Tropical Pitcher Plant
Nepenthes ventricosa
This plant catches and digests insects for food. It's as cool as it sounds! Just remember: distilled or rainwater only, and never fertilize the soil.
Buy This Plant - $28.00How to grow Tropical Pitcher Plant
Bright Direct
Keep the soil moist at
60-80%
55-80°F
Low-nutrient and fast-draining.
Sterilize your scissors first!
No pitchers forming, or pitchers
Fun Facts
The nickname 'monkey cups' comes from wild monkeys drinking out of the pitchers. The fluid inside is mostly water that the plant makes itself. The digestive enzymes only kick in after something falls in. So the monkeys are fine. The bugs? Not so much.
N. ventricosa is wildly variable. Pitcher color ranges from solid green to deep red to almost white, and the upper and lower pitchers on the same plant can look completely different!
Heads up: a lot of plants sold as N. ventricosa are actually N. x ventrata, a hybrid with N. alata. The hybrid is tougher and way more common in nurseries. It's still a great plant, just not what the label says.
Pet safe
Non-toxic to cats, dogs, and humans! The pitcher fluid might give you a stomachache if you drink a lot of it, but that's about it.