Question
I have read on the internet about pitcher plants large enough to digest rats. Do you know where I can purchase small specimens or seeds?

Answer
Hi Andrew,

The pitcher plant in the news recently was a new species of Nepenthes that was discovered in a remote area of the Phillipines.  It's one of several species with pitchers large enough to capture rodents.  Since the one in the news was just discovered, it is not in cultivation.  However, the following species get large enough to capture rodents (although this is very uncommon),: Nepenthes rajah, N. truncata, N. merrilliana, N. truncata, N. burbidgea, and N. northiana.  Others get quite large also such as N. bicalcurata and N. sumatrana and even N. sanguinea.  Hybrids of these plants also get quite large.  Of those, N. truncata is probably the easiest to grow and is readily available from nurseries.  N. x miranda (N. maxima x N. northiana) is an example of a hybrid that is readily available, and gets very large.  Several nurseries around the country have these plants.  We have some at our nursery, and you can do a web search for others.  Go to this link to view our Nepenthes availability:  http://cobraplant.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=26&zenid=f2ab89edede34b0bb...

Good Growing!

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