NEPENTHACEAE
Morphological description
Usually climbing, stems more or less woody.
Leaves
Leaves simple, spiral, consisting of blade (phyllodium), tendril, pitcher and lid, exstipulate.
Inflorescence
Inflorescence.
Flowers
Flower unisexual, actinomorphic, tepals 3-6, ovary superior.
Fruit
Fruit a capsule with numerous tiny seeds.
Seed
Seed tiny.
Different from: Flagellaria: no pitchers.
Distribution: The only genus Nepenthes occurs from Madagascar through the Seychelles and tropical Asia and Malesia to New Caledonia and Australia, Borneo is richest in species (Phillips & Lamb, 1996).
Notes: One of the few insectivorous plants of Malesia; often found in places with soils poor in nutrients. Some species are (potential) ornamentals.
Literature: B.H. Danser, Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg III, 9 (1928) 249- 438; A. Phillips & A. Lamb, Pitcher-plants of Borneo, Kota Kinabalu (1996); M. Cheek & M. Jebb, Fl. Males. I, 15 (2001) 1-162.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): Nepenthes 4, 66; N. bicalcarata 9.
Illustrations: Fig. 121. Nepenthes gracillima Ridl. (Nepenthaceae). Stem with upper pitcher and rosette stem with lower pitcher; male inflorescence; infructescence. Reproduced from Flora Malesiana I, 15 (2001) 71, fig. 8a, b, g, h.
Image in PhytoImages for Nepenthaceae