TRIPHYOPHYLLUM - Cultivating Carnivorous Plants (2015)

Cultivating Carnivorous Plants (2015)

TRIPHYOPHYLLUM

One of the most unusual

carnivorous

plants

has

to

be

Triphyophyllum peltatum. It is so unusual

because it is a woody vine (liana) that

produces three kinds of leaves. In its

juvenile stage, it has long lanceolate

leaves that radiate out from a central

stem. After reaching around a foot (31

cm) tall, it begins to produce its

second type of leaf. This is the only

carnivorous leaf produced by the

plant. These carnivorous leaves are

long and filiform, like Drosophyllum,

and typically grow in sets of three.

After several sets of these have been

produced in combination with the

long lanceolate leaves, the plant begins

to produce its third type of leaf. These

leaves are short, largely lanecolate and

end in a forked, scroll pattern. These

leaves are the primary type found on

the plant, and they assist it to climb

high

into

the

jungle

canopy.

Occasionally, carnivorous leaves will

be produced along the length of the

mature, woody vine.

In the wild, Triphyophyllum is

native to dense, humid, evergreen

forests of West Africa, although the

exact extent of its range is not now

precisely known. Commonly it can be

found growing with Eremospathua

Triphyophyllum peltatum in cultivation.

macrocarpa (a type of palm) and

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CULTIVATING CARNIVOROUS PLANTS

Diospyros mannii (a nut-producing tree). Small Triphyophyllum plants are almost always found growing in the

dense-to-semi-dense shade of large trees.

Ordinarily, Triphyophyllum would not be covered in books about cultivating carnivorous plants, but, in the

last few years, attempts to introduce it to tissue culture have been more successful and, although still rare in

cultivation, it does appear to be spreading outside of botanical gardens. Experiments on how to grow this

plant are still limited in number, and much is not yet known. Success, however, has been found in growing

the plant in semi-shaded, hothouse conditions, allowing the temperatures to never fall below 65° F (18° C),

and using fine, hydroponic clay as a potting medium. Air humidity should remain high at all times.

.

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