''Nepenthes maxima'' (; from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''maximus'' "greatest"), the great pitcher-plant,Phillipps, A. & A. Lamb 1996. ''

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, Ke ...

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

carnivorous A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other sof ...

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 ...

species of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Nepenthes ''Nepenthes'' () is a genus of carnivorous plants, also known as tropical pitcher plants, or monkey cups, in the monotypic family Nepenthaceae. The genus includes about 170 species, and numerous natural and many cultivated hybrids. They are mos ...

''. It has a relatively wide distribution covering

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

Sulawesi Sulawesi (), also known as Celebes (), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Ar ...

, and the

Maluku Islands The Maluku Islands (; Indonesian: ''Kepulauan Maluku'') or the Moluccas () are an archipelago in the east of Indonesia. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located eas ...

. It may also be present on

Wowoni Island Wawonii (formerly called Wowoni) is an island in the Banda Sea, Indonesia, off the south east coast of Sulawesi. Its area is 867.58 km2 and at the 2020 Census it had a population of 37,050; the official estimate as at mid 2021 was 37,639.Bada ...

. Sunarti, S., A. Hidayat & Rugayah 2008
Keanekaragaman tumbuhan di hutan Pegunungan Waworete, Kecamatan Wawonii Timur, Pulau Wawonii, Sulawesi Tenggara.
lants diversity at the mountain forest of Waworete, East Wawonii District, Wawonii Island, Southeast Sulawesi.''Biodiversitas'' 9(3): 194–198. ''Nepenthes maxima'' belongs to the loosely defined "''N. maxima'' complex", which also includes, among other species, '' N. boschiana'', '' N. chaniana'', '' N. epiphytica'', '' N. eymae'', '' N. faizaliana'', '' N. fusca'', '' N. klossii'', '' 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.

Variability

This species exhibits great variability across its range, particularly in the

plasticity Plasticity may refer to: Science * Plasticity (physics), in engineering and physics, the propensity of a solid material to undergo permanent deformation under load * Neuroplasticity, in neuroscience, how entire brain structures, and the brain it ...

of its pitchers. Plants growing in drier, somewhat seasonal parts of New Guinea generally produce elongated pitchers with narrow peristomes and well-developed waxy zones, while those inhabiting perhumid areas often have a reduced waxy zone and enlarged peristome. This is thought to be because the peristome, when fully wetted, is more effective at trapping prey than the waxy zone, but performs poorly in drier conditions. Certain forms of ''N. maxima'' produce distinctly wavy

laminar Laminar means "flat". Laminar may refer to: Terms in science and engineering: * Laminar electronics or organic electronics, a branch of material sciences dealing with electrically conductive polymers and small molecules * Laminar armour or "band ...

margins, a trait particularly common in plants from Sulawesi. In extreme examples, even the

decurrent ''Decurrent'' (sometimes decurring) is a term used in botany and mycology to describe plant or fungal parts that extend downward. In botany, the term is most often applied to leaf blades that partly wrap or have wings around the stem or petio ...

wings of the leaf—which can extend down the entire length of the stem's internode—may be highly undulate. Such rippled patterns result from increased

cell growth Cell growth refers to an increase in the total mass of a cell, including both cytoplasmic, nuclear and organelle volume. Cell growth occurs when the overall rate of cellular biosynthesis (production of biomolecules or anabolism) is greater than ...

near the edges of the leaf, which causes its thin, planar surface to buckle as it assumes the conformation with the lowest

energy In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat a ...

state.Sharon, E., M. Marder & H.L. Swinney 2004
Leaves, flowers and garbage bags: making waves.
''American Scientist'' 92(3): 254–261.

Infraspecific taxa

*''Nepenthes maxima'' f. ''undulata'' Sh.Kurata, Atsumi & Y.Komatsu (1985) *''Nepenthes maxima'' var. ''glabrata''

Becc. Odoardo Beccari (16 November 1843 – 25 October 1920) was an Italian botanist famous for his discoveries in Indonesia, particularly New Guinea, and Australia. He has been called the greatest botanist to ever study Malesia. His author abbrevi ...

''in sched.'' '' nom.nud.'' *''Nepenthes maxima'' var. ''lowii'' (

Hook.f. Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (30 June 1817 – 10 December 1911) was a British botanist and explorer in the 19th century. He was a founder of geographical botany and Charles Darwin's closest friend. For twenty years he served as director of ...

)

(1886) N. stenophylla''">Nepenthes_stenophylla.html" ;"title="''

N. stenophylla''*''Nepenthes maxima'' var. ''minor'' Macfarl. (1917) *''Nepenthes maxima'' var. ''sumatrana'' (Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel">Miq. Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel (24 October 1811 – 23 January 1871) was a Dutch botanist, whose main focus of study was on the flora of the Dutch East Indies. Early life Miquel was born in Neuenhaus and studied medicine at the University of Groni ...

)

(1886) N. sumatrana''">''Nepenthes sumatrana">N. sumatrana''*''Nepenthes maxima'' var. ''superba'' (Hort.Veitch Nurseries">Veitch Veitch or Vetch is a Scottish surname, and may refer to: Veitch * Arthur Veitch (1844–1880), horticulturist * Bill Veitch (1870–1961), New Zealand politician * Champion Doug Veitch (born 1960), Scottish musician and songwriter * Colin Veitch ...

Variability

Infraspecific taxa

Natural hybrids

References

Further reading

External links