The Nepenthes, also known as tropical pitcher plants, is a genus of carnivorous plants in the Nepenthaceae monotypic family. They comprise about 170 species, and various natural and many cultivated hybrids.
They are mostly liana-forming plants of the Old World tropics, from South China, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines; westward to Madagascar and Seychelles and southward to Australia, New Caledonia, northward to India and Sri Lanka.
The greatest diversity of this plant occurs on Borneo, Sumatra, and the Philippines, with many endemic species.
Many of the plants are of hot, humid, lowland areas, but the vast majority are tropical montane plants, receiving warm days but cool to cold, humid nights all year round.
A few are considered tropical alpine, with chilly days and nights near freezing.
They are, sometimes called “monkey cups” a reference to the fact that monkeys have been seen drinking rainwater from these plants.
Tropical Pitcher Plant usually consist of a shallow root system and a climbing stem, it is often several metres long and up to 49 ft or more, and 0.4 inches or less in diameter.
It is, said that there are more than 100 species of tropical pitcher plants in tropical habitats that are, found in Papua New Guinea, Southeast Asia, Madagascar, Australia, Seychelles and Sri Lanka.
Each species tends to grow only in a small area, although several species may live in the same habitat. Like some other carnivorous plants, they grow in areas with nitrogen-poor soil.
They are beautiful and smart plants and collect their nitrogen in hanging, vase-shaped cups, which entice both flying and crawling insects with an intoxicating fragrance, bright colour, and sweet nectar.
