Species library › Nepenthes › Nepenthes vieillardii
Carnivorous Little published: much of this is inferred from related species

Nepenthes vieillardii

New Caledonia's only pitcher plant, and the easternmost Nepenthes in the world. It grows in shrublands and forest edges across the island, mostly in the lowlands and hills, and varies with the soil it grows on. It is a lowland-to-intermediate plant that wants bright light, warm days, somewhat cooler nights and a subtropical rhythm, not the constant heat of equatorial lowland species.

At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

It grows in shrubland and forest to about 900 m, according to the literature. Much of New Caledonia's shrubland is open scrub on nutrient-poor ultramafic soils, and plants scramble through low vegetation in bright light. Studies of its populations link variation in the species to differences in soil chemistry. The pitchers host the larvae of a specialised mosquito, Tripteroides caledonicus.

The 67 records with an elevation span 5–1400 m, median 292 m. That is higher than the roughly 900 m ceiling given in the literature, but most plants grow in the lowlands and hills.

New Caledonia

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app.