''Nepenthes faizaliana'' is a tropical

pitcher plant Pitcher plants are several different carnivorous plants which have modified leaves known as pitfall traps—a prey-trapping mechanism featuring a deep cavity filled with digestive liquid. The traps of what are considered to be "true" pitcher p ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

cliffs of

Gunung Mulu National Park The Gunung Mulu National Park is a national park in Miri Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that encompasses caves and karst formations in a mountainous equatorial rainforest setting. The park is famous for its ca ...

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and ea ...

. It is thought to be most closely related to '' N. boschiana''.Clarke, C.M. 1997. ''

Nepenthes of Borneo ''Nepenthes of Borneo'' is a monograph by Charles Clarke on the tropical pitcher plants of Borneo.Clarke, C.M. 1997. ''Nepenthes of Borneo''. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu. It was first published in 1997 by Natural History ...

''. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu.

Botanical history

The

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes th ...

of ''N. faizaliana'', ''S 44163 (Lai & Jugah)'', was collected on November 10, 1981, on Batu PanjangSchlauer, J.
''Nepenthes faizaliana''
Carnivorous Plant Database. in

.Cheek, M.R. & M.H.P. Jebb 2001. Nepenthaceae. ''Flora Malesiana'' 15: 1–157. The

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of sever ...

is deposited at the Sarawak Forest Department Herbarium (SAR) in Kuching,

; isotypes are held at the herbarium of the

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,10 ...

(K) and at the

National Herbarium of the Netherlands National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

(L) in

Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wi ...

. ''Nepenthes faizaliana'' was formally described in 1991 by J. H. Adam and C. C. Wilcock. The description was published in the botanical journal ''

Blumea ''Blumea'' is a genus of flowering plants of the family Asteraceae. Characteristics Genus ''Blumea'' is found in the tropical and sub-tropical zones of Asia, especially the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. A few species are found in Aust ...

''. ''Nepenthes faizaliana'' was named after Muhammad Khairul Faizal, son of describing author J. H. Adam. In 1997,

Matthew Jebb Matthew Hilary Peter Jebb (born 1958) is an Irish botanist and taxonomist specialising in the ant plant genera ''Squamellaria'', '' Myrmecodia'', '' Hydnophytum'', ''Myrmephytum'' and '' Anthorrhiza'', as well as the carnivorous plant genus '' ...

and

Martin Cheek Martin Roy Cheek (born 1960) is a botanist and taxonomist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.heterotypic synonym The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linn ...

of '' N. stenophylla'' in their monograph on the genus.Jebb, M.H.P. & M.R. Cheek 1997. A skeletal revision of ''Nepenthes'' (Nepenthaceae). ''Blumea'' 42(1): 1–106. This treatment was followed by Anthea Phillipps and Anthony Lamb in their book ''

Pitcher-Plants of Borneo ''Pitcher-Plants of Borneo'' is a monograph by Anthea Phillipps and Anthony Lamb on the tropical pitcher plants of Borneo. It was first published in 1996 by Natural History Publications (Borneo), in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens, ...

''.Phillipps, A. & A. Lamb 1996. ''

''. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu. However,

Charles Clarke Charles Rodway Clarke (born 21 September 1950) is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Norwich South from 1997 until 2010, and served as Home Secretary from December 2004 until May 2006. Early life T ...

retained ''N. faizaliana'' as a distinct species in his monograph ''

'', which was published a few months after the work of Jebb and Cheek. This interpretation has been supported by subsequent authors.Phillipps, A., A. Lamb & C.C. Lee 2008. ''

Pitcher Plants of Borneo ''Pitcher-Plants of Borneo'' is a monograph by Anthea Phillipps and Anthony Lamb on the tropical pitcher plants of Borneo. It was first published in 1996 by Natural History Publications (Borneo), in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew ...

''. Second Edition. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu.

Description

The climbing stem of ''Nepenthes faizaliana'' may be up to 8 mm in diameter. Internodes are cylindrical in cross section and up to 3 cm long. The leaves alternate around the stem. They are petiolate and

coriaceous This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

in texture. The

lamina Lamina may refer to: Science and technology * Planar lamina, a two-dimensional planar closed surface with mass and density, in mathematics * Laminar flow, (or streamline flow) occurs when a fluid flows in parallel layers, with no disruption betwee ...

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular ...

to elliptic in shape and up to 14 cm long by 4 cm wide. It has an acute apex and an obtuse base. The petiole is canaliculate and up to 5 cm long. It is semi- amplexicaul, but lacks wings. Two longitudinal veins are present on either side of the

midrib This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

Pinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and in ...

veins are indistinct.

Tendril In botany, a tendril is a specialized stem, leaf or petiole with a threadlike shape used by climbing plants for support and attachment, as well as cellular invasion by parasitic plants such as '' Cuscuta''. There are many plants that have tend ...

s reach 20 cm in length. Lower pitchers have not been formally described, although they are smaller and less frequently produced than their aerial counterparts.Clarke, C.M. & C.C. Lee 2004. '' Pitcher Plants of Sarawak''. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu. Upper pitchers are narrowly

infundibular An infundibulum (Latin for ''funnel''; plural, ''infundibula'') is a funnel-shaped cavity or organ. Anatomy * Brain: the pituitary stalk, also known as the ''infundibulum'' and ''infundibular stalk'', is the connection between the hypothalamus and ...

, becoming slightly wider in the upper part. They reach over 30 cm in height. In aerial pitchers, wings are usually reduced to a pair of ribs. The waxy zone of the inner surface is well developed.Bauer, U., C.J. Clemente, T. Renner & W. Federle 2012. Form follows function: morphological diversification and alternative trapping strategies in carnivorous ''Nepenthes'' pitcher plants. ''Journal of Evolutionary Biology'' 25(1): 90–102. The pitcher mouth has an oblique insertion. The

peristome Peristome (from the Greek ''peri'', meaning 'around' or 'about', and ''stoma'', 'mouth') is an anatomical feature that surrounds an opening to an organ or structure. Some plants, fungi, and shelled gastropods have peristomes. In mosses In mosse ...

is flattened, cylindrical in cross section, and up to 4 mm wide. The lid or operculum is orbicular and has a distinctive glandular crest on its underside. An unbranched

spur A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to ba ...

is inserted near the base of the lid. ''Nepenthes faizaliana'' has a

racemose A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

. The female inflorescence of this species has not been formally described. In male inflorescences, the peduncle is up to 17 cm long, while the

axis An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to: Mathematics * Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis * Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...

reaches 40 cm in length.

Pedicels In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence. Such inflorescences are described as ''pedicellate''. Description Pedicel refers to a structure connecting a single flower to its inflorescence. In the absenc ...

are one-flowered, up to 20 mm long, and typically possess bracts.

Sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coine ...

s are lanceolate to oblong in shape and up to 4 mm long. A study of 120 pollen samples taken from the

(''S 44163 (Lai & Jugah)'') found the mean pollen diameter to be 32.3 μm ( SE = 0.4; CV = 7.6%). ''Nepenthes faizaliana'' bears an

indumentum In biology, an indumentum (Latin, literally: "garment") is a covering of trichomes (fine "hairs") on a plant Davis, Peter Hadland and Heywood, Vernon Hilton (1963) ''Principles of angiosperm taxonomy'' Van Nostrandpage, Princeton, New Jersey, pa ...

of white, stellate hairs on its stem and petioles. The upper surface of the lamina is

glabrous Glabrousness (from the Latin '' glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of ...

, whereas the underside has a sparse covering of short, branched hairs. In addition, long white hairs are present at the base of the midrib.

Ecology

''Nepenthes faizaliana'' is

to the

peaks of

. It typically occurs at elevations of 1000 to 1600 m above sea level,McPherson, S.R. 2009. ''

Pitcher Plants of the Old World ''Pitcher Plants of the Old World'' is a two-volume monograph by Stewart McPherson on the pitcher plants of the genera '' Nepenthes'' and ''Cephalotus''. It was published in May 2009 by Redfern Natural History Productions and covers all species ...

''. 2 volumes. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole. although it has been recorded from elevations as low as 400 m. ''N. faizaliana'' occurs both terrestrially and as an epiphyte on limestone outcrops and exposed ridge tops. It grows in close proximity to a number of other ''Nepenthes'' species, including '' N. stenophylla'', '' N. tentaculata'', and '' N. vogelii'', but only one putative natural

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

with '' N. veitchii'' has been recorded. Although most populations of ''N. faizaliana'' are remote and inaccessible to regular visitors, the species can be easily observed along the Pinnacles Trail on

Mount Api Mount Api ( ms, Gunung Api) is a limestone mountain located in Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Malaysia. Neighbouring Mount Benarat and Mount Buda are part of the same formation. Mount Api is famous for its striking limestone karst form ...

.Steiner, H. 2002. '' Borneo: Its Mountains and Lowlands with their Pitcher Plants''. Toihaan Publishing Company, Kota Kinabalu.

Related species

''Nepenthes faizaliana'' belongs to the loosely defined "''N. maxima'' complex", which also includes, among other species, '' N. boschiana'', '' N. chaniana'', '' N. epiphytica'', '' N. eymae'', '' N. fusca'', '' N. klossii'', '' N. maxima'', '' N. platychila'', '' N. stenophylla'', and '' N. vogelii''.Robinson, A.S., J. Nerz & A. Wistuba 2011. ''Nepenthes epiphytica'', a new pitcher plant from East Kalimantan. In: McPherson, S.R. '' New Nepenthes: Volume One''. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole. pp. 36–51. ''Nepenthes faizaliana'' appears to be most closely related to '' N. boschiana''. These two species differ in the extent of their

s; that of ''N. faizaliana'' is well developed and conspicuous, while mature plants of ''N. boschiana'' are virtually

. In addition, the lower pitchers of ''N. boschiana'' tend to have a more bulbous base and a wider peristome. The upper pitchers are hard to distinguish, although those of ''N. boschiana'' usually have a wider mouth.

writes that these differences are "not major" and that "closer comparisons seem warranted". ''Nepenthes boschiana'' and ''N. faizaliana'' are both

endemics and occur on the highest limestone formations in Borneo: the Meratus Range and the cliffs of

, respectively. ''Nepenthes faizaliana'' is also similar to '' N. stenophylla'', with which it was once synonymised. It differs from that species in having more

leaves, larger

s, as well as a wider, more colourful and less recurved

. The flowers of ''N. faizaliana'' are borne singly on bracteate

pedicels In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence. Such inflorescences are described as ''pedicellate''. Description Pedicel refers to a structure connecting a single flower to its inflorescence. In the absenc ...

rather than on two-flowered partial peduncles. In addition, the glandular crest of ''N. faizaliana'' differs in shape and its lower pitchers are generally bulbous in the lower parts, unlike those of ''N. stenophylla''. Some authors treat '' N. fallax'' in synonymy with ''N. stenophylla'', while others consider them to be two distinct species, with plants commonly referred to as ''N. stenophylla'' actually representing ''N. fallax''.Schlauer, J. 1996
N.stenophylla, once again
Carnivorous Plant Mailing List, May 31, 1996. ''Nepenthes faizaliana'' also bears a resemblance to '' N. fusca''. In their description of the former, Adam and Wilcock distinguished these

taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...

on the basis of inflorescence structure, the size of the glandular region on the inner surface of upper pitchers, and the development and characteristics of the

. In addition, ''N. faizaliana'' differs in having an orbicular pitcher lid, as opposed to the very narrow lid of ''N. fusca''.

References

External links

''Nepenthes faizaliana''
at

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* {{Taxonbar, from=Q4912207 Carnivorous plants of Asia faizaliana Endemic flora of Borneo Flora of Sarawak Plants described in 1991 Flora of the Borneo montane rain forests