International Carnivorous Plant Society
Professional services
UnclaimedA nonprofit international society supporting the study, cultivation, registration, and conservation of carnivorous plants.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The International Carnivorous Plant Society (ICPS) is a nonprofit organization devoted to carnivorous plants and the community surrounding them. Founded in 1972, it brings together researchers, growers, collectors, conservationists, and hobbyists interested in the biology, cultivation, taxonomy, and preservation of carnivorous plant species. Its scope is international rather than limited to one national flora or a single genus. A central institutional role of the ICPS is its function as the International Cultivar Registration Authority for carnivorous plants. In that capacity, the society helps document and register cultivated plant names and cultivars, providing a nomenclatural framework for plants propagated and exchanged in cultivation. This role is particularly relevant in a specialist field in which unusual forms, hybrids, and selected clones are widely circulated among growers and collections. The society also publishes the Carnivorous Plant Newsletter, a quarterly publication serving as an information channel for the specialist community. The newsletter covers subjects associated with carnivorous plant cultivation, observations, taxonomy, propagation, and conservation. Together with the society's broader educational activities, the publication supports the exchange of practical and scientific knowledge among members. Conservation is another important part of the ICPS's work. The society established the Nepenthes clipeata Survival Project to support ex situ conservation of Nepenthes clipeata, a highly threatened tropical pitcher plant from Borneo. Historical estimates cited by the society indicate that only a very small number of plants remained in the wild in the 1990s, while cultivation was represented by only a few genetically distinct legally collected lines. The project therefore focuses on maintaining viable cultivated material and reducing the risk that the species will disappear from collections or from nature. The ICPS also partially funded the establishment of The Rare Nepenthes Collection. That collection was created to conserve four particularly rare tropical pitcher plants: Nepenthes aristolochioides, Nepenthes clipeata, Nepenthes khasiana, and Nepenthes rigidifolia. These efforts illustrate the society's practical emphasis on ex situ conservation, specialist collections, and coordination among knowledgeable growers and institutions. The ICPS is best understood as a membership-based scientific and horticultural society rather than a commercial consumer brand. It does not appear to operate as a conventional product company, and publicly available reference material does not identify a parent corporation, listed securities, or commercial ownership structure. Its identity rests on specialist expertise, international networking, plant-name registration, publishing, and conservation initiatives. Membership figures reported in reference material placed the society at approximately 1,400 members in June 2011; no current membership total is established here.
History
The International Carnivorous Plant Society was established in 1972 as an international nonprofit society for people interested in carnivorous plants. Its remit encompasses both scientific and horticultural interests: the biology and taxonomy of carnivorous plants, cultivation and propagation, the exchange of specialist information, and the preservation of threatened species. The organization developed as a community institution for a field that includes researchers and conservationists as well as private growers and collectors. One of the society's most distinctive responsibilities is its position as the International Cultivar Registration Authority for carnivorous plants. Cultivar registration provides a formal mechanism for recording names used for selected cultivated plants and helps bring consistency to the naming of clones, hybrids, and other horticultural forms. This activity gives the ICPS a role extending beyond membership services, since accurate plant naming is important to collections, nurseries, growers, publications, and conservation programs. The society's quarterly Carnivorous Plant Newsletter has been a major means of communication within this specialist community. Through the publication and related society activities, information about cultivation methods, field observations, species identification, plant propagation, and conservation can be shared across national boundaries. The newsletter also helps connect the practical knowledge of growers with the interests of botanists and other researchers. Conservation became a particularly visible part of the ICPS's work through the Nepenthes clipeata Survival Project. Nepenthes clipeata is a rare tropical pitcher plant, and reference material has described it as one of the most endangered known tropical pitcher plants. Estimates cited for 1995 suggested that approximately 15 plants remained in the wild. The number of genetically distinct legally collected lines represented in cultivation was also believed to be very small. Against that background, the project was designed to facilitate ex situ conservation by helping maintain and expand secure cultivated populations. The ICPS additionally provided partial funding for the establishment of The Rare Nepenthes Collection. The collection's stated conservation focus includes four rare Nepenthes species: Nepenthes aristolochioides, Nepenthes clipeata, Nepenthes khasiana, and Nepenthes rigidifolia. Supporting such collections reflects an approach in which carefully maintained cultivated plants serve as a safeguard for threatened genetic material while complementary in situ conservation remains important. By June 2011, the society was reported to have around 1,400 members. That figure provides historical context for its reach but should not be treated as a current membership count. Public reference material does not establish a specific headquarters, founder, current officers, parent organization, or present-day membership total. The society's continuing public identity is instead associated with its international membership community, its publication, cultivar-registration role, and conservation projects.
- 2011
Membership reported at approximately 1,400
[1]Reference material reported that the society had around 1,400 members in June 2011.
- 1972
Society founded
[1]The International Carnivorous Plant Society was established as a nonprofit international organization serving the carnivorous-plant community.
Assumed international cultivar-registration role
[1]The ICPS became the International Cultivar Registration Authority for carnivorous plants, giving it responsibility for registering and documenting cultivated plant names in the field.
Nepenthes clipeata Survival Project established
[1]The society created the Nepenthes clipeata Survival Project to support ex situ conservation of one of the rarest tropical pitcher plants.
Rare Nepenthes conservation collection supported
[1]The ICPS partially funded the establishment of The Rare Nepenthes Collection, focused on four rare Nepenthes species.
Products and positioning
Nonprofit international scientific and horticultural society focused on carnivorous plant knowledge, cultivar registration, community education, and conservation.
Quarterly specialist publication
Carnivorous Plant Newsletter
The ICPS's quarterly publication serves the international carnivorous-plant community. It provides a channel for sharing material related to cultivation, propagation, taxonomy, species observations, horticultural forms, and conservation. The newsletter helps connect scientific and practical perspectives and supports communication among members, collectors, growers, and researchers.
Nomenclatural and registration service
Carnivorous plant cultivar registration
As the International Cultivar Registration Authority for carnivorous plants, the ICPS provides the specialist framework for recording cultivated plant cultivars and their names. The service supports consistent identification and documentation of selected clones, hybrids, and other horticultural forms used by growers, collections, nurseries, and the wider specialist community.
Marketing campaigns
- Nepenthes clipeata Survival Project
Global · Ex situ conservation
The ICPS established this project to facilitate ex situ conservation of Nepenthes clipeata, a critically rare tropical pitcher plant. The initiative responds to the species' extremely small historical wild population and the limited number of genetically distinct legally collected lines maintained in cultivation.
Outcome. The project created a dedicated framework for maintaining cultivated conservation material. A complete current outcome assessment is not established by the available reference material.
- The Rare Nepenthes Collection
Global · Ex situ conservation
The society partially funded the establishment of a collection intended to conserve four rare Nepenthes species: Nepenthes aristolochioides, Nepenthes clipeata, Nepenthes khasiana, and Nepenthes rigidifolia.
Outcome. The collection established a dedicated ex situ conservation resource for the named species. Detailed current collection results are not provided by the available source material.
Recent events
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