Pitcher Plants of the Old World
Encyclopedia
Pitcher Plants of the Old World is a two-volume monograph
by Stewart McPherson
on the pitcher plant
s of the genera
Nepenthes
and Cephalotus
. It was published in May 2009 by Redfern Natural History Productions. The work was edited by Alastair Robinson
and Andreas Fleischmann.
The book gives a detailed account of the singular Cephalotus follicularis as well as 120 species of Nepenthes, including one described for the first time (N. micramphora
). A further five "incompletely diagnosed taxa" are included: N. sp. Misool
, N. sp. Papua
, N. sp. Phanga Nga (later described as N. mirabilis var. globosa), N. sp. Sulawesi
, and N. sp. Trang
(later described as N. kerrii). Nepenthes hamiguitanensis
(described in McPherson's next book, Carnivorous Plants and their Habitats) is treated as a natural hybrid between N. micramphora
and N. peltata
.
In an interview with The Hoopoe, McPherson explained his reasons for writing the book and the extensive field work that it involved:
The book has been praised for its scope, detail, and high quality photographs. In their review for the journal Phytotaxa
, Maarten J. M. Christenhusz and Michael F. Fay wrote:
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
by 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....
on the 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...
s of the genera
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...
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...
and Cephalotus
Cephalotus
Cephalotus is a genus which contains one species, Cephalotus follicularis, a small carnivorous pitcher plant. The pit-fall traps of the modified leaves have inspired the common names for this plant, which include Albany Pitcher Plant, Western Australian Pitcher Plant, fly-catcher plant or...
. It was published in May 2009 by Redfern Natural History Productions. The work was edited by Alastair Robinson
Alastair Robinson
Dr. Alastair S. Robinson is a British-American taxonomist and field botanist specialising in the carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes...
and Andreas Fleischmann.
The book gives a detailed account of the singular Cephalotus follicularis as well as 120 species of Nepenthes, including one described for the first time (N. micramphora
Nepenthes micramphora
Nepenthes micramphora is a tropical pitcher plant known only from Mount Hamiguitan on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. It is a highland plant growing at elevations of 1100–1635 m....
). A further five "incompletely diagnosed taxa" are included: N. sp. Misool
Nepenthes sp. Misool
Nepenthes sp. Misool is an undescribed tropical pitcher plant found on the island of Misool in the Raja Ampat archipelago of Indonesia. It is similar to the extremely variable N. neoguineensis....
, N. sp. Papua
Nepenthes sp. Papua
Nepenthes sp. Papua, also known as Nepenthes sp. West-Papua and Nepenthes sp. Doormans Top 1, is an undescribed tropical pitcher plant known from a single mountain in central West Papua. The species is an extreme highlander, growing at elevations of 3100–3500 m above sea level, and has on occasion...
, N. sp. Phanga Nga (later described as N. mirabilis var. globosa), N. sp. Sulawesi
Nepenthes sp. Sulawesi
Nepenthes sp. Sulawesi is an undescribed tropical pitcher plant endemic to Central Sulawesi, where it grows on at least 5 mountains. It is very similar to both N. hamata and N. tentaculata....
, and N. sp. Trang
Nepenthes sp. Trang
Nepenthes kerrii is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Tarutao National Marine Park in southern Thailand, where it grows at elevations of 400–500 m above sea level...
(later described as N. kerrii). Nepenthes hamiguitanensis
Nepenthes hamiguitanensis
Nepenthes hamiguitanensis is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to a single peak on the Philippine island of Mindanao, where it grows at elevations of 1200–1600 m above sea level. Once thought to be a natural hybrid between N. micramphora and N. peltata, this plant is now considered a...
(described in McPherson's next book, Carnivorous Plants and their Habitats) is treated as a natural hybrid between N. micramphora
Nepenthes micramphora
Nepenthes micramphora is a tropical pitcher plant known only from Mount Hamiguitan on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. It is a highland plant growing at elevations of 1100–1635 m....
and N. peltata
Nepenthes peltata
Nepenthes peltata is a tropical pitcher plant known only from the upper slopes of Mount Hamiguitan on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. It is characterised by a peltate tendril attachment and conspicuous indumentum...
.
In an interview with The Hoopoe, McPherson explained his reasons for writing the book and the extensive field work that it involved:
I prepared Pitcher Plants of the Old World in response to the lack of available information on dozens of species of Nepenthes. Since many species of Nepenthes are not in cultivation, and also because there is often confusion concerning those that are, I resolved to study and photograph each species of Nepenthes and Cephalotus in the wild, in order to document each adequately. After graduating from university in 2006 at the age of 23, I began three years of intense research focusing on Nepenthes and Cephalotus, and spent a cumulative total of eighteen months in the field. Over the last three years, I climbed over one hundred mountains across Southeast Asia in search of species of Nepenthes. Many of these journeys were relatively simple, lasting just a few days or less. Others required more extensive effort, and in a few cases, I spent more than one week to find a single Nepenthes taxon.
The book has been praised for its scope, detail, and high quality photographs. In their review for the journal Phytotaxa
Phytotaxa
Phytotaxa is a peer-reviewed international journal for rapid publication on any aspect of systematic botany. It publishes on a wide range of subjects, but focuses on new species, monographs, floras, revisions, reviews and typification issues. Phytotaxa covers all plant groups covered by the ICBN...
, Maarten J. M. Christenhusz and Michael F. Fay wrote:
This is to date the only publication dealing with the genus Nepenthes throughout its geographical range. He [McPherson] humbly refers the reader to other taxonomic works, but these are all regional treatments. The level of information provided on all the species of Nepenthes is outstanding and has no precedent.