Nepenthes smilesii
An Indochinese pitcher plant of open, sandy savanna and grassland, with long, narrow, leathery leaves and climbing stems to about 5 m. It is one of the fire- and drought-adapted Indochinese Nepenthes, and it sees unusually cool dry-season nights for the genus. For much of the 20th century it was called N. anamensis, and plants in horticulture were often labelled N. thorelii.
Where it grows wild
It grows in open sandy savanna, grassland and scrub, often on roadsides and other open ground, where it scrambles through grass and low shrubs in full sun. It endures a long dry season, and like its relatives it can die back above ground and resprout.
Recorded from about 16 m to 1500 m, most often around 800 m. The measured sites are weighted towards highland records (Phu Kradung at about 1270 m and the Da Lat plateau at 1300–1550 m).
🔒 Growing it like that
The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:
Grow Nepenthes smilesii? Add it to a free garden and its full profile opens. Pro opens all 38,374 profiles in the library, plants and fungi.
More Nepenthes
Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY 3.0 licence, unmodified.