An account of Nepenthes in New Guinea
Encyclopedia
"An account of Nepenthes in New Guinea" is a monograph
by Matthew Jebb
on the tropical pitcher plants
of New Guinea
. It was published in the March 1991 issue of Science in New Guinea, a journal of the University of Papua New Guinea
. The monograph was the result of work carried out by Jebb during an extended stay at the Christensen Research Institute in Papua New Guinea
. It was preceded by a brief account of New Guinea Nepenthes published in the 1989 book The Carnivorous Plants. "An account of Nepenthes in New Guinea" remains the only major monograph devoted to the tropical pitcher plants of the island.
Jebb provided a species key and descriptions of 11 taxa
: N. ampullaria
, N. insignis
, N. klossii
, N. maxima
, N. mirabilis
, N. neoguineensis
, N. paniculata
, N. papuana
, N. treubiana
, N. vieillardii
(confused with N. lamii
; now known to be endemic to New Caledonia
), and one undescribed species.
Botanist Martin Cheek
reviewed the monograph in the December 1992 issue of the Carnivorous Plant Newsletter
. He praised the line drawings and noted that "with this account an outstanding gap has been filled". Cheek continued:
In addition to its species descriptions, "An account of Nepenthes in New Guinea" includes a survey of the prey assemblage found in 52 pitchers (belonging to 20 plants) of N. mirabilis. Data is tabulated to compare the prey caught by lower and upper pitchers and to study the relationship between pitcher height and prey type. Discussing this section of the monograph, Cheek wrote that "[f]or perhaps the first time then, the hard facts are provided on predatory patterns in Nepenthes". Cheek concludes by writing: "Anyone interested in any aspect of Nepenthes is urged to get and read this work."
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
by Matthew Jebb
Matthew Jebb
Dr. Matthew H. P. Jebb is an Irish taxonomist and botanist specialising in the ant plant genera Squamellaria, Myrmecodia, Hydnophytum, Myrmephytum and Anthorrhiza, as well as the carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes....
on the tropical pitcher plants
Nepenthes
The Nepenthes , popularly known as tropical pitcher plants or monkey cups, are a genus of carnivorous plants in the monotypic family Nepenthaceae. The genus comprises roughly 130 species, numerous natural and many cultivated hybrids...
of New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
. It was published in the March 1991 issue of Science in New Guinea, a journal of the University of Papua New Guinea
University of Papua New Guinea
The University of Papua New Guinea was established by ordinance of the Australian administration in 1965. This followed the Currie Commission which had enquired into higher education in Papua New Guinea...
. The monograph was the result of work carried out by Jebb during an extended stay at the Christensen Research Institute in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. It was preceded by a brief account of New Guinea Nepenthes published in the 1989 book The Carnivorous Plants. "An account of Nepenthes in New Guinea" remains the only major monograph devoted to the tropical pitcher plants of the island.
Jebb provided a species key and descriptions of 11 taxa
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
: N. ampullaria
Nepenthes ampullaria
Nepenthes ampullaria , the Flask-Shaped Pitcher-Plant, is a very distinctive and widespread species of Nepenthes, present in Borneo, Sumatra, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, the Maluku Islands, and New Guinea...
, N. insignis
Nepenthes insignis
Nepenthes insignis is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to New Guinea and surrounding islands. The specific epithet insignis is Latin for "distinguished" or "remarkable".-Botanical history:...
, N. klossii
Nepenthes klossii
Nepenthes klossii is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to New Guinea.-Botanical history:Nepenthes klossii was discovered in southwestern New Guinea during the Wollaston Expedition of 1912 to 1913...
, N. maxima
Nepenthes maxima
Nepenthes maxima , the Great Pitcher-Plant, is a carnivorous pitcher plant species of the genus Nepenthes. It has a relatively wide distribution covering Sulawesi, New Guinea, and the Maluku Islands. It is closely related to N. eymae....
, N. mirabilis
Nepenthes mirabilis
Nepenthes mirabilis , or the Common Swamp Pitcher-Plant, is a tropical carnivorous plant species of the pitfall trap variety. It has by far the widest distribution of any Nepenthes species and is known from the following countries and regions: Borneo, Sumatra, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia,...
, N. neoguineensis
Nepenthes neoguineensis
Nepenthes neoguineensis is a tropical pitcher plant native to the island of New Guinea, after which it is named.-Botanical history:Nepenthes neoguineensis was first collected in 1828 by Alexander Zipelius near Triton Bay, New Guinea. Two further collections were made by Gerard Martinus Versteeg on...
, N. paniculata
Nepenthes paniculata
Nepenthes paniculata is a species of pitcher plant belonging to the genus Nepenthes.Nepenthes paniculata is probably endemic to Mount Doorman Top in New Guinea . It has been recorded from mossy forest on a ridge top at 1,460 m altitude....
, N. papuana
Nepenthes papuana
Nepenthes papuana is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to New Guinea. The specific epithet papuana is derived from Papua, an alternative name for the island.-Botanical history:...
, N. treubiana
Nepenthes treubiana
Nepenthes treubiana is a tropical pitcher plant native to Western New Guinea and possibly also the island of Misool.This species occurs on the cliffs of the McCluer Gulf and in coastal regions of the Fakfak peninsula...
, N. vieillardii
Nepenthes vieillardii
Nepenthes vieillardii is a species of pitcher plant endemic to the island of New Caledonia. Its distribution is the most easterly of any Nepenthes species. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests....
(confused with N. lamii
Nepenthes lamii
Nepenthes lamii is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to New Guinea, where it grows at an altitude of up to 3520 m above sea level, higher than any other Nepenthes species...
; now known to be endemic to New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
), and one undescribed species.
Botanist Martin Cheek
Martin Cheek
Dr. Martin Roy Cheek is a taxonomist and botanist specialising in the carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes.-Research:Cheek has described several new Nepenthes species, mostly with Matthew Jebb, including: N. argentii, N. aristolochioides, N. danseri, N. diatas,...
reviewed the monograph in the December 1992 issue of the Carnivorous Plant Newsletter
Carnivorous Plant Newsletter
The Carnivorous Plant Newsletter is the official publication of the International Carnivorous Plant Society , the largest such organization in the world.-History and editorship:...
. He praised the line drawings and noted that "with this account an outstanding gap has been filled". Cheek continued:
No other regional monograph of Nepenthes is as scientific in approach or as fully illustrated.
[...] Jebb excels in elaborating the architecture and predatory pattern of Nepenthes. As far as I am aware, he is the first to link the onset of 'upper' pitcher production with the initiation of flowering.
[...] Little detracts from this account. Very few typo's came to light [...].
In addition to its species descriptions, "An account of Nepenthes in New Guinea" includes a survey of the prey assemblage found in 52 pitchers (belonging to 20 plants) of N. mirabilis. Data is tabulated to compare the prey caught by lower and upper pitchers and to study the relationship between pitcher height and prey type. Discussing this section of the monograph, Cheek wrote that "[f]or perhaps the first time then, the hard facts are provided on predatory patterns in Nepenthes". Cheek concludes by writing: "Anyone interested in any aspect of Nepenthes is urged to get and read this work."