Question

N. gentle   QUESTION: Bought this plant without a name. Was told it is Gentle. Upper pitchers all have dimples. Please comfirm.

ANSWER: Hi Hosh,

The plant you have is actually Miranda and not Gentle.  Gentle (also known as Velvet or Velvet Gentle) is actually Nepenthes maxima x fusca.  Your plant doesn't have the characteristic colors or features indicative to this hybrid.  Instead, it looks most similar to Miranda, which is Nepenthes maxima x (maxima x northiana).  The color of the pitchers and the leaf shape seem to suggest this.

The dimples occur when the developing pitchers encounter sudden changes in the environment, such as when the plant is being transported.  This is normal, and once your plant acclimates to your home, all of the new pitchers will develop normally.

For information about growing Nepenthes, read our care sheet online:
http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets

Good growing!
Jacob Farin

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------


Nepenthes   QUESTION: Thanks for your prompt reply. I have this plant which I thought is N.miranda. The leaf have a cleft where the tendon joins. The earlier plant I sent did not have any clefts.

Answer
Unfortunately, I don't have access to your previous photograph.  Once you upload a new photograph, the other one is deleted.  Based on what I've seen in your previous photographs, it looked more like a Miranda than a Gentle.  There are details I look for when identifying the two, but those details are difficult to see with the photographs you provided.  So I had to rely on overall appearances.  Again, based on what I could make out in your photograph, the plant had more of the general appearances of Miranda than Gentle.  

If you'd like to see general appearances of both plants, visit this website:
http://www.derooseplants.com/en/select_plant_search.asp

Under the heading "Search by Genus," select Nepenthes.  This will bring up several plants that they developed, including Miranda and Gentle.  You could use their photographs to determine what plants you have.  In your original photographs, your plant only had developing pitchers and no mature pitchers.  You may need to wait until your plant develops at least one mature pitcher before you can accurately identify it.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin