid in them.

However, there are also other species with huge pitchers such as merrilliana, truncata, rafflesiana, bicalcarata, etc. but truncata is not the largest nepenthes in the world. Perhaps its because its pitchers are slender and more elongated. No doubt there are a few unofficial or informal reports that truncata is possibly the King of all Nepenthes. However, it does not mean it produce the largest picthers. It is base on other criteria of judging the pitcher.

It also depends alot on how the plants are cultivated. When they are cultivated well, they produce enormous pitchers. Officially, N. rajah is known to have the largest pitchers. Having said this we should not attempt to classify which species produce the largest pitchers as different plant cultivated differently will produce different results.

Generally, species like N. rajah, N. merrilliana, N. truncata, N. rafflesiana, N. bicalcarata or maybe hybrids like N. x alisaputrana, etc produce gigantic pitchers.

[plantlover]

I saw a gigantic rafflesiana in Cameron Highlands. Not for sale!!! So angry!

[Aliamyz]

Yes David,
Rajah is big because of it's enormously big tendril it produces.
If you ask me, i will tell that truncata is the biggest and more tolerant than rajah.
Rajah is a piece of rubbish compare to truncata( rajah lovers, don't get angry.)
Think it for your self and you'll understand..

[kentosaurs]

I have to disagree o.0 i guess rajah is still the biggest among all neps if grown properly N rajah might not be the tallest of them all but it certainly isn't short.N rajah also has a very wide pitcher compared to most neps because of that in the willd they can take in so much fluid and rainwater.Take away the H in rajah and it becomes RAJA(means king)nepenthes king lol.RAJAH RAJAH.From dying plants now it became a disgussion of which pitcher is the biggest of them all =_=

Ken

[David]

Originally Posted by Aliamyz

Yes David,
Rajah is big because of it's enormously big tendril it produces.
If you ask me, i will tell that truncata is the biggest and more tolerant than rajah.
Rajah is a piece of rubbish compare to truncata( rajah lovers, don't get angry.)
Think it for your self and you'll understand..

I thought we were talking about the size of the pitcher and not the comparison between the tendril. And if it is the comparison between species tendril, do you mean the length of it's tendril. If so, N. rajah's tendrils are longer than truncata.

Also it is not about whether the species is tolerant in cultivation. If you are talking about the ease of growing the plants in cultivation, then yes, truncata fair better. But we're talking about the size of it's pitchers.

Like what kentosaur said, N rajah also has a very wide pitcher compared to most neps because of that in the wild they can take in so much fluid and rainwater.

I guess you have the right to say what you want, even about a certain species being rubbish. But is N. rajah truly rubbish or it is because you could not grow it? Have you cultivated N. rajah before? Have you seen the actual plant in all its splendor and majesty in the wild? Whose fault is it that it could not grow well for you or generally in cultivation for most people? After all it has been taken from it's native growing conditions in the cool highlands and grown artificially in our homes with conditions way below it's requirements. It has to be our fault and not the plant being rubbish because it is the nature and he make up of that species to thrive in certain conditions an fail in others.

[Aliamyz]

I guess you have the right to say what you want, even about a certain species being rubbish. But is N. rajah truly rubbish or it is because you could not grow it? Have you cultivated N. rajah before? Have you seen the actual plant in all its splendor and majesty in the wild? Whose fault is it that it could not grow well for you or generally in cultivation for most people? After all it has been taken from it's native growing conditions and grown artificially in our homes with conditions way below it's requirements. It has to be our fault and not the plant being rubbish.

I think you're right David.I'm angry because i can't grow it.Honestly, what attracts me to Nepenthes is Rajah when i first saw it in my school book.I guess you're right, being our fault and not the plants fault.We are the rubbish here.(who buys and kills it).But for who have succeed with Rajah,(i salute them).

[jeff1u]

Hmmmm....In fact Largest is depend on how you look at it.

Width? Height? Peristome?

I will say, any Nep which give you the "WOW" that your eyes will pop out from your eye sockets will consider in the list of Largest pitcher.

For me, personally I made my own score for nep species. (*personal) What do you think?

Truncata 9.5/10 for P-Height : 5/10 P-Width : 4/10 P-Peristome
Veitchii 6/10 for P-Height : 8/10 P-Width : 9.5/10 P-Peristome
Rajah 7/10 for P-Height : 9/10 P-Width : 8/10 P-Peristome
Rafflesiana 5/10 for P-Height : 6/10 P-Width : 6/10 P-Peristome
Bical 5.5/10 for P-Height : 6/10 P-Width : 4.5/10 P-Peristome
Merrilliana 7/10 for P-Height : 8.5/10 P-Width : 3.5/10 P-Peristome

[arvin555]

Maybe comparing Rajah and Truncata is like comparing Reticulated python vs. Anaconda? One is the longest and the other is the thickest/biggest.

Of course very difficult to do, but hopefully we can get some data in future which species does produce the biggest pitchers in terms of capacity (liters, etc) this is probably the best measure.

All I know though is the Truncatas are infamous or famous to have pitchers big enough to catch and kill rats! Then again I imagine Rajah would be able to do it too.

TTFN
Arvin

ps. After posting I saw Jeff's post, I should have just agreed with him when he said largest depends on how you look at it. However Jeff for me I'd not count Peristome in the tally But as you said it's a personal score card.