Abstract: Tropical pitcher plants of the genus Nepenthes are renowned for their highly specialized leaves, which form pitchers used to capture and digest prey. Pitcher morphology is remarkably diverse across the genus and serves as a primary feature for taxonomic studies, though its analysis is complicated by substantial intraspecific variation, morphological similarity among species, and the presence of natural hybrids. This study evaluates the effectiveness of geometric morphometric techniques using a minimal number of landmarks to quantify shape differences among N. villosa, N. edwardsiana, and their natural hybrid N. × harryana, as well as patterns of intraspecific variation. Using only 13 digitized landmarks, geometric morphometric analyses clearly distinguished N. villosa and N. dwardsiana, and positioned N. × harryana in an intermediate region of morphospace. Intraspecific variation differed between species, with significantly greater shape variation observed in N. villosa than N. edwardsiana, and a distinct morphological separation between pitchers from two mountain peaks in N. villosa. Although N. × harryana occupied an intermediate position overall, its morphology skewed toward N. edwardsiana rather than forming an exactly intermediate morphology. Comparisons between original species identifications and morphology based assignments showed broad agreement, with discrepancies primarily involving N. villosa from Mt. Tambuyukon and several N. × harryana that may reflect introgression. Overall, these results demonstrate that streamlined geometric morphometric approaches provide a robust and efficient framework for analyzing Nepenthes morphology.
The ICPS Carnivores in the Classroom grant continues to demonstrate the remarkable impact that living carnivorous plants can have in educational settings.
Eight new carnivorous plant cultivars are named and described: Nepenthes veitchii 'Hoang Sa', Nepenthes veitchii 'Truong Sa', Sarracenia 'Mors Atra', Sarracenia 'Maruška', Pinguicula 'YM Wukong', Utricularia 'YM Mirage Rabbit', Cephalotus 'Giant Squat', Dionaea 'F.S. Matamata Turtle'.
While Sarracenia petioles, phyllodia, leaf plasticity, and seasonal pitcher cohorts are common subjects of discussion, these features have not yet been clearly delimited or described. Longitudinal allometry disclosed new substructures of the Sarracenia pitcher leaf on the first and climax leaf cohorts of several taxa with upright leaves. Petioles, previously thought to comprise the entire solid proximal portion of leaves, are found to be different from pitcher phyllodes, the two being adjacent but independently plastic substructures. Leaf cohort heterophylly is characterized by different substructure proportions and their constituent plastic properties. A locus at the transition point of internal pitcher chamber Zones 3 and 4 separates the inferior from superior lamina and damps the influence of plastic substructures in derived indices, including the inferior lamina to whole leaf longitudinal allometric index. This index helps distinguish cohorts within taxa and taxa from each other as its degree of relative variability is exceptionally low and consistent. The inferior lamina index and its core locus provide modular solidarity to the methodology, facilitating comparative analysis of substructures, the inferior and superior lamina, leaf cohorts, and taxa by means of allometric indices and their relative variability. Inferior lamina substructures facilitate known conditional responses in upright Sarracenia, with critical differences between taxa bearing implications for systematics.
The two geographically disjunct groups of Sarracenia alabamensis subsp. wherryi (D.E. Schnell) Case amp; R.B. (Case 2005) are described as separate species. The western disjunct entity is elevated to species rank as Sarracenia wherryi (D.E. Schnell) Mellichamp amp; Trexler comb. et stat. nov., native to Washington County, Alabama, and immediately adjacent Wayne and Greene counties, Mississippi. The eastern entity is described as Sarracenia chrysea Trexler spec. nov., indigenous to Alabama counties of Baldwin, Escambia, Monroe, and Conecuh, and northwest Escambia County, Florida. Integrated biologic, ecologic, geologic, and distribution criteria synthesize as evidence for separate species in a unified concept. Sarracenia chrysea and S. wherryi only form colonies within specific edaphically-governed patches on hillside seepage bogs, where the slowly-succeeding herbaceous ecology excludes shrubs and congeners. Unique developmental and adult biology complimentary to this habitat results in limited ecological tolerances for S. chrysea and S. wherryi. They depend upon this habitat to survive and reproduce, and the specific convergence of factors underlying the formation of their habitat confines these species to irregular patches within larger hillside seepage bogs in sequestered and unrelated inland ranges east and northwest of Mobile Bay.
In May 2025, the two authors conducted a field trip to Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland, Australia. While searching for other species of carnivorous plants at a location near Yarraden, Utricularia capilliflora was discovered. Previously, this species was thought to be only contained in the Northern Territory in the greater Darwin, Kakadu National Park, and Arnhem Land areas. This represents a range extension of some 700 km east and suggests that this species may be found elsewhere in Cape York.
In 2015, a long-term selective breeding program of Nepenthes veitchii was initiated in Vietnam to refine and stabilize the classical Bario form while preserving strong striping and achieving a peristome that remains fully flared even as pitchers mature.
During March 2025, 36 people worked to rehabilitate 11 wetlands in North Alabama containing a variety of rare plants. Each site contains species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, including Sarracenia oreophila. The work was partially funded by the International Carnivorous Plant Society.
Two phenomena connected to UV-induced visible autofluorescence in Drosera are reported here: 1) bright blue UV fluorescence of anthers of certain Australian pygmy and tuberous Drosera (D. sections Bryastrum and Ergaleium), likely connected to the attraction of crepuscular pollinators; 2) bright blue UV fluorescence of the yellow, potato crisp-like modified tentacles of D. barrettiorum (D. section Arachnopus), likely connected to prey attraction and probably serving as anther/pollen mimicry to attract (crepuscular or nocturnal) pollen-feeding insects.
Five new carnivorous plant cultivars are named and described: Pinguicula 'Roa', Sarracenia 'Hades', Cephalotus 'Allen Lowrie', Sarracenia 'Royal Pink Parrot', Sarracenia 'Rouge Snow'
To assess whether Nepenthes can take up contaminant metals via their pitchers, and if this is more efficient than root uptake, we conducted an experiment in which we added lead (Pb)-contaminated maggots or Pb solution to pitchers, or Pb solution to the soil. We found that adding Pb to the pitchers increased pitcher Pb concentrations but there was no indication that Pb added to the soil was taken up by the plants, nor was Pb transferred from the pitchers to the leaves or roots. This study indicates that Nepenthes can, indeed, take up non-essential pollutant metals via their pitchers.
Carnivorous plants and carnivorous animals can compete with one another for prey. In this example a Praying Mantis is eating a tree frog while clinging to a Sarracenia pitcher.
Three new carnivorous plant cultivars are named and described: Sarracenia 'Timeless', Sarracenia 'Peter D'Amato', Drosera 'Soekarno'.
Five new carnivorous plant cultivars are named and described: Sarracenia 'Naana', Dionaea 'FC Kindred', Dionaea 'FC Lion Fish', Pinguicula 'YM Aurora', Heliamphora uncinata 'Yoda'
The remarkable subterranean growth habit of Nepenthes rhombicaulis is described based on the examination of nine mature plants in the UK's National Plant Collection of Nepenthes at Chester Zoo. The species is found to produce most of its pitchers below ground, these being larger and sturdier than-and morphologically distinct from-its more familiar aboveground traps. The underground pitchers are borne on vertically orientated stems originating below the soil line, which are only transiently carnivorous and eventually develop into pitcherless lianas. As such, repeated subterranean branching is necessary to sustain concealed carnivory. Underground pitchers appear to have lengthy functional lifespans, likely reflecting their increased construction costs. The consistent production of plentiful underground pitchers even under conditions of artificially high light abundance points to the phenomenon being a genetically determined adaptation rather than a plastic response to shading. Suggestions are made for how to cultivate and display this unusual species to best effect.
Fourteen new cultivar names were registered in 2024: Cephalotus 'Thumbelina', Drosera 'Red Starburst', Nepenthes 'Chonk', Nepenthes 'Lunar Eclipse AR_PPC', Nepenthes 'Millipede Den', Pinguicula 'Kohaku', Pinguicula 'Koiwa', Pinguicula 'Psychedelic Purple', Pinguicula 'Sango', Sarracenia 'Brooks Garcia', Sarracenia 'Cilum', Sarracenia 'Majin Bu', Sarracenia 'Stanya', Sarracenia 'Suzy-Q'.
The evolution of Nepenthes pitcher plants illustrates a remarkable case of morphological innovation shaped by ecological pressures. Across the genus, diverse pitcher forms have emerged in response to nutrient-poor habitats, enabling both efficient carnivory as well as resource capture from other nitrogen sources. Variation in pitcher morphology aligns closely with environmental factors, reflecting intricate relationships between form, function, and survival strategy. These patterns reveal not only the adaptability of Nepenthes but also illuminate broader evolutionary processes such as convergence, niche specialization, and constraint-driven innovation.
Sixteen new carnivorous plant cultivars are named and described: Sarracenia 'Ada Rawlings', Sarracenia 'Hans', Sarracenia 'Scream', Sarracenia 'Venom', Sarracenia 'Splatter', Sarracenia 'Cetacean', Dionaea 'Angry Lettuce', Dionaea 'Fiamma', Dionaea 'Fuego Radioactivo', Dionaea 'Phyllopterix', Dionaea 'Ruggine', Dionaea 'Twister', Dionaea 'Mazikeen', Dionaea 'Colmillo Andino', Cephalotus 'Big Mouth', Cephalotus 'Black Lip'.
Five new carnivorous plant cultivars are named and described: Sarracenia 'Naana', Dionaea 'FC Kindred', Dionaea 'FC Lion Fish', Pinguicula 'YM Aurora', Heliamphora uncinata 'Yoda'
Mount Roraima is one of the most famous tepuis, high plateaus located mainly in the Venezuelan Guayana and known for their isolated terrain, pronounced climatic contrasts, and high number of endemic species. Mount Roraima has fascinated many adventurers and natural history enthusiasts since its first ascent in 1884, and even today, only a relatively small number of individuals have had the opportunity to explore it. This article is an excerpt from the author's travel journal recounting a botanical expedition to this legendary mountain in January–February 2025.
