''Nepenthes of Mount Kinabalu'' is a

monograph A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject. In library cataloging, ''monograph ...

Shigeo Kurata is a Japanese botanist and '' Nepenthes'' taxonomist whose work in the 1960s and 1970s contributed much to the current popularity of these plants.Clarke, C.M. & C.C. Lee 2004. ''Pitcher Plants of Sarawak''. Natural History Publications (Borneo), ...

on the tropical pitcher plants of

Mount Kinabalu Mount Kinabalu ( ms, Gunung Kinabalu, Dusun language, Dusun: ''Gayo Ngaran or Nulu Nabalu'') is the highest mountain in Borneo and Malaysia. With an elevation of , it is List of islands by highest point, third-highest peak of an island on Eart ...

and the surrounding area of

Kinabalu National Park Kinabalu Park ( ms, Taman Kinabalu), 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 ...

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...

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 eas ...

. It was published in 1976 by

Sabah National Parks Trustees Sabah Parks ( ms, Taman-Taman Sabah) is a conservation-based statutory body established in 1964 with the purpose of conserving the scenic, scientific and historic heritage of the state of Sabah, Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. The organisation ...

as the second booklet of the Sabah National Parks series.Kurata, S. 1976. ''Nepenthes of Mount Kinabalu''. Sabah National Parks Publications No. 2, Sabah National Parks Trustees, Kota Kinabalu. The monograph is Kurata's most important work on ''Nepenthes'' and significantly contributed to popular interest in these plants. It is noted for its high quality colour photographs of plants in habitat. In the book's

preface __NOTOC__ A preface () or proem () is an introduction to a book or other literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a '' foreword'' and precedes an author's preface. The preface often closes ...

, Kurata writes:

While ''Nepenthes'' were often enumerated as an important component of the flora of this mountain, a book on this genus—relating exclusively to Kinabalu had never been published to this date. With such a situation and the interest shown by visitors to the Kinabalu National Park in the genus, Mr. D.V. Jenkins, Assistant Director, Sabah National Parks was prompted to publish a guide book on the species found within the park and I was delighted to be asked to write the text.

The book's coverage was mostly restricted to the southern slopes of Mount Kinabalu, as the rest of the mountain remained largely unexplored at the time. Kurata recognised 16 species from Mount Kinabalu: '' N. alata'' (now known to be

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 elsew ...

to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

),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 kno ...

''. 2 volumes. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole. '' N. ampullaria'', '' N. bicalcarata'', '' N. burbidgeae'', '' N. edwardsiana'', '' N. fusca'', '' N. gracilis'', '' N. lowii'', '' N. mirabilis'', '' N. rafflesiana'', '' N. rajah'', '' N. reinwardtiana'', '' N. stenophylla'', '' N. tentaculata'', '' N. villosa'', and an

undescribed species In taxonomy, an undescribed taxon is a taxon (for example, a species) that has been discovered, but not yet formally described and named. The various Nomenclature Codes specify the requirements for a new taxon to be validly described and named. U ...

("''Nepenthes'' sp."; later described as '' N. macrovulgaris''). Several of these species had not been reported from Kinabalu National Park at the time, but were expected to be found there due to their presence in surrounding areas. Three named

natural hybrid In biology, a hybrid is the offspring resulting from combining the qualities of two organisms of different breeds, varieties, species or genera through sexual reproduction. Hybrids are not always intermediates between their parents (such as in ...

s were also covered in detail: '' N. × harryana'', '' N. × hookeriana'', and '' N. × kinabaluensis'', the last of which was named by Kurata for the first time in the book. ''Nepenthes of Mount Kinabalu'' also made one of the earliest mentions of '' N. hamata'' (under the name ''N. dentata''),Cheek, M.R. & M.H.P. Jebb 2001. Nepenthaceae. ''Flora Malesiana'' 15: 1–157. a species that would be formally described 8 years after the book's publication. ''Nepenthes of Mount Kinabalu'' was reviewed by Donna Scott in a 1984 issue of the ''

Victorian Carnivorous Plant Society Journal ''Victorian Carnivorous Plant Society Inc.'', formerly titled simply ''Victorian Carnivorous Plant Society'' and also known as the ''VCPS Journal'', is a quarterly periodical A periodical literature (also called a periodical publication or simp ...

''.Scott, D. 1984. ''Nepenthes of Mt. Kinabalu'' by Shigeo Kurata. ''

'' 1(3): 8.

References

{{Nepenthes monographs Nepenthes literature 1976 non-fiction books Flora of Mount Kinabalu