Nepenthes merrilliana
Encyclopedia
Nepenthes merrilliana is a tropical pitcher plant
endemic to the Philippines
. It produces some of the largest pitchers in the genus
, rivalling those of N. rajah
.
The species is native to northern and central Mindanao
as well as neighbouring Dinagat Island
. Its presence in southern Mindanao is uncertain. It inhabits coastal forest areas on steep slopes at elevations of 0–1100 m above sea level.
Nepenthes merrilliana is closely related to N. surigaoensis
and was for a long time considered a heterotypic synonym of this species.
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 the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. It produces some of the largest pitchers in the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
, rivalling those of N. rajah
Nepenthes rajah
Nepenthes rajah is an insectivorous pitcher plant species of the Nepenthaceae family. It is endemic to Mount Kinabalu and neighbouring Mount Tambuyukon in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Nepenthes rajah grows exclusively on serpentine substrates, particularly in areas of seeping ground water where the...
.
The species is native to northern and central Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
as well as neighbouring Dinagat Island
Dinagat Island
' is a province in the Philippines, located on the south side of Leyte Gulf. Leyte is to its west, across Surigao Strait, and Mindanao is to its south...
. Its presence in southern Mindanao is uncertain. It inhabits coastal forest areas on steep slopes at elevations of 0–1100 m above sea level.
Nepenthes merrilliana is closely related to N. surigaoensis
Nepenthes surigaoensis
Nepenthes surigaoensis is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Philippine island of Mindanao, where it grows at elevations of at least 800–1200 m above sea level.The species is named after Surigao Peninsula, where the type specimen was collected...
and was for a long time considered a heterotypic synonym of this species.
Natural hybrids
- N. alataNepenthes alataNepenthes alata is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Philippines. It is found on all the major islands of the archipelago, with the possible exception of Palawan. It is one of the easiest and most popular Nepenthes species in cultivation....
× N. merrilliana [=N. × merrilliata] - ? (N. alataNepenthes alataNepenthes alata is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Philippines. It is found on all the major islands of the archipelago, with the possible exception of Palawan. It is one of the easiest and most popular Nepenthes species in cultivation....
× N. merrilliana) × N. mirabilisNepenthes mirabilisNepenthes mirabilis , or the Common Swamp Pitcher-Plant, is a tropical carnivorous plant species of the pitfall trap variety. It has by far the widest distribution of any Nepenthes species and is known from the following countries and regions: Borneo, Sumatra, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia,...
[=N. × tsangoya] - N. belliiNepenthes belliiNepenthes bellii is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Philippine islands of Mindanao and Dinagat, where it grows at elevations of 0–800 m above sea level.The specific epithet bellii honours American botanist Clyde Ritchie Bell....
× N. merrilliana - N. merrilliana × N. mindanaoensisNepenthes mindanaoensisNepenthes mindanaoensis is a species of pitcher plant endemic to coastal lateritic hills on Mindanao in the Philippines. It is very closely related to N. alata.-Natural hybrids:*N. alata × N. mindanaoensis...
- N. merrilliana × N. mirabilisNepenthes mirabilisNepenthes mirabilis , or the Common Swamp Pitcher-Plant, is a tropical carnivorous plant species of the pitfall trap variety. It has by far the widest distribution of any Nepenthes species and is known from the following countries and regions: Borneo, Sumatra, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia,...