Nepenthes alata Blanco

Terrestrial climber to 4 m tall. Climbing stems terete or rounded-triangular, 4-8 mm diam., internodes 1.5-4 cm long; axillary buds conical, 1-3 by 0.5-1 mm, acute. Leaves coriaceous to chartaceous, petiolate or sessile, blade narrowly elliptic or oblanceolate-spathulate; those of basal rosettes up to 13 by 3 cm, leaves of climbing stems 10.5-25 by 1.6-5.2 cm, apex acute, base either cuneate or with a distinct, winged petiole 2.5-5 by 0.3-1 cm, clasping the stem for 1/2 its circumference, not auriculate or sheathed, but very shortly decurrent by 2-3 mm. Longitudinal nerves 1 or 2 on each side of the midrib, close to the margin, usually obscure. Pennate nerves numerous, ascending at 45° from the midrib or patent, but always sinuous, not reaching the marginal nerves and usually obscure. Lower pitchers ± ellipsoid in the basal half, gradually becoming slightly constricted towards the subcylindrical upper half, 9-17 cm long, 2.8-3.5 cm wide in the lower half, 1.9-2.7 cm wide in the upper half, with two fringed wings 0.7-4 mm broad, fringed elements 2-7 mm long, 2-5 mm apart, mouth ovate, acuminate towards the lid, oblique, at 45° to the pitcher axis, straight; peristome flattened, 2-5 mm wide, with fine ribs 0.3-0.5 mm apart, 0.1 mm high, inner edge rarely dentate, the outer margin straight, not sinuate; lid (suborbicular-)elliptic(-ovate), (1.7-)2.2-3.8(-5.5) by (1.6-)2-3(-4) cm, apex rounded to retuse, base rounded (-subcordate), lower surface usually with a fin-like basal appendage 6-8 by 2-4 mm high, rarely absent, the apical appendage a low ridge 7-10 by 1-2.5 mm high or absent; nectar glands crater-like, dense, numerous, evenly spread, small, circular, c. 0.15 mm diam.; spur simple, 6-8 mm long. Upper pitchers as the lower, but slightly ventricose, or ellipsoid in the lower 1/3, then abruptly constricted and cylindrical in the upper 2/3, (7.5-)12.5-19.5 cm long, (2-)2.7-4.5 cm wide in the basal part, (1.7-)2-3 cm wide in the upper cylindrical part, with two ridges ± 1 mm wide, lacking fringed elements usually, but sometimes with teeth developed, 1-2 mm long near the peristome, the uppermost wings 4-6.5 mm long, projecting over the peristome. Male inflorescence a raceme 28-43 by 3-5 cm; peduncle 10-13 cm long, 2-3 mm diam. at the base; partial peduncles 1-flowered, rare-ly 2-flowered, bracts absent, pedicels 14-19(-27) mm long; tepals elliptic, 3-4.5 by 1.5-3 mm; androphore (3.5-)4-5 mm long; anther head 1.5-3 mm wide. Fruits with valves 18-28 by 2-3 mm. Seeds filiform, tuberculate at centre, 10-14 mm by 0.3 mm. Indumentum generally absent from stem, rarely yellow-brown tomentose; leaves with scattered long white hairs when young, soon glabrous; pitchers densely covered in a mixture of long, mostly unbranched coppery hairs up to 0.7 mm long and minute 4-or 5-armed white stellate hairs sometimes persisting in mature pitchers. Inflorescence thickly, rarely sparsely covered in appressed coppery ± unbranched hairs up to 0.5 mm long, sometimes persisting on young fruit valves, often mixed with small white stellate hairs c. 0.2 mm diam., and long white simple hairs. Colour of pitchers usually greenish, sometimes flushed, never splashed red, with contrasting dark purple peristome and mauve bloom to the inner pitcher wall. Inflorescence greenish yellow.

A tropical plant. In the Philippines it grows in Luzon and Bontoc. It suits hardiness zones 11-12.

They are grown from stem cuttings.