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Compost:
Typical.
Watering: Typical. Cultivation Difficulty: Moderate (2); requires nocturnal cooling. Propagation: Difficult from cuttings. Distribution: Sumatra Barat and Jambi.1 Ecology: Terrestrial in vegetation above 2000 m, epiphytic in mossy forest; 1500-2600 m.1 |
| N. inermis lower pitcher | N. inermis upper pitcher |
| Almost everything about
this species is unusual, from pitcher shape to viscosity of pitcher fluid!
We have found that the upper pitchers lower on the vine actually have a
peristome, similar to Nepenthes dubia in form, which diminishes in pitchers
which grow further up the vine. Apparently, this is an intermediate
pitcher form. Lower pitchers are largely unremarkable. This
is a very interesting species, and grows quickly, going from 3 cm to maturity
in about 2.5 years under good conditions. Basal shoots are often
readily produced when vines exceed 60 cm in length. Note that pitchers
last longer when kept filled with water; this apparently emulates their
state in the wild.
The lower pitcher of N. inermis, visible on the left, clearly showing its peristome. Note that even when fully developed, the lower pitchers of this species are relatively flat. However, they contain the same uniquely viscous pitcher fluid as upper pitchers! |
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| 1C. Clarke, Nepenthes of Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia, Kota Kinabalu, 2001, p. 145. |