Question

main plant  

the pitcher   I just got this pitcher plant yesterday and i dont know what species it is. Can you help me identify it so i can give it better care? I live in panama city, panama, where it is very warm.

Answer
Hi Robyn,

This is a type of Nepenthes, a tropical Southeast Asian Pitcher Plant.  Without knowing more about where the plant came from or having an ID tag there's no way to know the species or if it's a hybrid.  Most likely it is a hybrid if it's something that was being sold as a random plant.  You need mature pitchers on a plant to determine identity, and even then, an accurate ID can be difficult to impossible since there are thousands of Nepenthes hybrids in culture, and they look very similar.

In any case care for it will be basic Nepenthes care, and you can find that information here:  http://www.growcarnivorousplants.com/Articles.asp?ID=266  Since you're in Panama City, you can keep your plant outside too.  Just find a location for it with partial sun, keep the soil moist but not wet.  Also, once you decide on a location, try not to move the plant around much.  Nepenthes don't like a lot of change to their environment, so lots of moving will cause them to not pitcher.  The one exception is if you every have a rare frost, move it inside then.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.growcarnivorousplants.com