Nepenthes attenboroughii
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''Nepenthes attenboroughii'' (), or Attenborough's pitcher plant, is a
montane Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial ...
species of carnivorous
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 ...
of the
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
'' Nepenthes''. It is named after the celebrated broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough,Smyth, C. 2009
Giant rat-eating nepenthes plant named after David Attenborough
''Times Online'', August 18, 2009.
who is a keen enthusiast of the genus. The species is characterised by its large and distinctive bell-shaped lower and upper pitchers and narrow, upright lid. 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. attenboroughii'' was collected on the summit of Mount Victoria, an
ultramafic Ultramafic rocks (also referred to as ultrabasic rocks, although the terms are not wholly equivalent) are igneous and meta-igneous rocks with a very low silica content (less than 45%), generally >18% MgO, high FeO, low potassium, and are composed ...
mountain in central
Palawan Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in t ...
, 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 ...
. In May 2010, the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University selected ''N. attenboroughii'' as one of the "top 10 new species described in 2009". The species appeared on the 2012 list of
the world's 100 most threatened species The World's 100 most threatened species is a compilation of the most threatened animals, plants, and fungi in the world. It was the result of a collaboration between over 8,000 scientists from the International Union for Conservation of Nature Spe ...
compiled by the
IUCN Species Survival Commission The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natura ...
in collaboration with the
Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained the London Zoo, and since 1931 Whipsnade Park. History On 29 ...
.Baillie, J.E.M. & E.R. Butcher 2012
''Priceless or Worthless? The world's most threatened species''.
Zoological Society of London, United Kingdom.


Botanical history

''Nepenthes attenboroughii'' was discovered by
Alastair Robinson Alastair S. Robinson (born 1980) is a taxonomist and field botanist specialising in the carnivorous plant genus ''Nepenthes'', for which he is regarded as a world authority.Ellison, A. & Adamec, L. eds., 2017. Contributing Author Information ...
, Stewart R. McPherson and Volker B. Heinrich in June 2007, during a 2 month research expedition to catalogue the different species of
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 ...
found across the Philippine Archipelago.European botanists find new Palawan plant
''Manila Bulletin'', October 16, 2007.
The expedition was initiated after missionaries reported seeing giant ''Nepenthes'' on the mountain in 2000.McPherson, S.R. 2009. The Discovery of ''Nepenthes attenboroughii''. In: ''
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 ...
''. Volume 2. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole. pp. 1320–1333.
The formal description of ''N. attenboroughii'' was published in February 2009 in the ''
Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society The ''Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society'' is a scientific journal publishing original papers relating to the taxonomy of all plant groups and fungi, including anatomy, biosystematics, cytology, ecology, ethnobotany, electron microscopy, ...
''. The herbarium specimen ''A. Robinson'' AR001 is the designated
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 ...
, and is deposited at the herbarium of
Palawan State University The Palawan State University also referred to by its acronym PSU is a public government-funded higher education institution in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines. It was established History The Palawan State University, the first state unive ...
(PPC),
Puerto Princesa City Puerto Princesa, officially the City of Puerto Princesa ( Cuyonon: ''Siyudad i'ang Puerto Princesa''; fil, Lungsod ng Puerto Princesa), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Mimaropa region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 censu ...
. Further accounts of this species appeared in McPherson's ''
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 ...
'', published in May 2009, and in the December 2009 issue of the ''
Carnivorous Plant Newsletter The ''Carnivorous Plant Newsletter'' is the official publication of the International Carnivorous Plant Society (ICPS), the largest such organization in the world. It is headquartered in Walnut Creek, California. History and editorship The newsle ...
''.


Description

''Nepenthes attenboroughii'' is a terrestrial upright or scrambling shrub. The stem, which may be up to 3.5 cm thick, is circular in cross section and attains a height of up to 1.5 m.


Leaves and pitchers

The leaves are
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 ...
and
sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...
or sub- petiolate. The leaves of rosettes are up to 30 cm long and 10 cm wide, whereas those of the scrambling stem are up to 40 cm long and 15 cm wide. The leaves are oblong to elliptic, obtuse at the apex and shortly
attenuate In physics, attenuation (in some contexts, extinction) is the gradual loss of flux intensity through a medium. For instance, dark glasses attenuate sunlight, lead attenuates X-rays, and water and air attenuate both light and sound at vari ...
at the base, clasping the stem by approximately two-thirds of its circumference and becoming
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 ...
for 2–3 cm. ''Nepenthes attenboroughii'' produces some of the largest pitchers in the genus, sometimes exceeding those of typical '' N. rajah'' in size, but is not known to have exceeded the size and volume records set by that species. The largest recorded pitcher of ''N. attenboroughii'' measured more than 1.5 litres in volume, and traps exceeding 2 litres are likely to be produced on occasion.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.
The lower pitchers are brittle and
campanulate 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 ...
(bell-shaped), up to 30 cm tall and 16 cm wide and emerge from
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 that are 30–40 cm long and 4–9 mm in diameter. The tendrils are flattened towards the leaf, making them almost semi-circular in cross section. The upper pitchers are similar to the lower pitchers, but generally infundibular, to 25 cm tall and 12 cm wide. The pitchers show considerable variation in both shape and colouration, ranging from green or yellow to dark purple throughout.


Inflorescence

''Nepenthes attenboroughii'' 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 ...
up to 80 cm long. The male flower spike bears approximately 100 pedicellate flowers on a
rachis In biology, a rachis (from the grc, ῥάχις [], "backbone, spine") is a main axis or "shaft". In zoology and microbiology In vertebrates, ''rachis'' can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this c ...
up to 45 cm long and is recorded to bifurcate on occasion. The flowers lack bracts and produce red
tepals A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...
that are broadly ovate with an obtuse apex. The female inflorescence is shorter, to 65 cm long, never bifurcates, and bears up to 70 densely arranged flowers on a compact rachis up to 20 cm long. The tepals are brown to purple, ovate, and have an
acute Acute may refer to: Science and technology * Acute angle ** Acute triangle ** Acute, a leaf shape in the glossary of leaf morphology * Acute (medicine), a disease that it is of short duration and of recent onset. ** Acute toxicity, the adverse eff ...
apex.


Distribution and habitat

This species is
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 Victoria Massif in
Palawan Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in t ...
. There, it grows from 1450 m above sea level to the summit of Mount Victoria at 1726 m.McPherson, S.R. & V.B. Amoroso 2011. '' Field Guide to the Pitcher Plants of the Philippines''. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole. Originally known only from Mount Victoria itself, it has since been found on the largest peak of the Victoria Massif, Mount Sagpaw, and along the connecting ridges from the site of first collection. The species is found among shrubs 0.8–1.8 m tall in relatively scattered populations of plants on rocky,
ultramafic Ultramafic rocks (also referred to as ultrabasic rocks, although the terms are not wholly equivalent) are igneous and meta-igneous rocks with a very low silica content (less than 45%), generally >18% MgO, high FeO, low potassium, and are composed ...
soil. It is not sympatric with other ''Nepenthes'' species and no
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 have been recorded. The summit flora of Mount Victoria includes '' Leptospermum'' sp., '' Medinilla'' spp., '' Dracaena'' sp., ''
Vaccinium ''Vaccinium'' is a common and widespread genus of shrubs or dwarf shrubs in the heath family (Ericaceae). The fruits of many species are eaten by humans and some are of commercial importance, including the cranberry, blueberry, bilberry (whort ...
'' sp., various
grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...
es, as well as the
sundew ''Drosera'', which is commonly known as the sundews, is one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants, with at least 194 species. 2 volumes. These members of the family Droseraceae lure, capture, and digest insects using stalked mucilaginou ...
'' Drosera ultramafica'', which grows at similar elevations to ''N. attenboroughii''.Fleischmann, A., A.S. Robinson, S. McPherson, V. Heinrich, E. Gironella & D.A. Madulid 2011
''Drosera ultramafica'' (Droseraceae), a new sundew species of the ultramafic flora of the Malesian highlands.
''Blumea'' 56(1): 10–15.


Conservation

''Nepenthes attenboroughii'' is assessed as Critically Endangered by the
World Conservation Union The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
(IUCN) on account of its restricted distribution and the threat posed by plant poachers.


Carnivory

The pitchers of ''N. attenboroughii'' are open to the elements and thus often completely filled with fluid. This fluid is viscous in the lower part of the pitcher and watery above, forming two fractions that do not mix. The upper fraction supports populations of pitcher infauna, particularly
mosquito Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning " gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "li ...
larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...
e, and the pitchers of this species may benefit from both the usual capture of prey as well as the detritus produced by organisms living within the pitcher fluid. In the latter half of 2009, this taxon received a great deal of publicity in the national press of various countries as a sensational new plant that catches and kills rats.Google 2009
Rodent-eating plant discovered in Palawan
Google News aggregator, August 18, 2009.
Whilst certainly large enough to trap rodents, no rodents of any kind had, at that time, been observed within the pitchers of this species, as indicated in the type description and through subsequent clarification by the author,
Alastair Robinson Alastair S. Robinson (born 1980) is a taxonomist and field botanist specialising in the carnivorous plant genus ''Nepenthes'', for which he is regarded as a world authority.Ellison, A. & Adamec, L. eds., 2017. Contributing Author Information ...
, who suggested that were rodents to be captured by the plant, it was likely to be through misadventure rather than by design, large bugs and flying insects appearing to be the usual prey.Robinson, A.S. 2009
''Nepenthes attenboroughii'' in the press
''CPUK Forum'', August 19, 2009.
In October 2012, however, a dead
shrew Shrews (family Soricidae) are small mole-like mammals classified in the order Eulipotyphla. True shrews are not to be confused with treeshrews, otter shrews, elephant shrews, West Indies shrews, or marsupial shrews, which belong to differ ...
was found in a pitcher of ''Nepenthes attenboroughii'' during a return expedition to Mount Victoria by Robinson and a group of naturalists. Yet another visit almost two months later, in December 2012, allowed the botanist to assess and document the rate of digestion on video. It was found that the corpse of the shrew had, in the intervening weeks, progressed from a wholly intact state to mere skeletal remains, with only scant viscera and a matte of hair at the bottom of the pitcher still apparent.


Related species

''Nepenthes attenboroughii'' is closely related to the
Palawan Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in t ...
species, '' N. deaniana'', '' N. leonardoi'',McPherson, S., G. Bourke, J. Cervancia, M. Jaunzems, E. Gironella, A. Robinson & A. Fleischmann 2011. ''Nepenthes leonardoi'' (Nepenthaceae), a new pitcher plant species from Palawan, Philippines. ''
Carniflora Australis ''Carniflora Australis'' was a biannual English-language periodical and the official publication of the Australasian Carnivorous Plant Society.Rice, B. 2010Carnivorous Plant Society Archives The Carnivorous Plant FAQ. rchived page from October 1 ...
'' 8(1): 4–19.
'' N. mantalingajanensis'', '' N. mira'', and '' N. palawanensis'' (which produces even larger pitchers),McPherson, S., J. Cervancia, C. Lee, M. Jaunzems, A. Fleischmann, F. Mey, E. Gironella & A. Robinson 2010. ''Nepenthes palawanensis'' (Nepenthaceae), a new pitcher plant species from Sultan Peak, Palawan Island, Philippines. In: S.R. McPherson ''Carnivorous Plants and their Habitats''. Volume 2. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole. pp. 1332–1339.McPherson, S. 2010. ''Nepenthes palawanensis'': another new species of giant pitcher plant from the Philippines. ''
Carnivorous Plant Newsletter The ''Carnivorous Plant Newsletter'' is the official publication of the International Carnivorous Plant Society (ICPS), the largest such organization in the world. It is headquartered in Walnut Creek, California. History and editorship The newsle ...
'' 39(3): 89–90.
to '' N. peltata'' from
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
, and to '' N. rajah'' from
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 ...
. The stated relationship of this taxon with species from Borneo and Mindanao agrees with observations made in the description of '' N. mira'',Cheek, M.R. & M.H.P. Jebb 1999. ''Nepenthes'' (Nepenthaceae) in Palawan, Philippines. ''Kew Bulletin'' 54(4): 887–895. and is further supported in the type description of ''N. attenboroughii'' by previously overlooked paleogeographical evidence. Based on this evidence, the authors reason that these species, predominantly found growing on
ultramafic Ultramafic rocks (also referred to as ultrabasic rocks, although the terms are not wholly equivalent) are igneous and meta-igneous rocks with a very low silica content (less than 45%), generally >18% MgO, high FeO, low potassium, and are composed ...
soils on
Palawan Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in t ...
and
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
, are likely to have arisen as a result of the radiative speciation of a
common ancestor Common descent is a concept in evolutionary biology applicable when one species is the ancestor of two or more species later in time. All living beings are in fact descendants of a unique ancestor commonly referred to as the last universal comm ...
in
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 ...
.


See also

*
List of things named after David Attenborough and his works This is a list of things named after English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author Sir David Attenborough, and his audiovisual works. Buildings * David Attenborough Building in Cambridge, which houses the Cambridge University ...


References


Further reading

* Clarke, C. 2013
What Can Tree Shrews Tell Us about the Effects of Climate Change on Pitcher Plants?
ideo IDEO () is a design and consulting firm with offices in the U.S., England, Germany, Japan, and China. It was founded in Palo Alto, California, in 1991. The company's 700 staff uses a design thinking approach to design products, services, enviro ...
TESS seminars, 25 September 2013. * Clarke, C. & J.A. Moran 2011. Incorporating ecological context: a revised protocol for the preservation of ''Nepenthes'' pitcher plant specimens (Nepenthaceae). ''Blumea'' 56(3): 225–228. * Co, L. & W. Suarez 2012
Nepenthaceae
Co's Digital Flora of the Philippines. * McPherson, S. 2011. ''N. attenboroughii'' – a new species of giant pitcher plant from the Philippines. '' Victorian Carnivorous Plant Society Inc.'' 99: 12–18. * McPherson, S. 2012. ''Nepenthes attenboroughii'': a new giant species of pitcher plant from the Philippines. '' Planta Carnivora'' 34(1): 16–25. * McPherson, S.R. 2011. Comparison of the highland Palaweño ''Nepenthes''. In: '' New Nepenthes: Volume One''. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole. pp. 364–381. * McPherson, S. & T. Gronemeyer 2008. Die Nepenthesarten der Philippinen: eine Fotodokumentation. '' Das Taublatt'' 60: 34–78. * Miles, J. 2012
Discovering a lost world of rat-eating plants in the Philippines
''Friday'', October 9, 2012.
Exploration of Mount Anipahan and Mount Kiamo
ideo IDEO () is a design and consulting firm with offices in the U.S., England, Germany, Japan, and China. It was founded in Palo Alto, California, in 1991. The company's 700 staff uses a design thinking approach to design products, services, enviro ...
Redfern Natural History Productions.
Lecture on Plant Hunting – Royal Horticultural Society 6th May 2014
ideo IDEO () is a design and consulting firm with offices in the U.S., England, Germany, Japan, and China. It was founded in Palo Alto, California, in 1991. The company's 700 staff uses a design thinking approach to design products, services, enviro ...
Redfern Natural History Productions. *
Dua Malam Demi Attenboroughii
''Trubus'', November 3, 2008.


External links



at the Carnivorous Plant Photofinder
Meet the man on a mission to save carnivorous plants – BBC
Stewart McPherson expeditions to find and describe carnivorous plants including ''N. attenboroughii'' {{Taxonbar, from=Q132614 Carnivorous plants of Asia attenboroughii Endemic flora of the Philippines Flora of Palawan Plants described in 2009 Critically endangered flora of Asia Articles containing video clips David Attenborough Taxa named by Alastair Robinson