Nepenthes are herbaceous plants - most grow as vines climbing other vegetation by means of the curling tendril at the tip of the leaf. The pitchers, which are actually specially modified leaves, are formed at the tips of the tendrils and are often suspended elegantly. Other pitcher plants such as those found in North and South America (genera Sarracenia, Heliamphora and Darlingtonia) are not related to Nepenthes and produce their pitchers in an entirely different manner.

Though beautiful in form and colour, it is perhaps the carnivorous nature of Nepenthes which is the most fascinating aspect of these remarkable plants. The characteristic pitchers which make Nepenthes unique are superbly designed to lure, capture, kill, and digest their insect prey by means of a carefully designed trapping mechanism. Bright colors and the promise of nectar are an irresistible attractant for many insects. Those which crawl are guided up frilled wings towards the mouth. The pitcher lid, which is often endowed beneath with nectar glands, provides a convenient landing platform for flying insects. Nectar is also secreted beneath the inner peristome lip. This offering brings potential insect prey closer to the dangerous waxy zone, an area on the inside wall of the pitcher coated with minute loose waxy scales. This surface is particularly slippery for most insects, and those which venture onto it in search of more nectar often loose their foothold and fall into the fluid below.