Author | Charles Clarke |
---|---|
Language | English |
Publisher | Natural History Publications (Borneo) |
Publication date | August 28, 2001 |
Media type | Print (hardcover) |
Pages | x + 326 |
ISBN | 983-812-050-2 |
OCLC | 48481057 |
Nepenthes of Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia is a monograph by Charles Clarke on the tropical pitcher plants of Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, and their minor surrounding islands. It was published in 2001 by Natural History Publications (Borneo). [1] Clarke described it as "intermediate between an ecological monograph and a taxonomic one". [1]
The work was conceived in late 1997 [2] and represents the culmination of 3 years of intensive research that included 15 field trips and numerous herbarium visits. [1] [3] The project encountered a number of difficulties and setbacks, including a "severe drought" in 1997 and political unrest in the following two years. [2] Of the species covered in the book, Clarke observed all but three in the field. [1] Nepenthes lavicola could not be reached due to the prevailing political situation in parts of Aceh, whereas N. tenuis had not been relocated in the wild at the time. [1] What Clarke called N. gracillima was also not seen by him in the field; [1] this taxon is now known as N. alba . [4]
The book describes and illustrates 34 species in detail. A further two "undescribed and incompletely diagnosed taxa" are included: Nepenthes species A (later described as N. rigidifolia ) [5] and Nepenthes species B (later described as N. izumiae ). [6] Three "little known taxa" are also covered: N. alata (which is shown to be absent from the region), N. beccariana , and N. junghuhnii . The monograph also provides brief descriptions of 18 selected natural hybrids. [1]
Clarke reversed several of the taxonomic revisions made by Matthew Jebb and Martin Cheek in their 1997 monograph, "A skeletal revision of Nepenthes (Nepenthaceae)". Nepenthes longifolia , N. talangensis , and N. tenuis were restored to species status, while N. pectinata was reduced to a heterotypic synonym of N. gymnamphora . Nepenthes jacquelineae , named after Clarke's wife, was described as a new species. [1] [7] Clarke also interpreted N. pyriformis (formally described in 2001) as a natural hybrid between N. inermis and N. talangensis . [1]
The following taxa are covered in the book, with 34 recognised as valid species (though some, such as N. angasanensis , only tentatively so).
Taxonomist Jan Schlauer reviewed Nepenthes of Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia in the March 2002 issue of the Carnivorous Plant Newsletter . [8]
The author has achieved a remarkable goal, viz. to study almost all species of Nepenthes occurring in the title area in situ, to review their taxonomy, to gather new insights in their ecology, and to present all this valuable information in a concise but entertaining form, accompanied by pictures of unprecedented quality and beauty.
Schlauer also wrote that "there are almost no obvious mistakes in the text" and praised the publication for its treatment of "highly controversial taxonomic issues [...] in a diplomatic yet explicit way". [8]
In a literature review for the December 2001 issue of the Bulletin of the Australian Carnivorous Plant Society , Robert Gibson wrote: [9]
In conclusion, this book blends ecology and taxonomy together with abundant eye catching photos and thoughtful text. It therefore has appeal to natural history scientists as well as carnivorous plant enthusiasts. It sets a higher standard for carnivorous plant publications and fills a significant gap in published information on a centre of diversity for a large (both in stature and number of taxa) carnivorous plant.
Nepenthes of Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia was also reviewed by Ivo Koudela in a 2002 issue of Trifid . [10]
Nepenthes spathulata is a tropical pitcher plant native to Java and Sumatra, where it grows at elevations of between 1100 and 2900 m above sea level. The specific epithet spathulata is derived from the Latin word spathulatus, meaning "spatula shaped", and refers to the shape of the lamina.
Nepenthes adnata is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Indonesian province of West Sumatra, where it grows at elevations of 600 to 1200 m above sea level. The specific epithet adnata is Latin for "broadly attached" and refers to the base of the lamina.
Nepenthes aristolochioides is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra, where it grows at elevations of 1800–2500 m above sea level. It has an extremely unusual pitcher morphology, having an almost vertical opening to its traps. It is critically endangered by overcollection.
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.
Nepenthes gymnamphora is a tropical pitcher plant native to the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra. It has a wide altitudinal range of 600–2,800 metres (2,000–9,200 ft) above sea level. There is much debate surrounding the taxonomic status of this species and the taxa N. pectinata and N. xiphioides.
Nepenthes longifolia is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra, where it grows at elevations of between 300 and 1100 m above sea level. The specific epithet longifolia, formed from the Latin words longus (long) and folius (leaf), refers to the exceptionally large leaves of this species.
Nepenthes jacquelineae is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Due to its unique pitcher morphology, it is considered to be one of the most spectacular Nepenthes species native to the island.
Nepenthes dubia is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Indonesian island of Sumatra, where it grows at an altitude of 1600–2700 m above sea level. The specific epithet dubia is the Latin word for "doubtful".
Nepenthes talangensis is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra, where it grows in upper montane forest at elevations of 1800–2500 m above sea level.
Nepenthes tenuis is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The species was first collected in 1957, from a remote mountain in the western part of the island. It remained undescribed until 1994, and was only rediscovered in the wild in 2002. Prior to this, N. tenuis was known solely from a single photograph and dried herbarium specimen.
Nepenthes spectabilis is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra, where it grows at elevations of between 1400 and 2200 m above sea level. The specific epithet spectabilis is Latin for "visible" or "notable".
Nepenthes lavicola is a tropical pitcher plant species endemic to the Geureudong Massif of Aceh, northern Sumatra, where it grows at 2000–2600 m above sea level. It is thought to be most closely related to N. singalana and N. spectabilis.
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.
Nepenthes × pyriformis is a natural hybrid involving N. inermis and N. talangensis. It is known only from Mount Talang in Sumatra, to which N. talangensis is endemic. Nepenthes talangensis was only described as a distinct species in 1994. Prior to this it was placed within N. bongso and some of the older literature identifies this hybrid as N. bongso × N. inermis.
"The Nepenthaceae of the Netherlands Indies" is a seminal monograph by B. H. Danser on the tropical pitcher plants of the Dutch East Indies and surrounding regions. It was originally published in the Bulletin du Jardin Botanique de Buitenzorg in 1928, and reprinted by Natural History Publications (Borneo) in 2006.
"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".
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" 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.
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 known at the time. The work was edited by Alastair Robinson and Andreas Fleischmann.