- Collector
- Bob Hanrahan
- First described
- 2012
- Type
- single clone locality
Origin
Mike acquired this clone from California Carnivores in the late 1990s, when Marilee Maerts was still a co-owner. Years later, while visiting the late Bob Hanrahan's property, Mike noticed the same plant growing there and now presumes Hanrahan as the original source (post #3, 2020). The wild origin locality is not stated; Mike's hypothesis is that the site is now developed (post #1, 2012).
History
- Late 1990s [VERIFY]: Mike acquires from California Carnivores.
- 2012-08-05 (post #1): Mike posts the clone, calling it an exception to the rule that ssp. wherryi is "plain and boring" in the wild. Suggests possible distant alata genetics; flowers remain pure dark red.
- Pre-2020: near-death event — "almost lost this clone a few years ago" (post #3, 2020). Cause unspecified.
- 2020-09-01 (post #3): recovered. Mike posts the Hanrahan property attribution.
- 2021-07-13 (post #4): Mike highlights the dual-flush habit (spring/summer + fall) that makes the clone valuable even in short-season climates.
- 2022 → 2024 annual updates with continued strong growth.
- 2024-11-01 (post #9): reddish splotch documented, compared to alabamensis ICPS AL0002.
Standout traits
- Vigour — almost 2' tall, exceptional for the subspecies.
- Bronze tinge to mature pitchers.
- Dual flush — strong spring/summer set + strong fall set.
- Splotchy red phenotype under fall conditions.
- Pure dark red flowers — visually no recent-hybridization signal despite Mike's distant-alata speculation.
Cultivation notes
A robust clone once established. Both spring and fall trap flushes make it productive across the season; growers cut off by early frost still get the spring/summer display. Mike's (unspecified) near-loss event is the only cautionary note in the thread.
Photos
20 Mike-Wang photos spanning 2012 → 2024-11.
Standout traits
- Reaches almost 2' tall — exceptional vigor for ssp. wherryi
- Bronze tinge to the pitchers
- Dark red flowers — no obvious sign of recent hybridization
- Both spring/summer AND strong fall pitcher flushes — Mike (post #4): 'just think of it like a flava'
- Possible distant alata genetic introgression (Mike's speculation, post #1)
- Can produce a reddish splotch — comparable to alabamensis ICPS AL0002 (Mike, post #9, 2024)
Cultivation
Mike "almost lost this clone a few years ago" (post #3, 2020) — the thread doesn't elaborate on cause, and the plant was rebuilt from a surviving division. Now growing strong again with both spring and fall trap flushes.
For growers in short-season climates: this clone is worth growing even if early frosts truncate the fall display, because the spring and summer pitchers carry the show alone (Mike's 2021 emphasis, post #4).
Photos (19)
Naming
Mike's informal "best of the wherryis" label. Pure-form ssp. wherryi is, in Mike's words, "plain and boring" in the wild; this individual stands out enough that he applied the label. Per the cultivar-group caveats in the synthesis recipe, "best clone" is an *informal Mike label*, not a formal cultivar name.