An account of Nepenthes in New Guinea

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Front cover of the March 1991 issue of Science in New Guinea An account of Nepenthes in New Guinea.jpg
Front cover of the March 1991 issue of Science in New Guinea

"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. [1] It remains the only major monograph devoted to the tropical pitcher plants of the island.

A monograph is a specialist work of writing on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author, and usually on a scholarly subject.

Matthew Jebb Irish botanist

Matthew Hilary Peter Jebb is an Irish botanist and taxonomist specialising in the ant plant genera Squamellaria, Myrmecodia, Hydnophytum, Myrmephytum and Anthorrhiza, as well as the carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes.

<i>Nepenthes</i> genus of plants

Nepenthes, also known as tropical pitcher plants, is a genus of carnivorous plants in the monotypic family Nepenthaceae. The genus comprises about 170 species, and numerous natural and many cultivated hybrids. They are mostly liana-forming plants of the Old World tropics, ranging from South China, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines; westward to Madagascar and the Seychelles (one); southward to Australia (three) and New Caledonia (one); and northward to India (one) and Sri Lanka (one). The greatest diversity occurs on Borneo, Sumatra, and the Philippines, with many endemic species. Many are plants of hot, humid, lowland areas, but the majority are tropical montane plants, receiving warm days but cool to cold, humid nights year round. A few are considered tropical alpine, with cool days and nights near freezing. The name "monkey cups" refers to the fact that monkeys have been observed drinking rainwater from these plants.

Contents

Background

The monograph was the result of work carried out by Jebb during an extended stay at the Christensen Research Institute in Papua New Guinea. [2] It was preceded by a brief account of New Guinea Nepenthes published in the 1989 book The Carnivorous Plants . [3]

Papua New Guinea constitutional monarchy in Oceania

Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an Oceanian country that occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and its offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean north of Australia. Its capital, located along its southeastern coast, is Port Moresby. The western half of New Guinea forms the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua.

<i>The Carnivorous Plants</i> (1989 book) book published in 1989

The Carnivorous Plants is a major work on carnivorous plants by Barrie E. Juniper, Richard J. Robins, and Daniel M. Joel. It was published in 1989 by Academic Press. Much of the book was written by the three authors over an eight-year period at Oxford University's Botany School.

Content

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), [4] [5] and one undescribed species (later described as N. danseri ). [4]

In phylogenetics, a single-access key is an identification key where the sequence and structure of identification steps is fixed by the author of the key. At each point in the decision process, multiple alternatives are offered, each leading to a result or a further choice. The alternatives are commonly called "leads", and the set of leads at a given point a "couplet".

Taxon Group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms which have distinguishing charachterisics in common

In biology, a taxon is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and given a particular ranking, especially if and when it is accepted or becomes established. It is not uncommon, however, for taxonomists to remain at odds over what belongs to a taxon and the criteria used for inclusion. If a taxon is given a formal scientific name, its use is then governed by one of the nomenclature codes specifying which scientific name is correct for a particular grouping.

<i>Nepenthes ampullaria</i> species of plant

Nepenthes ampullaria is a very distinctive and widespread species of tropical pitcher plant, present in Borneo, the Maluku Islands, New Guinea, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, and Thailand.

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. [1] Data is tabulated to compare the prey caught by lower and upper pitchers and to show the relationship between pitcher height and prey type. [1]

Reviews

Botanist Martin Cheek reviewed the monograph in the December 1992 issue of the Carnivorous Plant Newsletter . [6] He praised the line drawings and noted that "with this account an outstanding gap has been filled". [6] Cheek continued: [6]

Martin Roy Cheek is a botanist and taxonomist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

<i>Carnivorous Plant Newsletter</i> Fullerton, CA, etc.,International Carnivorous Plant Society, etc. | Multiple institutions

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.

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 [...].

Discussing the section on prey assemblage, Cheek wrote that "[f]or perhaps the first time then, the hard facts are provided on predatory patterns in Nepenthes". [6] Cheek concludes by writing: "Anyone interested in any aspect of Nepenthes is urged to get and read this work."

Related Research Articles

<i>Nepenthes mirabilis</i> species of plant

Nepenthes mirabilis, or the common swamp pitcher-plant, is a carnivorous plant species. By far the most widespread of all Nepenthes, its range covers continental Southeast Asia and all major islands of the Malay Archipelago, stretching from China in the north to Australia in the south. The species exhibits great variability throughout its range. One of the more notable varieties, N. mirabilis var. echinostoma, is endemic to Brunei and Sarawak and possesses an extremely wide peristome.

<i>Nepenthes klossii</i> species of plant

Nepenthes klossii is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to New Guinea.

<i>Nepenthes bongso</i> species of plant

Nepenthes bongso is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra, where it has an altitudinal distribution of 1000–2700 m above sea level. The specific epithet bongso refers to the Indonesian legend of Putri Bungsu, the spirit guardian of Mount Marapi.

<i>Nepenthes lamii</i> species of plant

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. Although once confused with N. vieillardii and previously regarded as conspecific with the closely related N. monticola, it is now recognised as a distinct species.

<i>Nepenthes sumatrana</i> species of plant

Nepenthes sumatrana is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Indonesian island of Sumatra, after which it is named.

Nepenthes danseri is a species of tropical pitcher plant. It is known only from the northern coast of Waigeo Island; plants from Halmahera, the largest of the Maluku Islands, are now recognised as belonging to a separate species, N. halmahera.

<i>Nepenthes tobaica</i> species of plant

Nepenthes tobaica is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra. It is particularly abundant around Lake Toba, after which it is named.

<i>Nepenthes inermis</i> species of plant

Nepenthes inermis is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra. The specific epithet inermis is Latin for "unarmed" and refers to the upper pitchers of this species, which are unique in that they completely lack a peristome.

<i>Nepenthes insignis</i> species of plant

Nepenthes insignis is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to New Guinea and surrounding islands. The specific epithet insignis is Latin for "distinguished" or "remarkable".

<i>Nepenthes beccariana</i> species of plant

Nepenthes beccariana is a tropical pitcher plant. The species was described in 1908 by John Muirhead Macfarlane based on a specimen collected from the island of Nias, which lies off the western coast of Sumatra. It appears to be closely related to both N. longifolia and N. sumatrana, and the former is possibly a heterotypic synonym of this taxon.

A skeletal revision of <i>Nepenthes</i> (Nepenthaceae)

"A skeletal revision of Nepenthes (Nepenthaceae)" is a monograph by Matthew Jebb and Martin Cheek on the tropical pitcher plants of the genus Nepenthes. It was published in the May 1997 issue of the botanical journal Blumea. The work represented the first revision of the entire genus since John Muirhead Macfarlane's 1908 monograph. Jebb and Cheek's revision was based on "collaborative work by both authors since 1984, largely on herbarium specimens, but including fieldwork in New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Madagascar". It was a precursor to their more exhaustive 2001 monograph, "Nepenthaceae".

<i>Nepenthes of Borneo</i> book by Charles Clarke

Nepenthes of Borneo is a monograph by Charles Clarke on the tropical pitcher plants of Borneo. It was first published in 1997 by Natural History Publications (Borneo), and reprinted in 2006. Clarke describes it as "primarily an ecological monograph".

Nepenthaceae (2001 monograph) 2001 monograph of family Nepenthaceae

"Nepenthaceae" is a monograph by Martin Cheek and Matthew Jebb on the tropical pitcher plants of Malesia, which encompasses Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Singapore. It was published in 2001 by the National Herbarium of the Netherlands as the fifteenth volume of the Flora Malesiana series. The species descriptions presented in the monograph are based on the authors' field observations in Borneo, New Guinea, and Peninsular Malaysia, as well as the examination of plant material deposited at 20 herbaria.

<i>Pitcher-Plants of Borneo</i> book by Anthea Phillipps

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, Kew and the Malaysian Nature Society. An updated and much expanded second edition was published in 2008 as Pitcher Plants of Borneo, with Ch'ien Lee as co-author.

<i>Nepenthes viridis</i> species of plant

Nepenthes viridis is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Philippines. It is known only from coastal areas at low altitude and has been recorded from Dinagat, Samar, and a number of surrounding islets. It is closely allied to the N. alata group of species.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Jebb, M.H.P. 1991. An account of Nepenthes in New Guinea. Science in New Guinea17(1): 7–54.
  2. ↑ Jury, S.L. 1994. "Visitors" (PDF).Herbarium News34: 20.
  3. ↑ Jebb, M.H.P. 1989. Some observations on Nepenthes in Papua New Guinea. In: B.E. Juniper, R.J. Robins & D.M. Joel. The Carnivorous Plants . Academic Press, London. pp. 314–316.
  4. 1 2 Jebb, M.H.P. & M.R. Cheek 1997. A skeletal revision of Nepenthes (Nepenthaceae). Blumea42(1): 1–106.
  5. ↑ McPherson, S.R. 2009. Pitcher Plants of the Old World . 2 volumes. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Cheek, M. 1992. Nepenthes of New Guinea: Book Review by Martin Cheek. Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 21(4): 108–109.
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