We all know plants around us looks beautiful and harmless. They take in sunlight to produce energy and they drink from their roots. Well, let’s say there are also carnivorous plants that have digestive liquid and carnivorous literally means meat eaters. Don’t panic, they are the pitcher plant who catch and eat insect.
They are protected species, and if you have chance to come across a pitcher plant garden, don’t hesitate and amaze yourself with these amazing plants. This is our visit to the Pitcher Plant Garden in Kuching City.
Below is the video on our trip to the Pitcher Plant Garden.
Pitcher Plant Garden – Kuching
Also Known as : Padawan Pitcher Plant Garden, Padawan Pitcher Plant & Wild Orchid Centre.
Owner: Padawan Municipal Council
The Pitcher Plant Garden door front signage
The Pitcher Plant Garden in Kuching is the best place to look for wide collection of different variety of pitcher plant if you not plan to find natural growing plant in the rainforest.
When the light is right, the pitcher plant can be pretty.
Opening hours:
- Tuesday to Friday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Saturday/Sunday/P.Holiday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Monday : Closed
Location: Kota Padawan, Kuching, Sarawak (16 Kilometers from Kuching City)
It is easily located beside the Kota Padawan Roundabout, which is a landmark featuring a huge concrete statue of two hornbil , pitcher plant and rafflesia flower. It is near to the 10th Mile Bazaar.
You can reach here easily with bus, e-hailing, taxi or personal transport. There is enough parking space here.
The Pitcher Plant Garden is located beside the Padawan roundabout which is famous with statue of two hornbil and pitcher plant.
At the entrance to the Pitcher Plant Garden Carpark is a huge concrete sculpture of pitcher plant.
It is also located strategically on the Puncak Borneo Road which also leads to other tourism spot like Semenggoh Wildlife Center, Bengoh Dam, Annah Rais Longhouse, and Borneo Highlands Resort.
Address: Padawan, Sarawak, 93250 Kuching
Latitude : 1.4248007123520365
Longitude : 110.32666182104363
Open map with : [Waze] [Google Map] [Bing Map] [HERE Map]
Tel: (+6) 082-615 566
Tickets:
- Malaysian : RM 3.00
- Non-Malaysian : RM 6.00
Huge signage beside the entrance.
The Pitcher Plant Garden is now host to 55 species/subspecies of Pitcher plants (also known as Nepenthes) from all over the island of Borneo ranging from the largest, N.rafflesiana which has the ability to store a liter of fluid and to the tiniest, N.gracilis. There is a plan to exhibit Pitcher plants from other Asean Region and from our own highland species in the near future.
Other than Pitcher plants, there are small collection of wild orchids and other rare and exotic wild plants found in Padawan itself.
Pitcher plants are protected species in Sarawak. Any person caught damaging/stealing or involved in any actions to cause harm/damage to the plants in the garden shall be imposed with a fine of Ringgit Malaysia Five Hundred (RM 500.00)
More information is available at the Sarawak Tourism website : https://sarawaktourism.com/attraction/padawan-pitcher-plant-wild-orchid-garden/
Decorative pots and decoration welcomes you to the Pitcher Plant Garden.
Things to prepare and bring when visiting the Pitcher Plant Garden
- Long Sleeve shirt and Long pants
- Good non slippery shoewear
- Mosquito repellent
- Photography equipment or phone camera
The Pitcher Plant Garden is known locally for the notorious amount of mosquitoes.
The garden is design in such a way to optimize the growth of natural Pitcher Plants, huge Ferns, wild Orchids and many other plants that can be found in native rain forest. Hence there are lots of tall tress, thick foliage and water features around the garden.
The garden environment is always kept moist, but also a favorite breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Hence Long sleeve with mosquito repellent is very much recommended if available.
The walking path in the garden.
Thick foliage in the Pitcher Plant Garden.
There are many different plants available in the garden. If you love nature, you can take your time study them.
Different type of plants and ferns.
Artificial water fall feature with decorative bridge in the garden.
Nepenthes In Pitcher Plant Garden
Nepenthes species are also known as tropical pitcher plants or monkey cups. How many Pitcher Plants are there on display in the garden , you may ask ? Below are some of the plants available in the garden. It may not be a permanent list as plants may update from time to time.
- N.ampullaria
- N.alata
- N.albomarginata
- N.belli
- N.bicalcarata
- N.coccinea
- N.echinostoma
- N.gracilis
- N.hirsuta
- N.mirabilis
- N.reinwardtiana
- N.rafflesiana
- N.rafflesiana X N.ampullaria
- N.mirabilis X N.ampullaria
- N.bicalcarata X N.gracilis
- N.rafflesiana X N.mirabilis
- N.albomarginata X N.mirabilis
Pitcher Plant also known as Monkey Cup.
A pitcher plant can have their pitcher looks like a a water container or jug with a spout.
The wild Nepenthes is commonly found South East Asia with the greatest biodiversity found in Borneo rain forest. Hence to best place to find wide range of tropical pitcher plant is actually to come to its common grounds in Borneo Island. This is why the Pitcher Plant Garden is chosen to be set up in Kuching as a official permanent display of wide variety of tropical pitcher plants.
Not only wild Nepenthes species can found here, there are also hybrid and cultivars available. Take your time enjoy the view of diffrent type of Nepenthes here.
Pitcher plant with wandering ant at the edge of the opening.
Pitcher plant comes with pitcher of different shape and sizes , some are round while some have very elongated body. Some have wide opening while some are narrow. These pitfall traps are very unique depending of variants and they grow at the end of each leaves.
Some of the pitcher plant is fat looking.
Pitcher plant hanging beside the support.
Some pitcher plant are reddish brown in color.
Pitcher plant with pitfall traps that most of the time open for insects to go in.
Finding these pitcher plants may need allot of careful observation. To mimic its natural habitat, most pitcher plant is place randomly at the shaded area around the garden. You need to look for them as they might hide in the shadows, behind plants, around surrounding ferns and foliage.
Most of the pitcher plant noted near the ground.
Pitcher plant near the ground.
Pitcher plant usually have group of pitchers around the main plant.
Other than Pitcher plants, there are many other plants like ferns and orchids around the garden. It is a good place to study plant types here. It is also a good opportunity to learn how to shoot macro photography here. For those who don’t have any specific plans, it will be a good walk in the park surrounded by greeneries.
Other fern and plants around the garden.
Other fern and plants around the garden.
Huge ferns are available here.
Wild orchids.
Wild orchids.
Wild orchids.
If you are tired of walking, there are rest stops around the garden.
After a morning walk in the Pitcher Plant Garden, we will feel that this spot is good for plant lovers to enjoy the rainforest like greeneries in Kuching city, or anyone interested in learning about broad biodiversity of Pitcher plants in island of Borneo, or anyone who wish to have opportunity for plant macro photography.
However the “army of mosquitoes” following where ever you walk may put down some people who comes to the garden. This garden do not have luxury garden feel as they optimize the environment for the growth of the plants which usually been found in a rainforest.
