Pitcher plants come in all sorts of colors and forms. They look pretty unique already … but those lidless ones? Oh, those lidless ones are on another level of strange and I like it! They are beautifully bizarre and appear heliamphora-esque. I enjoy the overall look of their simplified shapes. Back in 2019, I crossed S. flava var. rubricorpora – lidless and S. flava – lidless giant. That cross did not give me many seeds – only three. But even with a small seed set, I was glad to grow something from it. Truly fascinating to see characteristics from both parents, such as the red body and dark throat markings, be put on display on an unconventional pitcher form. Fun stuff for sure and I am excited to see these babies grow and evolve! 🌱

A few observations…

Clone I carries over some of the red body coloration from S. flava var. rubricorpora lidless and displays veined patterns on the interior hood column. The lidless hood column has subtle undulations and the peristome is slightly warped.

Clone II pitchers start off mostly red with pale yellow/cream undertones. The hood column is also undulated, but appears to be slightly wider than the other two. Column interior veins spread and darkens up as the pitcher develop. I like how the peristome stays bright as the colors shift.

Clone III develops a deep red body. The pitcher coloration and veins are complimented quite nicely with the bright yellow peristome. The undulating column appears to rise higher than its siblings with a slight arch over the pitcher opening.