Marcgravia nepenthoides is a climbing epiphyte native to the humid rainforests of Costa Rica and Panama, where it ascends tree trunks and rocky surfaces in shaded, high-humidity understory environments. In its juvenile form it produces small, rounded to ovate leaves that shingle tightly and flat against the climbing surface. The species name references the unusual nectary-bearing bracts of mature adult growth, which resemble the pitchers of Nepenthes.