Nepenthes palawanensis
Encyclopedia
Nepenthes palawanensis is a tropical pitcher plant
endemic to Sultan Peak on the island of Palawan
in the Philippines
, where it grows at elevations of 1100–1236 m above sea level. It was discovered in February 2010 by Jehson Cervancia and Stewart McPherson
.
The species appears to be most closely related to N. attenboroughii
, which grows on nearby Mount Victoria
. Nepenthes palawanensis can be distinguished from N. attenboroughii by its pitchers, which are even larger, sometimes exceeding 35 cm in height, and with a capacity of 1.5–2 litres of water. (The largest pitchers remain those of N. rajah
.) Another difference from N. attenboroughii is that the pitchers of N. palawanensis are lined with orange to red hairs.
Nepenthes palawanensis was featured as number 4 on Chris Packham
's "top ten discoveries of extraordinary and weird new species from the last decade" on the BBC
programme Decade of Discovery, first broadcast on December 14, 2010.
McPherson's discovery of N. attenboroughii helped to obtain local protected status for the Mount Victoria range; following the discovery of N. palawanensis, he hopes to achieve a similar status for the Sultan range.
Nepenthes palawanensis forms natural hybrids with a taxon
resembling N. philippinensis
.
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 Sultan Peak on the island of Palawan
Palawan
Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region or Region 4. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. The islands of Palawan stretch from Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the...
in 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...
, where it grows at elevations of 1100–1236 m above sea level. It was discovered in February 2010 by Jehson Cervancia and Stewart McPherson
Stewart McPherson (geographer)
Stewart R. McPherson is a British geographer.He studied at the University of Durham in England, the University of Tübingen in Germany and Yale University in the United States....
.
The species appears to be most closely related to N. attenboroughii
Nepenthes attenboroughii
Nepenthes attenboroughii is a montane species of insectivorous pitcher plant of the genus Nepenthes. It is named after the celebrated broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough, who is a keen enthusiast of the genus. The species is characterised by its large and distinctive bell-shaped...
, which grows on nearby Mount Victoria
Mount Victoria, Palawan
Mount Victoria , or Victoria Peak, is a mountain in central Palawan, Philippines, that lies within the administrative Municipality of Narra...
. Nepenthes palawanensis can be distinguished from N. attenboroughii by its pitchers, which are even larger, sometimes exceeding 35 cm in height, and with a capacity of 1.5–2 litres of water. (The largest pitchers remain 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...
.) Another difference from N. attenboroughii is that the pitchers of N. palawanensis are lined with orange to red hairs.
Nepenthes palawanensis was featured as number 4 on Chris Packham
Chris Packham
Christopher George "Chris" Packham is an English naturalist, nature photographer, television presenter and author. He is the brother of fashion designer, Jenny Packham...
's "top ten discoveries of extraordinary and weird new species from the last decade" on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
programme Decade of Discovery, first broadcast on December 14, 2010.
McPherson's discovery of N. attenboroughii helped to obtain local protected status for the Mount Victoria range; following the discovery of N. palawanensis, he hopes to achieve a similar status for the Sultan range.
Nepenthes palawanensis forms natural hybrids with a taxon
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
resembling N. philippinensis
Nepenthes philippinensis
Nepenthes philippinensis is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Philippines. It is known from Palawan and the Calamian Islands , where it grows at 0–600 m above sea level....
.