Nepenthes truncata

Nepenthes truncata
A pitcher of N. truncata found in northern Mindanao at an elevation of 230 m
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Nepenthaceae
Genus: Nepenthes
Species: N. truncata
Binomial name
Nepenthes truncata
Macfarl. (1911)[1]
Synonyms
  • Nepenthes megamphora
    Merr. & Quis in sched. (1915)

Nepenthes truncata (/nᵻˈpɛnθiːz trʌŋˈkɑːtə/; from Latin: truncatus = terminating abruptly) is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Philippines. It is known from the islands of Dinagat, Leyte, and Mindanao.[2] The species grows at an elevation of 0–1500 m above sea level.[3] Nepenthes truncata is characterised by its heart-shaped (truncate) leaves and very large pitchers, which can reach up to 40 cm in height.

Nepenthes robcantleyi was once considered a dark, highland form of this species.[4][5]

Carnivory

On September 29, 2006, at the Botanical Gardens in Lyon, France, a Nepenthes truncata was photographed containing the decomposing corpse of a mouse. This incident is the first record of a mammal being successfully trapped in the pitchers of N. truncata. Both N. rajah[6] and N. rafflesiana[7] are known to occasionally catch small mammals in the wild.

Natural hybrids

References

  1. ↑ Macfarlane, J.M. 1911. New species of Nepenthes. Contributions from the Botanical Laboratory of the University of Pennsylvania 3(3): 207–210. (plates I–II)
  2. ↑ McPherson, S.R. & V.B. Amoroso 2011. Field Guide to the Pitcher Plants of the Philippines. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole.
  3. 1 2 McPherson, S.R. 2009. Pitcher Plants of the Old World. 2 volumes. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole.
  4. ↑ Cheek, M. 2011. Nepenthes robcantleyi sp. nov. (Nepenthaceae) from Mindanao, Philippines. Nordic Journal of Botany 29(6): 677–681. doi:10.1111/j.1756-1051.2011.01449.x
  5. ↑ Mey, F.S. 2011. Nepenthes robcantleyi aka "Nepenthes black truncata". Strange Fruits: A Garden's Chronicle, December 27, 2011.
  6. ↑ Phillipps, A. 1988. "A second record of rats as prey in Nepenthes rajah." (PDF). (203 KiB) Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 17(2): 55.
  7. ↑ Moran, J.A. 1991. The role and mechanism of Nepenthes rafflesiana pitchers as insect traps in Brunei. Ph.D. thesis, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland.
  8. ↑ Mann, P. 1998. A trip to the Philippines. Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 27(1): 6–11.
  9. ↑ Kurata, S. & M. Toyoshima 1972. Philippine species of Nepenthes. The Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 26(1): 155–158. Abstract
  10. ↑ Cheek, M.R. & M.H.P. Jebb 2001. Nepenthaceae. Flora Malesiana 15: 1–157.

Further reading

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