The Next Generation of Nepenthes Hobbyists

[rainforest]

With keen interest in nepenthes the rest of the world will need to follow what Asia is doing with them. The initiation of nepenthes booming in Thailand, Taiwan and abroad we will see how this carves all efforts of all growers everywhere! The majority of growers in most of these areas tend to be lowland or if anything lowland-intermediates. Growers and sellers currently in the area of breeding will need to focus their efforts on the creation of warmer growing colored hybrids and select species suitable for warmer growing.
Of course they will have to be seed originals as many of these growers already know the invaluable reasons to own a seed original over a tc clone. How does one constantly achieve this? Well, you will need to constantly pollinate and propagate from seed 24/7!
The outcome will be many many nurseries (both large scale and backyarders) who will be growing them in an effort to sell the dream of a perfect pitcher plant. Don't be fooled that they just want newer and better material. There will be a need for reminiscent appearing things such as Dyeriana, Predator, Jungle Bells, and so many already known and registered hybrids. Their draw for selling will be to sell seedlings of known pedigree like N. sp. Viking dark red x N. Sabre (to name an example) where the consumer will recognize that these have the parent Viking which already does well for me crossed to a KNOWN and highly soughtafter hybrid. Of course you may get hesitant buyers staring at a cross of N. sp. Viking x LuckyCharms (where Luckycharms has never been registered and simply unknown to all).
The next few years you will see high sales of seed originals as hobbyists decide whether they want to get more into these and create future markets and demands for buyers and sellers selling new and different products.
This of course will change and fluctuate with the introduction of newer original species and their accessibility as breedable material. Still seed original materials will always be most sought after over tc reruns. The way we will see even these breeders and sellers in Thailand, Asia is not tc clones but a huge array of seed original material. These seed original growers will learn quickly and the education of growing nepenthes will take new direction and have better results. I bet more books will be produced on the subject and hopefully many written in English with lots of photos. We will see the development in nepenthes in Asia and have breeding lineages showing as they have transformed many of their passions (i.e. Arowana, Adeniums, orchids, etc.).
The markets will always have a demand for new material. As they have continually sought after new adenium color forms to expand the color range. So will they seek a black (Seed Original) clone of N. ventricosa, a thick multi colored peristome (Seed Original) N. veitchii, etc.
These (for them) newer clones will lend themselves to the great demand for newer and soughtafter forms of a species and even hybrids.
They will also perpetuate their known species which are good breeders and lend best colors and shapes as the more desirable forms for breeding. Already the better forms commanding higher prices, these will continually get better as more improved and refined forms are retained for breeding. These will not be in a tc laboratory but even as teenagers seeking fun projects to do. There will be a need for some tc work especially on hybrids of known to be good producers to be put into culture for massed market sales. But the general demand will be for seed original material. These will be where current producers (i.e. BE, AW) will lag behind the already high demand for superior product only obtainable through seed original material. Most if not all of the existing tc clones show too many aberrant tendencies which we do not want to replicate into future generations of retarded offspring. If you want the best you will need to begin with the best. I believe we will see this result in Thailand.

M

[boris]

I already see pedigrees for nepenthes. Just thinking of viking:

viking "red fire" (neofarm) x viking "blood red" (sunbelle) = viking "klom red" (neofarm)

[obregon562]

and who says this can only happy in Asia?

[rainforest]

It hasn't happened anywhere else. Thailand is starting afresh and we will see a lot of documentation and work in areas of species nomenclature and hybridizing. Since Thailand is a nursery community of creative breeders and propagators, I expect to find a lot of specific named clones and species to arise from this.
Domestic breeding efforts tended to be more exclusive/recluse and therefore drew a damper on further development. N. Miranda secrecy and sources for single cloned representatives of species provides little background and development for extending their presence in cultivation. One clone of this and one clone of that sends little information and new bloodline into making fascinating hybrids. We've already seen extended hybridizing on a particular species (N. sp. Viking) to such great extremities that all they need to do is expand their efforts to all other species. They could probably cover breeding combinations between so many varied species that they will probably have crossed every known species to each other and then more so in third and fourth generation breeding lines. Such is the ground work laid also previously by the orchid growers and see where they are today.

Nepenthes could follow suit in as rapid a pace as orchids and probably extend beyond it.

M

[nepnut]

Great article. As I'm typing this, many complex "Made in Thailand" hybrids being created by professional nuseries and hardcore enthusiasts. There will be some interesting hybrids with desirable traits from Thailand in the very near future.

[rainforest]

Already with advances of hybrids with just Viking alone has generated a high interest in this species as a breeder. I would love to see this warm grower and definite high candidate for monsoon climates in its genes, be crossed with highland and intermediate highland spcies such as lowii, Trusmadiensis, macrophylla or even with other lowland hybrids incorporating this hybrid swarm in its grex.

M

[nepnut]

A sneak preview of what's coming from Thailand in the very near future

N. viking x miranda -- A fine seed grown specimen


Another shot of the same pitcher


This plant belongs to a Thai nep seller which he refuse to let go...

[rainforest]

I'm amazed how beautiful so many Miranda hybrids are becoming. Soon we might see some fantastic ampullaria x Miranda, mirabilis x Miranda, and even truncata x Miranda crosses (if they haven't been already done). This is where registering them will be of great value. So many crosses and so many new names, we can try to prevent confusion if everyone recognizes a registry system where everyone participates and recognize.

This is a beautiful cross and I probably won't give it up either! Imagine how huge these will get when they get to mature sizes!

Michael

[nepnut]

This is the link xir007.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=4157 to the lastest nep competition in Thailand. Just this year alone they've already organized a few nep exhibitions/competitions, looks like the nep craze in Thailand is gaining momentum...

I feel Thai people have great potential to bring nep horticulture in Asia or perhaps the world to another level. IMHO, the main problem fellow Thais faced is the language barrier in English that restrict them to understand and educated themselves to follow the "procedure" to register many of their nep hybrids. By no means I meant all Thais have this language problem but I know some individuals with good understanding in English are working hard to resolve this matter now. This will take time and effort but I feel the Thais are heading towards a right path to show the world what they're capable of.

What the Thais need to overcome is how people around the world always like to regard various Thai nep hybrids as "funny" nep hybrids. With time, as people gained experince, fine tune the selective breeding process and properly register their hybrids, I feel sooner or later Thai hydrids will gain it's deserved recognition among nep horticulturist around the world.

Please know that I'm not a Thai and just trying to share through my personal view in regards to this matter. Thanks.

[rainforest]

I still believe that even if a language barrier exist, this should not be the reason for not reporting/registering their hybrids. Perhaps someone along the line can translate these registries in English for Thais to claim a stake in nepenthes breeding.

M

[jgriffin]

Michael, is the "domestic" Miranda clone commonly sold in the US infertile, as reported by many? It seems like the hybrids made with Miranda are coming from overseas.

Cheers,

Joe

[rainforest]

There are several Miranda clones on the market that I am aware of. There is a "new" Miranda clone seen in large garden nurseries that is different than what was being sold a year ago.
I have had several Miranda clones and one of them was even a female. They range from smaller very colorful pitchers to large robust pitchers with mottling and a red peristome to some that are darker more black and like a reverse color mottling.

M

[rsivertsen]

Both parents of this hybrid are also still around, N. maxima and N. x mixta superba, (which is very close in appearance to this plant), both plants also show up in various outlets now and then. - Rich

[rainforest]

After reviewing the destruction we're seeing with South East Asia with more and more development of the land, we will find fewer and fewer plant materials/species from which viable gene pools can be maintained.
While many of these species may appear to be drab/dull in comparison to their highland cousins, what we don't see in these losses are potential genetic material which may allow a highland species to be grown lower elevations by way of breeding to these. Some species may have adaptive qualities for making them viable breeders in a time when the global climate changes.
It is with great hope that some of the species will be preserved in the form of seedlings, cuttings and possible saved plants.

M

[mannyherrera]

Not all U.S. Mirandas are sterile. I know Sam has made crosses with it and I recently made my first: 'Horny Bitch' (splendiana x ventricosa) x Miranda.