October 2022. The whole plant is less dull than it was when I received it in September, so my hopes are high for the future pitchers, because they will benefit from my lighting during their growth. Interestingly, the outer indumentum is hirsute, while the inner one is strigose – with short, stiff adpressed hairs, all pointing towards the bottom of the pitchers. It probably helps with catching prey, and it gives a more aggressive, more "carnivorous-looking" aspect to this plant compared to the other Heliamphora.
To some extent, pubescent Heliamphora are like toothy Nepenthes – a kind of holy grail. To my eyes, Wistuba’s clone 3 of Heliamphora minor var. pilosa boasts the best color of all clones to date, and with that very pronounced indumentum, the overall look is striking.
- Origin: Auyán Massif, Venezuela ; Wistuba’s clone 3
- Environment: terrarium placed close to a south-facing, blinded window
- Temperature: from 10°C at night to 25°C during the day in the coldest months ; from 15°C to 32°C in the warmest months
- Light: two 4000K 12W LED bars with reflector, located 50 cm above the plant, alight 12 hours a day ; occasional shaded sunlight in the morning from October to April
- Soil: kanuma, live green sphagnum moss topping, in a planter made of compacted tree fern roots
- Watering: daily mistings of demineralized water on the sphagnum moss
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