photo taken:  10 / 05

Nepenthes spectabilis X bicalcarata is hybrid between the highlander N. spectabilis and the famous lowlander N. bicalcarata. I tried this plant last year and I killed it! I tried growing it outdoors and it stressed really bad. It never really seemed to recover from the repotting after I bought the plant. I decided to give this hybrid one more chance because I really do like N. bicalcarata hybrids and there isn't too many of them around. They're pretty much limited to Exotica Plants. I've been growing it outdoors with limited success for several months. The leaves are more like N. spectabilis and appear waxier and thicker. But after many months outdoors and going through cold temperatures I decided to move it indoors and grow it as a windowsill plant. These are the first pitchers produced outdoors this summer. The shape of the small pitchers resemble N. bicalcarata with the striping of N. spectabilis. It seems the N. bicalcarata influence of higher temperatures surpasses that of the highlander influence of N. spectabilis for this specimen. I should have no problems growing this as a windowsill plant until it gets too large for the sill. I would treat this hybrid as a lowlander to an intermediate. 

Cultivation: probably easy as a lowlander to intermediate; should be alright as an indoor plant
Market availability: size 3; limited at this time
Species variability: maybe some variation among the seed grown plants
$ / size: moderate $30.00 and up
Cuttings: none available for trade
Sex: unknown