Nepenthes alata is a tropical pitcher plant

Pitcher plant

Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants whose prey-trapping mechanism features a deep cavity filled with liquid known as a pitfall trap. It has been widely assumed that the various sorts of pitfall trap evolved from rolled leaves, with selection pressure favouring more deeply cupped leaves over...

 endemic to the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

. It is found on all the major islands of the archipelago, with the possible exception of Palawan

Palawan

Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region or Region 4. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. The islands of Palawan stretch from Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the...

. It is one of the easiest and most popular Nepenthes

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...

species in cultivation.

The species exhibits extraordinary variation throughout its range. The population of N. alata from Mount Guisguis, Zambales

Zambales

Zambales is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is Iba. Zambales borders Pangasinan to the north, Tarlac and Pampanga to the east, and Bataan to the south. The province lies between the South China Sea and the Zambales Mountains. With a land area of...

, is particularly diverse in terms of morphology, with four distinct variants present on the mountain's upper slopes.

Nepenthes alata occurs in mossy forest at elevations ranging from 800 to 2,400 m.

Taxonomy

Nepenthes alata is closely related to several other species, including N. copelandii

Nepenthes copelandii

Nepenthes copelandii is a species of pitcher plant native to the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. Originally known from Mount Apo near Davao City and Mount Pasian near Bislig, it has since been discovered on a number of peaks throughout Mindanao...

, N. mindanaoensis

Nepenthes mindanaoensis

Nepenthes mindanaoensis is a species of pitcher plant endemic to coastal lateritic hills on Mindanao in the Philippines. It is very closely related to N. alata.-Natural hybrids:*N. alata × N. mindanaoensis...

, N. philippinensis

Nepenthes philippinensis

Nepenthes philippinensis is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Philippines. It is known from Palawan and the Calamian Islands , where it grows at 0–600 m above sea level....

, and N. saranganiensis

Nepenthes saranganiensis

Nepenthes saranganiensis is a tropical pitcher plant native to the Philippine island of Mindanao. It is very closely related to N. alata, but can be distinguished from that taxon on the basis of its extremely decurrent leaf attachment....

. Nepenthes eustachya

Nepenthes eustachya

Nepenthes eustachya is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra, where it grows from sea level to an elevation of 1600 m. The specific epithet eustachya, formed from the Greek words eu and stachys , refers to the racemose structure of the inflorescence.-Botanical history:Nepenthes eustachya...

from Sumatra was once considered a form of N. alata, but this was based on a misinterpretation of type specimens; these two species do not seem directly related to each other.

Morphological differences between N. alata and N. eustachya (Jebb & Cheek, 1997)

Morphological character	N. alata	N. eustachya
Leaf blade	lanceolate-ovate	lanceolate
Leaf apex	acute or attenuate	rounded to sub-peltate
Petiole	broadly winged	scarcely or not winged
Spur	simple, acutely pointed	simple or bifurcate
Indumentum Indumentum The indumentum is a covering of fine hairs or bristles on a plant or insect.In plants, the indumentum types are:*pubescent*hirsute*pilose*villous*tomentose*stellate*scabrous*scurfy...	reddish or whitish hairs	absent throughout
Structure of pitcher base	texture similar to rest of pitcher, abruptly attenuate to tendril	angular, woody, gradually attenuate to tendril

Infraspecific taxa

• N. alata f. variegata Hort. ex P.Mann (1996) nom.nud.
  Nomen nudum
  The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...
  
  
• N. alata var. biflora Macfarl. (1908)
• N. alata var. ecristata Macfarl. (1908)

Natural hybrids

• N. alata × N. burkei
  Nepenthes burkei
  Nepenthes burkei |David Burke]], British plant collector) is a tropical pitcher plant native to the island of Mindoro in the Philippines, where it grows at an elevation of 1100–2000 m. It is very closely related to N. sibuyanensis and N. ventricosa...
  
  
• N. alata × N. merrilliana
  Nepenthes merrilliana
  Nepenthes merrilliana is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Philippines. It produces some of the largest pitchers in the genus, rivalling those of N. rajah....
  
  [=N. × merrilliata
  Nepenthes × merrilliata
  Nepenthes × merrilliata is a natural hybrid involving N. alata and N. merrilliana. Like its two parent species, it is endemic to the Philippines, but limited by the natural range of N. merrilliana to Mindanao and its offshore islands....
  
  ]
• ? (N. alata × N. merrilliana
  Nepenthes merrilliana
  Nepenthes merrilliana is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Philippines. It produces some of the largest pitchers in the genus, rivalling those of N. rajah....
  
  ) × 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. × tsangoya
  Nepenthes × tsangoya
  Nepenthes × tsangoya is a tropical pitcher plant. It reportedly represents the complex natural hybrid × N. mirabilis....
  
  ]
• N. alata × N. mindanaoensis
  Nepenthes mindanaoensis
  Nepenthes mindanaoensis is a species of pitcher plant endemic to coastal lateritic hills on Mindanao in the Philippines. It is very closely related to N. alata.-Natural hybrids:*N. alata × N. mindanaoensis...
  
  
• N. alata × 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. × mirabilata
  Nepenthes × mirabilata
  Nepenthes × mirabilata is a natural hybrid involving N. alata and N. mirabilis.N. × mirabilata was mentioned as a natural hybrid in Guide to Nepenthes Hybrids . The hybrid is restricted to Mindanao, the Philippines, the only location where the parent species overlap.-References:*...
  
  ]
• ? N. alata × N. petiolata
  Nepenthes petiolata
  Nepenthes petiolata is a highland Nepenthes pitcher plant species endemic to Mindanao island in the Philippines, where it grows at an elevation of 1450–1900 m above sea level.-Natural hybrids:*? N. alata × N. petiolata...
  
  
• N. alata × N. pulchra
  Nepenthes pulchra
  Nepenthes pulchra is an undescribed tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Philippine island of Mindanao, where it grows at 1300–1800 m above sea level. Its discovery was announced online in August 2011.-Natural hybrids:...
  
  
• N. alata × N. truncata
  Nepenthes truncata
  Nepenthes truncata is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Philippines. It is known from the islands of Dinagat, Leyte, and Mindanao. The species grows at an elevation of 0–1500 m above sea level...
  
  [=N. × truncalata
  Nepenthes × truncalata
  Nepenthes × truncalata is a natural hybrid involving N. alata and N. truncata. Like its two parent species, it is endemic to the Philippines, but limited in distribution by the natural range of N. truncata on Mindanao.-References:...
  
  ]
• N. alata × N. ventricosa
  Nepenthes ventricosa
  Nepenthes ventricosa is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Philippines, where it is a highland species, growing at an elevation of 1000–2000 m above sea level. It has been recorded from the islands of Luzon, Panay, and Sibuyan...
  
  [=N. × ventrata
  Nepenthes × ventrata
  Nepenthes × ventrata is a natural hybrid involving N. alata and N. ventricosa. Like its two parent species, it is endemic to the Philippines. The name was originally published in the Carnivorous Plant Newsletter in 1979....
  
  ]

Further reading

• Alejandro, G.J.D., R.S. Madulid & D.A. Madulid 2008. The utility of Internal Transcribed Spacer (nrDNA) sequence data for phylogenetic reconstruction in endemic Philippine Nepenthes L. (Nepenthaceae). The Philippine Scientist 45: 99–110.
• An, C.-I., E.-I. Fukusaki & A. Kobayashi 2001. Plasma-membrane H⁺-ATPases are expressed in pitchers of the carnivorous plant Nepenthes alata Blanco. Planta 212(4): 547–555.
• An, C.-I., E.-I. Fukusaki & A. Kobayashi 2002. Aspartic proteinases are expressed in pitchers of the carnivorous plant Nepenthes alata Blanco. Planta 214(5): 661–667.
• An, C.-I., S. Takekawa, A. Okazawa, E.-I. Fukusaki & A. Kobayashi 2002. Degradation of a peptide in pitcher fluid of the carnivorous plant Nepenthes alata Blanco. Planta 215(3): 472–477.
• Gaume, L., S. Gorb & N. Rowe 2002. Function of epidermal surfaces in the trapping efficiency of Nepenthes alata pitchers. New Phytologist 156(3): 479–489.
• Gorb, E.V., K. Haas, A. Henrich, S. Enders, N. Barbakadze & S. Gorb 2005. Composite structure of the crystalline epicuticular wax layer of the slippery zone in the pitchers of the carnivorous plant Nepenthes alata and its effect on insect attachment. Journal of Experimental Biology 208: 4651–4662.
• Gorb, E.V. & S.N. Gorb 2006. Physicochemical properties of functional surfaces in pitchers of the carnivorous plant Nepenthes alata Blanco (Nepenthaceae). Plant Biology (Stuttgart, Germany) 8(6): 841–848.
• Gorb, E.V. & S.N. Gorb 2009. Chapter 8: Functional Surfaces in the Pitcher of the Carnivorous Plant Nepenthes alata: A Cryo-Sem Approach. In: S.N. Gorb (ed.) Functional Surfaces in Biology: Adhesion Related Phenomena. Volume 2. Springer. pp. 205–238.
• Hatano, N. & T. Hamada 2008. Proteome analysis of pitcher fluid of the carnivorous plant Nepenthes alata. Journal of Proteome Research 7(2): 809–816.
• Kajii, E., T. Kamesaki, S. Ikemoto & Y. Miura 1988. Decomposing enzymes against human blood-group antigens in the extract of Nepenthes alata. Die Naturwissenschaften 75(5): 258–259.
• Kajii, E., T. Kamesaki & S. Ikemoto 1991. The effect of the Nepenthes alata extract on the cold agglutinin-associated antigens. Nihon Hōigaku Zasshi 45(1): 30–32.
• Kamesaki, T., E. Kajii & S. Ikemoto 1989. Purification of the decomposing enzyme from Nepenthes alata against glycophorin B of human red blood cells by high-performance liquid chromatography. Journal of Chromatography 489(2): 384–389.
• Kiew, R.G. 1990. Pitcher plants of Gunung Tahan. Journal of Wildlife and National Parks (Malaysia) 10: 34–37. Mansur, M. 2001. In: Prosiding Seminar Hari Cinta Puspa dan Satwa Nasional. Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia, Bogor. pp. 244–253.
• Owen, T.P. & K.A. Lennon 1999. American Journal of Botany 86(10): 1382–1390.
• Owen, T.P., K.A. Lennon, M.J. Santo & A.N. Anderson 1999. Annals of Botany 84: 459–466.
• Pavlovič, A., E. Masarovičová & J. Hudák 2007. Carnivorous syndrome in Asian pitcher plants of the genus Nepenthes. Annals of Botany 100(3): 527–536.
• Riedel, M., A. Eichner & R. Jetter 2003. Slippery surfaces of carnivorous plants: composition of epicuticular wax crystals in Nepenthes alata Blanco pitchers. Planta 218(1): 87–97.
• Santo, M.J., J.S. Massa, & T.P. Owen 1998. Glandular secretion and absorption in the carnivorous pitcher plant Nepenthes alata. American Journal of Botany 85(supplement): 92.
• Scholz, I., M. Bückins, L. Dolge, T. Erlinghagen, A. Weth, F. Hischen, J. Mayer, S. Hoffmann, M. Riederer, M. Riedel & W. Baumgartner 2010. Slippery surfaces of pitcher plants: Nepenthes wax crystals minimize insect attachment via microscopic surface roughness. Journal of Experimental Biology 213: 1115–1125.
• Sota, T., M. Mogi & K. Kato 1998. Local and regional-scale food web structure in Nepenthes alata pitchers. Biotropica 30(1): 82–91.
• Thornhill, A.H., I.S. Harper & N.D. Hallam 2008. The development of the digestive glands and enzymes in the pitchers of three Nepenthes species: N. alata, N. tobaica, and N. ventricosa (Nepenthaceae). International Journal of Plant Sciences 169(5): 615–624.
• Uy, B.D. 1990. 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:...
  
  19(1–2): 18–19.
• Wang, L.-X. & Q. Zhou 2010. Numerical characterization of surface structures of slippery zone in Nepenthes alata pitchers and its mechanism of reducing locust's attachment. Advances in Natural Science 3(2): 22–31. Wu, X., J. Li, Q. Zhong & X. Wu 2005. 猪笼草组培快繁技术. [Tissue culture and fast propagation in Nepenthes alata.] Nonwood Forest Research 23(4): 48–50.

External links

• Photographs of N. alata at the Carnivorous Plant Photofinder