STORY BEHIND THE ART OF ELAINE GOLDSTONE

22nd Annual International

American Society of Botanical Artists at Marin Art & Garden Center

Nepenthes 1

Nepenthes sp.

The world of amazing carnivorous plants was introduced to me on a recent visit to Sebastopol, California, during a sketching field trip to a large retail greenhouse, “California Carnivores.” I was amazed at the variety of carnivorous plants as well as their magical beauty of color and shape. They have adapted so well to their challenging environments with very little soil or nutrients coming to their root structure.

I could not get them out of my head, so all I could think about was how to raise some at home. I headed to another nursery in Half Moon Bay (Predatory Plants) and selected my first specimen to paint. This plant has continued to thrive on my kitchen table and many new varieties have now joined it.

I plan to continue to focus on the different genus and species of the carnivorous plant world in upcoming works. Including the “UC Berkeley Rare and Endangered exhibit” opening in early 2020.

There are several genuses of American pitcher plants (Sarracenia) that are native to California and the United States.

Nepenthes is a genus of carnivorous plants also known as tropical pitcher plants, in the monotypic family Nepenthaceae. The genus comprises about 170 species, and numerous natural and many cultivated hybrids. Nepenthes range from South China, Indonesia and Malaysia and the Philippines; westward to Madagascar and the Seychelles; southward to Australia and New Caledonia; and northward to India and Sri Lanka. The greatest diversity occurs on Borneo, Sumatra, and the Philippines, with many endemic species. Many are plants of hot, humid, lowland areas, but the majority are tropical mountain plants, receiving warm days but cool to cold, humid nights year round. A few are considered tropical alpine, with cool days and nights near freezing. The name "monkey cups" refers to the fact that monkeys have been observed drinking rainwater from these plants.

Nepenthes species usually consist of a shallow root system and a prostrate or climbing stem. From the stems arise alternate, sword-shaped leaves with entire leaf margins. An extension of the midrib (the tendril), which in some species aids in climbing, protrudes from the tip of the leaf; at the end of the tendril the pitcher forms. The pitcher starts as a small bud, as seen in my painting near the top of the plant, and gradually expands to form a globe or tube-shaped trap. The shapes are evocative of a champagne flute or, some say, condom.

The trap contains a fluid of the plant's own production, which may be watery or syrupy, and is used to drown its prey. The trapping efficiency of this fluid remains high, even when significantly diluted by water, as inevitably happens in wet conditions.

The lower part of the trap contains glands that absorb nutrients from captured prey. Along the upper inside part of the trap is a slick, waxy coating which makes the escape of its prey nearly impossible. Surrounding the entrance to the trap is a structure called the peristome (the "lip"), which is slippery and often quite colorful, attracting prey, but offering an unsure footing.

Nepenthes species usually produce two types of pitchers, known as leaf dimorphism. Appearing near the base of the plant are the large, lower traps, which typically sit on the ground. The upper or aerial pitchers are usually smaller, colored differently, and possess different features from the lower pitchers. These upper pitchers usually form as the plant reaches maturity and the plant grows taller. To keep the plant steady, the upper pitchers often form a loop in the tendril, allowing it to wrap around nearby support. In some species (e.g. N. rafflesiana) different prey may be attracted by the two types of pitchers. This varied morphology also often makes identification of species difficult.

Prey usually consists of insects, but the largest species may occasionally catch small vertebrates, such as rats and lizards. Records of cultivated plants trapping small birds have been made.

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