Nepenthes x alisaputrana
Encyclopedia
Nepenthes × alisaputrana (icon preferably, or ə, after Datuk Lamri Ali
), or the Leopard Pitcher-Plant, is a hybrid of two well-known Nepenthes
pitcher plant
species: N. burbidgeae
and N. rajah
. The plant is confined to Mount Kinabalu
in Sabah
, Borneo
.
Nepenthes × alisaputrana was described in 1992 by J. H. Adam
and C. C. Wilcock
and is named in honour of Datuk Lamri Ali
, a former Director of Sabah Parks
. It is only known from a few remote localities within Kinabalu National Park
, where it grows in stunted, open vegetation over serpentine soils at around 2000 m above sea level, often amongst populations of N. burbidgeae. It grows alongside both parent species on Pig Hill
, where it is found at 1930–1950 m.
This plant is notable for combining the best characters of both parent species, not least the size of its pitchers, which rival those of N. rajah in volume (≤35 cm high, ≤20 cm wide). The other hybrids involving N. rajah do not exhibit such impressive proportions. The pitchers of N. × alisaputrana can be distinguished from those of N. burbidgeae by a broader peristome, larger lid and simply by their sheer size. The hybrid differs from its other parent, N. rajah, by its lid structure, indumentum of short, brown hairs, narrower and more cylindrical peristome, and pitcher colour, which is usually yellow-green with red or brown flecking. For this reason, Anthea Phillipps
and Anthony Lamb
gave it the common name "Leopard Pitcher-Plant". The peristome is green to dark red and striped with purple bands. Leaves are often slightly peltate. The hybrid is a strong climber and frequently produces upper pitchers.
Nepenthes × alisaputrana more closely resembles N. rajah than N. burbidgeae, but it is difficult to confuse this plant with either. However, this mistake has previously been made on at least one occasion; a pitcher illustrated in Adrian Slack
's Insect-Eating Plants and How to Grow Them as being N. rajah is in fact N. burbidgeae × N. rajah.
In 2002, phytochemical screening
and analytical chromatography were used to study the presence of phenolic compounds and leucoanthocyanins in N. × alisaputrana and its putative parent species. The research was based on leaf material from nine dry herbarium specimens. Eight spots containing phenolic acid
s, flavonols, flavones, leucoanthocyanins and 'unknown flavonoid
' 1 and 3 were identified from chromatographic profiles. The distributions of these in the hybrid N. × alisaputrana and its putative parental species N. burbidgeae and N. rajah are shown in the table to the left. A specimen of N. × alisaputrana grown from tissue culture
(in vitro
) was also tested.
Luteolin
, cyanidin
and 'Unknown Flavonoid 3' were undetected in N. burbidgeae, while concentrations of 'Unknown Flavonoid 1' were found to be weak. Chromatographic patterns of the N. × alisaputrana samples studied showed complementation of its putative parental species.
Myricetin
was found to be absent from all studied taxa. This agrees with the findings of previous authors and suggests that the absence of a widely distributed compound like myricetin among the Nepenthes examined might provide additional diagnostic information for these taxa
.
Datuk Lamri Ali
Datuk Lamri Ali is a former Director of Sabah Parks. At the December 1999 World Conservation Union 's regional meeting staged in Pakse, Laos, Ali was awarded the Fred M. Packard WCPA-IUCN award. The award recognises his contribution to nature conservation and protected area movement in Malaysia...
), or the Leopard Pitcher-Plant, is a hybrid of two well-known Nepenthes
Nepenthes
The Nepenthes , popularly known as tropical pitcher plants or monkey cups, are a genus of carnivorous plants in the monotypic family Nepenthaceae. The genus comprises roughly 130 species, numerous natural and many cultivated hybrids...
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...
species: N. burbidgeae
Nepenthes burbidgeae
Nepenthes burbidgeae , also known as the painted pitcher plant or Burbidge's Pitcher-Plant, is a tropical pitcher plant with a patchy distribution around Mount Kinabalu and neighbouring Mount Tambuyukon in Sabah, Borneo.-Botanical history:...
and 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 plant is confined to Mount Kinabalu
Mount Kinabalu
Mount Kinabalu is a prominent mountain on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It is located in the East Malaysian state of Sabah and is protected as Kinabalu National Park, a World Heritage Site. Kinabalu is the tallest peak in Borneo's Crocker Range and is the tallest mountain in the Malay...
in Sabah
Sabah
Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...
, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
.
J. H. Adam
Jumaat Haji Adam is a botanist and taxonomist specialising in the carnivorous pitcher plant genus Nepenthes.Adam has described numerous Nepenthes taxa, mostly with C. C. Wilcock, including the species N. faizaliana and N. mapuluensis, as well as the natural hybrids N. × alisaputrana, N. ×...
and C. C. Wilcock
C. C. Wilcock
Christopher C. Wilcock is a taxonomist specialising in the carnivorous pitcher plant genus Nepenthes.Together with J. H. Adam, Wilcock has described several Nepenthes taxa, including the species N. faizaliana and N. mapuluensis, as well as the natural hybrids N. × alisaputrana and N. ×...
and is named in honour of Datuk Lamri Ali
Datuk Lamri Ali
Datuk Lamri Ali is a former Director of Sabah Parks. At the December 1999 World Conservation Union 's regional meeting staged in Pakse, Laos, Ali was awarded the Fred M. Packard WCPA-IUCN award. The award recognises his contribution to nature conservation and protected area movement in Malaysia...
, a former Director of Sabah Parks
Sabah Parks
Sabah Parks is a conservation-based statutory body established in 1962 with the purpose of conserving the scenic, scientific and historic heritage of the state of Sabah, Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. The organisation is also responsible for the management and promotion of the various protected...
. It is only known from a few remote localities within Kinabalu National Park
Kinabalu National Park
Kinabalu National Park or Taman Negara Kinabalu in Malay, established as one of the first national parks of Malaysia in 1964, is Malaysia's first World Heritage Site designated by UNESCO in December 2000 for its "outstanding universal values" and the role as one of the most important biological...
, where it grows in stunted, open vegetation over serpentine soils at around 2000 m above sea level, often amongst populations of N. burbidgeae. It grows alongside both parent species on Pig Hill
Pig Hill (Mount Kinabalu)
Pig Hill is an ultramafic area situated at approximately 2000 m above sea level on the southeastern side of Mount Kinabalu in Kinabalu National Park, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. It is located to the east of Mesilau, some 4 hours' walk from the Mesilau Nature Resort...
, where it is found at 1930–1950 m.
This plant is notable for combining the best characters of both parent species, not least the size of its pitchers, which rival those of N. rajah in volume (≤35 cm high, ≤20 cm wide). The other hybrids involving N. rajah do not exhibit such impressive proportions. The pitchers of N. × alisaputrana can be distinguished from those of N. burbidgeae by a broader peristome, larger lid and simply by their sheer size. The hybrid differs from its other parent, N. rajah, by its lid structure, indumentum of short, brown hairs, narrower and more cylindrical peristome, and pitcher colour, which is usually yellow-green with red or brown flecking. For this reason, Anthea Phillipps
Anthea Phillipps
Anthea Phillipps B.Sc. is a British botanist. Phillipps was brought up in Sabah, Borneo as a child . She received a Botany degree from the University of Durham, England. She worked at the Sabah Museum before joining the Sabah Parks service from 1980 to 1987 as Park Ecologist, where she studied...
and Anthony Lamb
Anthony Lamb
Anthony L. Lamb M.A., Dip. Ag., D.T.A. is a British botanist, born in Sri Lanka, and specialising in the flora of Borneo. Lamb was educated at Blundell's School in Tiverton and at St John's College at Cambridge...
gave it the common name "Leopard Pitcher-Plant". The peristome is green to dark red and striped with purple bands. Leaves are often slightly peltate. The hybrid is a strong climber and frequently produces upper pitchers.
Nepenthes × alisaputrana more closely resembles N. rajah than N. burbidgeae, but it is difficult to confuse this plant with either. However, this mistake has previously been made on at least one occasion; a pitcher illustrated in Adrian Slack
Adrian Slack
Adrian Slack is an author and authority on carnivorous plants. He is the author of two books: Carnivorous Plants and Insect-Eating Plants and How to Grow Them ....
's Insect-Eating Plants and How to Grow Them as being N. rajah is in fact N. burbidgeae × N. rajah.
| Distribution of phenolic compounds and leucoanthocyanins in N. burbidgeae, N. rajah, and N. × alisaputrana |
|||||||||
| Taxon | Specimen | ||||||||
| N. burbidgeae Nepenthes burbidgeae Nepenthes burbidgeae , also known as the painted pitcher plant or Burbidge's Pitcher-Plant, is a tropical pitcher plant with a patchy distribution around Mount Kinabalu and neighbouring Mount Tambuyukon in Sabah, Borneo.-Botanical history:... |
Jumaat 2484 | ||||||||
| 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... |
Jumaat 2443 | ||||||||
| N. × alisaputrana | Jumaat 2442 | ||||||||
| N. × alisaputrana (in vitro In vitro In vitro refers to studies in experimental biology that are conducted using components of an organism that have been isolated from their usual biological context in order to permit a more detailed or more convenient analysis than can be done with whole organisms. Colloquially, these experiments... ) |
|||||||||
| Key: 1: Phenolic acid Phenolic acid Phenolic acids are a type of organic compounds. Included in that class are substances containing a phenolic ring and an organic carboxylic acid function .... , 2: Ellagic acid Ellagic acid Ellagic acid is a natural phenol antioxidant found in numerous fruits and vegetables including blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, cranberries, walnuts, pecans, pomegranates, wolfberry and other plant foods... , 3: Quercetin Quercetin Quercetin , a flavonol, is a plant-derived flavonoid found in fruits, vegetables, leaves and grains. It also may be used as an ingredient in supplements, beverages or foods.-Occurrence:... , 4: Kaempferol Kaempferol Kaempferol is a natural flavonol, a type of flavonoid, that has been isolated from tea, broccoli, Delphinium, Witch-hazel, grapefruit,cabbage, kale, beans, endive, leek, tomato, strawberries, grapes, brussels sprouts, apples and other plant sources. Kaempferol is a yellow crystalline solid with a... , 5: Luteolin Luteolin Luteolin is a yellow crystalline compound. It is a flavonoid; to be specific, it is one of the more common flavones. From preliminary research, it is thought to play a role in the human body possibly as an antioxidant, a free radical scavenger, a promoter of carbohydrate metabolism, or an immune... , 6: 'Unknown Flavonoid Flavonoid Flavonoids , are a class of plant secondary metabolites.... 1', 7: 'Unknown Flavonoid 3', 8: Cyanidin Cyanidin Cyanidin is a natural organic compound. It is a particular type of anthocyanidin . It is a pigment found in many red berries including but not limited to grapes, bilberry, blackberry, blueberry, cherry, cranberry, elderberry, hawthorn, loganberry, acai berry and raspberry... ±: very weak spot, +: weak spot, ++: strong spot, 3+: very strong spot, -: absent |
|||||||||
In 2002, phytochemical screening
Phytochemical
Phytochemicals are biologically active chemical compounds that occur naturally in plants . Phytochemicals are the molecules responsible for the color and organoleptic properties . For example, the deep purple color of blueberries and the smell of garlic...
and analytical chromatography were used to study the presence of phenolic compounds and leucoanthocyanins in N. × alisaputrana and its putative parent species. The research was based on leaf material from nine dry herbarium specimens. Eight spots containing phenolic acid
Phenolic acid
Phenolic acids are a type of organic compounds. Included in that class are substances containing a phenolic ring and an organic carboxylic acid function ....
s, flavonols, flavones, leucoanthocyanins and 'unknown flavonoid
Flavonoid
Flavonoids , are a class of plant secondary metabolites....
' 1 and 3 were identified from chromatographic profiles. The distributions of these in the hybrid N. × alisaputrana and its putative parental species N. burbidgeae and N. rajah are shown in the table to the left. A specimen of N. × alisaputrana grown from tissue culture
Tissue culture
Tissue culture is the growth of tissues or cells separate from the organism. This is typically facilitated via use of a liquid, semi-solid, or solid growth medium, such as broth or agar...
(in vitro
In vitro
In vitro refers to studies in experimental biology that are conducted using components of an organism that have been isolated from their usual biological context in order to permit a more detailed or more convenient analysis than can be done with whole organisms. Colloquially, these experiments...
) was also tested.
Luteolin
Luteolin
Luteolin is a yellow crystalline compound. It is a flavonoid; to be specific, it is one of the more common flavones. From preliminary research, it is thought to play a role in the human body possibly as an antioxidant, a free radical scavenger, a promoter of carbohydrate metabolism, or an immune...
, cyanidin
Cyanidin
Cyanidin is a natural organic compound. It is a particular type of anthocyanidin . It is a pigment found in many red berries including but not limited to grapes, bilberry, blackberry, blueberry, cherry, cranberry, elderberry, hawthorn, loganberry, acai berry and raspberry...
and 'Unknown Flavonoid 3' were undetected in N. burbidgeae, while concentrations of 'Unknown Flavonoid 1' were found to be weak. Chromatographic patterns of the N. × alisaputrana samples studied showed complementation of its putative parental species.
Myricetin
Myricetin
Myricetin is a naturally occurring flavonol, a flavonoid found in many grapes, berries, fruits, vegetables, herbs, as well as other plants. Walnuts are a rich dietary source. Trace amounts can be found as glycosides. It is one of the phenolic compounds present in red wine.Myricetin has antioxidant...
was found to be absent from all studied taxa. This agrees with the findings of previous authors and suggests that the absence of a widely distributed compound like myricetin among the Nepenthes examined might provide additional diagnostic information for these taxa
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...
.