Nepenthes alba is a tropical pitcher plant

Pitcher plant

Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants whose prey-trapping mechanism features a deep cavity filled with liquid known as a pitfall trap. It has been widely assumed that the various sorts of pitfall trap evolved from rolled leaves, with selection pressure favouring more deeply cupped leaves over...

 endemic to Peninsular Malaysia

Peninsular Malaysia

Peninsular Malaysia , also known as West Malaysia , is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula. Its area is . It shares a land border with Thailand in the north. To the south is the island of Singapore. Across the Strait of Malacca to the west lies the island of Sumatra...

. The specific epithet alba is derived from the Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 word albus, meaning "white", and refers to the colour of the upper pitchers.

Natural hybrids

In Nepenthes of Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia

Nepenthes of Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia

Nepenthes of Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia is a monograph by Charles Clarke on the tropical pitcher plants of Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, and their minor surrounding islands. It was published in 2001 by Natural History Publications...

, Charles Clarke

Charles Clarke (botanist)

Dr. Charles M. Clarke is a botanist and taxonomist specialising in the carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes. Clarke has an honours degree in Botany from Monash University in Melbourne, and a Ph.D. in Ecosystem Management at the University of New England, in Armidale, New South Wales.Clarke first...

 lists the natural hybrid N. gracillima

Nepenthes gracillima

Nepenthes gracillima is a highland Nepenthes pitcher plant species, native to Peninsular Malaysia.-Infraspecific taxa:*Nepenthes gracillima f. ramispina Hort.Westphal [=N. ramispina]...

× N. macfarlanei

Nepenthes macfarlanei

Nepenthes macfarlanei is a carnivorous pitcher plant species endemic to Peninsular Malaysia. It produces attractive red-speckled pitchers. Lower pitchers are ovoid to cylindrical and up to 20 cm high. The lower surface of the lid is densely covered with short, white hairs...

. At the time of the book's publication, N. alba was considered a heterotypic synonym of N. gracillima. Since then, however, N. alba has been elevated to a species. As both N. alba and N. gracillima occur on Mount Tahan

Mount Tahan

Mount Tahan , at 2,187 m, is the highest point in Peninsular Malaysia. It is located within the Taman Negara national forest, in the state of Pahang. The mountain is part of the Tahan Range and popular to local climbers....

, from which Clarke recorded the hybrid, it is unknown which taxon was involved in the cross.

External links

• Photographs of N. alba at the Carnivorous Plant Photofinder