- First described
- 2012
- Type
- individual clone lost then reacquired
Origin
Acquired from Mike King's collection [VERIFY] some years before 2012-05. Wild-collection origin is not documented in this thread. Mike's 2012 description says only "after a good year of recovery, it has acclimated well to our climate here in Northern California." The plant disappeared from the collection at some unspecified point when Mike loaned the mother out to a buddy for seed production; he reacquired a division "many years later" (post #21, 2024-02-19).
History
Mike's 2012 introduction post (post #1, 2012-05-06) frames the plant as medium-slow but successfully acclimated outdoors. By July 2012 he reported it was "not as slow growing as I thought it would be...somewhere in between" — and catching abundant insects despite the missing lid.
European grower nico identified other lidless flava lines in cultivation (post #4) — including a Mike King F25C-pedigree stand of Italian-grown lidless plants and a French-grower-grown lidless rugelii. This thread effectively documents one specific individual (the MK plant in Mike Wang's collection) within a broader and well-known "lidless" phenotypic category.
Lost some years post-2013 [VERIFY year]; reacquired as a division per 2024-02 update. The 2024-07 follow-up shows two distinct lidless clones side-by-side, one of which is the reacquired MK clone (post #22).
Standout traits
- No lid. The pitcher's hood/lid never forms — exposes the throat to direct rain.
- Insect catch is high regardless — Mike notes flush spring traps catching prolifically.
- Phenotype divides growers — Mike: "you either love or hate these things or if you're MW, I'm neutral about em!" This is recurring Mike-tonality on novelty/curiosity clones.
Cultivation notes
Outdoor Northern California, no special protection mentioned. The lid absence in this clone has not (per this thread) been linked to rot or trap-collapse problems — a fact Mike & bogman discuss as a real concern for some hybrids (post #14: "we actually try to breed lid cover into some of our hybrids to keep rain out").
Photos
See photos[] frontmatter — Mike posted 2012-05, 2012-07, 2023-08, and
2024-07 photo sets to this thread.
Standout traits
- Lidless trap morphology — hood/lid never forms
- Medium-slow grower per Mike, but not as slow as initially feared
- Catches a lot of insects despite no lid (flush spring traps)
- Mike's stance: 'neutral' — 'you either love or hate these things'
Cultivation
Outdoor Northern California cultivation. Plant was lost when loaned out to a friend for seed production; later reacquired as a division many years later (per 2024 update). 2024 update mentions two different lidless clones in the collection — the original MK-source and a second one not photographically distinguished in the thread.
Photos (4)
Naming
Phenotypic descriptor — pitchers do not develop a normal lid/hood. Mike reports having seen ~10 different lidless clones in cultivation over the years (per discussion with European grower nico).