Carnivorous Pitcher Plant

The Carnivorous Pitcher Plant (Nepenthes 'Louisa') is a tropical climber that grows its own traps. Tendrils extend from the leaf tips and swell into hanging pitchers, each a fluid filled vessel that catches and digests insects. It reaches about 1m tall and 80cm across in a basket, and it is one of the easier Nepenthes hybrids to keep, given warmth, humidity and clean water.

Why you'll love it

• The pitchers are the whole point. Each mature leaf produces one, so a settled plant carries several at once.
• It genuinely catches insects. Fungus gnats, ants and small flies find their way in and do not come out.
• Bred for the house, not the swamp. This hybrid was selected to cope with less humidity than its wild parents demand.
• Nothing else in the collection looks like it. A hanging basket of pitchers is a conversation piece.

Where it works best

Hanging baskets indoors. The pitchers need clear air below the foliage to hang properly, so a basket at eye level near a bright window shows them off and keeps them away from pets and children.

Bathrooms and humid rooms. A bathroom or laundry with a window is close to ideal, since shower humidity keeps the pitchers filling rather than browning.

Sheltered balconies and courtyards. Outdoors it needs a frost free, humid position in a tropical or subtropical garden. In warm temperate gardens keep it under cover and bring it inside over winter.

Growing the carnivorous pitcher plant in Australia

Position and climate. Bright filtered light, never harsh direct sun, which scorches the leaves and stops pitcher production. It is frost tender: tropical and subtropical gardens outdoors, and indoors anywhere in the country. Keep it above 12 degrees and away from cold draughts and air conditioning vents.

Growing medium. Not potting mix. Use a purpose made carnivorous plant mix, or sphagnum moss blended with perlite or coarse bark. Ordinary mixes and fertilisers carry mineral salts that burn the fine roots.

Water and humidity. Rainwater or distilled water only, and keep the medium damp at all times. Humidity above about 60 percent keeps the pitchers coming, so misting helps in dry climates.

Feeding and pruning. Do not fertilise the medium, and never put meat or fertiliser into a pitcher: it rots the trap. It feeds itself from what it catches, and one small insect dropped into a pitcher every month or two is plenty indoors. Snip off pitchers and leaves once they brown, and trim the vine back in spring if it gets leggy.

What to expect when it arrives

It is sold as tube stock, a young well rooted plant that usually arrives with small pitchers or none at all. Pitchers form on new growth, so expect the first proper ones two to three months after potting up. It is currently on backorder, so check the lead time shown on this page.

Pot it into a basket of carnivorous mix on arrival and keep it damp with rainwater. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• A guide to growing exotic indoor plants
• How to keep your indoor plants alive
• Browse exotic and rare plants
• See the wider indoor plant range

Common questions

Why is my plant not making pitchers?

Almost always light, humidity or water quality. Move it somewhere brighter but out of direct sun, lift the humidity, and switch to rainwater. New pitchers only form on new leaves, so improvement takes a couple of months.

Can I use tap water?

Not if you can avoid it. Dissolved minerals accumulate in the mix and burn the roots over a few months. Collect rainwater, or use distilled water.

Is it suitable for a house with pets?

We do not list this plant as pet friendly, so hang it out of reach of any animal that chews foliage. The pitcher fluid is not something a pet should drink either.