Nepenthes truncata

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Nepenthes truncata
File:Nepenthes truncata 2.jpg
A pitcher of N. truncata found in northern Mindanao at an elevation of 230 m
Scientific classification
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N. truncata
Binomial name
Nepenthes truncata
Synonyms
  • Nepenthes megamphora
    Merr. & Quis in sched. (1915)

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Nepenthes truncata (/nˈpɛnθz trʌŋˈkɑːtə/; from Latin: truncatus = terminating abruptly) is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Philippines. It is known from the islands of Dinagat, Leyte, and Mindanao.[2] The species grows at an elevation of 0–1500 m above sea level.[3] Nepenthes truncata is characterised by its heart-shaped (truncate) leaves and very large pitchers, which can reach up to 40 cm in height.

Nepenthes robcantleyi was once considered a dark, highland form of this species.[4][5]

Carnivory

On September 29, 2006, at the Botanical Gardens in Lyon, France, a Nepenthes truncata was photographed containing the decomposing corpse of a mouse. This incident is the first record of a mammal being successfully trapped in the pitchers of N. truncata. Both N. rajah[6] and N. rafflesiana[7] are known to occasionally catch small mammals in the wild.

Natural hybrids

References

  1. Macfarlane, J.M. 1911. New species of Nepenthes. Contributions from the Botanical Laboratory of the University of Pennsylvania 3(3): 207–210. (plates I–II)
  2. McPherson, S.R. & V.B. Amoroso 2011. Field Guide to the Pitcher Plants of the Philippines. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole.
  3. 3.0 3.1 McPherson, S.R. 2009. Pitcher Plants of the Old World. 2 volumes. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole.
  4. Cheek, M. 2011. Nepenthes robcantleyi sp. nov. (Nepenthaceae) from Mindanao, Philippines. Nordic Journal of Botany 29(6): 677–681. doi:10.1111/j.1756-1051.2011.01449.x
  5. Mey, F.S. 2011. Nepenthes robcantleyi aka "Nepenthes black truncata". Strange Fruits: A Garden's Chronicle, December 27, 2011.
  6. Phillipps, A. 1988. A second record of rats as prey in Nepenthes rajah. PDF (203 KiB) Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 17(2): 55.
  7. Moran, J.A. 1991. The role and mechanism of Nepenthes rafflesiana pitchers as insect traps in Brunei. Ph.D. thesis, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland.
  8. Mann, P. 1998. A trip to the Philippines. Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 27(1): 6–11.
  9. Kurata, S. & M. Toyoshima 1972. Philippine species of Nepenthes. The Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 26(1): 155–158. Abstract
  10. Cheek, M.R. & M.H.P. Jebb 2001. Nepenthaceae. Flora Malesiana 15: 1–157.

Further reading