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Series I - Seed Plants

Volume 15 - 2001

Nepenthaceae - Martin Cheek & Matthew Jebb

Published by the Nationaal Herbarium Nederland, Universiteit Leiden branch.

164 pp., 19 drawings

ISBN 90-71236-49-8

Paperback. Price: NLG 75.00 or EUR 34.00

Nepenthaceae, the Asian Pitcher Plant family, consists of a single genus, Nepenthes. It is restricted to SE Asia, apart from outliers in Madagascar, the Seychelles, Sri Lanka, India, Indochina, China, New Caledonia and Australia. Of the c. 87 species, 80 (83 including 3 nothospecies) are found in SE Asia. Within SE Asia, the main concentrations of species are Borneo (35 taxa) and Sumatra (32 taxa).

All the species, so far as is known, are carnivorous, that is, animal-eating. Usually insects, but on occasion larger animals such as birds or rats, are attracted, trapped, drowned and digested in the leaf pitchers. The pitchers vary enormously in shape, size and colour and provide the main means for identifying species. Many are brightly and beautifully coloured and unusually shaped. It is of no surprise that most of the species are in international commerce as curiously ornamental plants. Although many are propagated arti?cially, collection of plants from the wild still occurs. Since many species are narrowly endemic, often restricted to a single mountain, they are easily endangered by such activity. Several species are thought to be on the brink of extinction. All species are listed on CITES (The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species).

 Nepenthes lijntekening 200.JPG (19665 bytes)

Nepenthes are usually lianas of montane forest, particularly ridge-tops in the cloud zone. The most widespread species however, occur in lowland secondary forest, especially on sandy or swampy soils where the canopy is open. Several species are shrubs, either terrestrial or epiphytic. Some Nepenthes are restricted to metal-rich (e.g. ultrama?c) soils, whilst others are found only on limestone.

Flora Malesiana Series I, Volume 15 contains an up-to-date overview of this family, fully treating the Malesian species, of which many are illustrated by line drawings of habit and morphological details, often full-page. Regional keys, based largely on non-floral characters, are given for the identi?cation of species. For each species full references, synonymy, descriptions, ecology, distribution, notes on diagnostic characters and relationships with other species are presented. Species are arranged alphabetically and an index to scienti?c plant names is given.

The introductory part consists of chapters on distribution, fossils, habitat and ecology, reproductive biology, morphology and anatomy, pitcher function, cytotaxonomy, conservation, taxonomy, uses, collecting notes and spot characters.

This volume of Flora Malesiana is the only comprehensive treatment of this important rain forest family in Southeast Asia.

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Last modified april 07, 2003 by P. Hovenkamp