Nepenthes macrovulgaris explained

Nepenthes macrovulgaris (; from Greek macro- "large" and Latin vulgaris "common, usual"), or the serpentine pitcher-plant,^[1] is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Borneo. It is a lowland plant that typically grows at altitudes ranging from 300 to 1200 m in sub-montane forest clearings and mossy forest. Its range is restricted to ultramafic habitats, including Mount Kinabalu, Mount Tambuyukon, the Danum Valley, the Tawai Range, the Meliau Range and Mount Silam, all in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Pitchers grow to around 25 cm high and range in colour from green to brown, with the speckled form being the most common.^{[2] [3] [4]}

Taxonomy and Phylogeny

Before modern molecular phylogenies, it was thought that Nepenthes macrovulgaris is most closely related to N. hirsuta and N. hispida, and may have been difficult to distinguish from them. Botanists Matthew Jebb and Martin Cheek suggest that N. macrovulgaris is also related to N. philippinensis, a species endemic to Palawan in the Philippines.^{[5] [6]}

Morphological differences between N. macrovulgaris, N. hirsuta and N. hispida (Steiner, 2002 after Clarke, 1997)! N. macrovulgaris !! N. hirsuta !! N. hispida

leaves charteous ≤30 cm, oblong to linear	leaves coriaceous ≤20 cm, canaliculate-spathulate or obovate	leaves coriaceous sessile ≤28 cm, oblanceolate-oblongate
apex acute to obtuse	apex acute or roundish	apex acuminate-obtuse, often unequal
base attenuate into a winged petiole, wings wider towards the base, clasping stem for about half its diameter, not decurrent	base attenuate, forming laterally flattened, semi-amplexicaul sheath	base attenuate, amplexicaul and often decurrent onto the internode
longitudinal veins: 2-3 on each side	longitudinal veins not prominent	longitudinal veins: 3 on each side
adult pitchers and stem glabrous, young pitchers with short, thin hairs	stem densely covered with long brown hairs, not as bristle-like as those of N. hispida	stem very densely covered with bristle-like purple-grey hairs

Molecular phylogenies, however, show that N. macrovulgaris is in fact sister to Nepenthes reinwardtiana, and it is not a close relative of Nepenthes hispida and Nepenthes hirsuta, nor close to Nepenthes philippinensis ^[7] . The striking similarity in morphology and habitat preference between N. macrovulgaris and Nepenthes philippinensis could be because they represent an ancestral phenotype, or parallel/convergent evolution.

Etymology

Turnbull and Middleton, who described the species in 1988, explain that they chose the specific epithet macrovulgaris to:

[...] indicate a relatively large plant and to indicate that no single characteristic uniquely distinguishes this taxon from all others. The suffix vulgaris does not indicate that this species is either common or ordinary. On the contrary, it is quite striking. The epithet is an irregular combination of Greek and Latin. The name was used in the field to identify living material which was distributed to growers and this informal name is now commonly used by collectors. We feel that to change the name now would create unnecessary confusion.

Natural hybrids

The following natural hybrids involving N. macrovulgaris have been recorded.

• N. albomarginata × N. macrovulgaris^[8]
• N. macrovulgaris × N. rajah
• N. macrovulgaris × N. reinwardtiana
• N. macrovulgaris × N. tentaculata

Further reading

• Adam, J.H., C.C. Wilcock & M.D. Swaine 1992. Web site: The ecology and distribution of Bornean Nepenthes. . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110722233248/http://myais.fsktm.um.edu.my/8918/1/10.pdf . 2011-07-22 . Journal of Tropical Forest Science 5(1): 13–25.
• Adam, J.H. 1997. Web site: Prey spectra of Bornean Nepenthes species (Nepenthaceae) in relation to their habitat. . Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science 20(2–3): 121–134.
• Adam, J.H. & C.C. Wilcock 1999. Web site: Palynological study of Bornean Nepenthes (Nepenthaceae). . Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science 22(1): 1–7.
• Bauer, U., C.J. Clemente, T. Renner & W. Federle 2012. Form follows function: morphological diversification and alternative trapping strategies in carnivorous Nepenthes pitcher plants. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 25(1): 90–102.
• Beaman, J.H. & C. Anderson 2004. The Plants of Mount Kinabalu: 5. Dicotyledon Families Magnoliaceae to Winteraceae. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu.
• Chung, A.Y.C. 2006. Biodiversity and Conservation of The Meliau Range: A Rain Forest in Sabah's Ultramafic Belt. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu. .
• Fretwell, S. 2013. Back in Borneo for giant Nepenthes. Part 1: Mesilau Nature Reserve, Ranau. Victorian Carnivorous Plant Society Journal 107: 6–13.
• Kurata, S. 2002. Web site: Revision trial in recent enumeration of Nepenthes species. . Proceedings of the 4th International Carnivorous Plant Conference: 111–116.
• McPherson, S.R. & A. Robinson 2012. Field Guide to the Pitcher Plants of Borneo. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole.
• Meimberg, H., A. Wistuba, P. Dittrich & G. Heubl 2001. Molecular phylogeny of Nepenthaceae based on cladistic analysis of plastid trnK intron sequence data. Plant Biology 3(2): 164–175.
• Meimberg, H. 2002. Web site: Molekular-systematische Untersuchungen an den Familien Nepenthaceae und Ancistrocladaceae sowie verwandter Taxa aus der Unterklasse Caryophyllidae s. l.. . Ph.D. thesis, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich.
• Meimberg, H. & G. Heubl 2006. Introduction of a nuclear marker for phylogenetic analysis of Nepenthaceae. Plant Biology 8(6): 831–840.
• Meimberg, H., S. Thalhammer, A. Brachmann & G. Heubl 2006. Comparative analysis of a translocated copy of the trnK intron in carnivorous family Nepenthaceae. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 39(2): 478–490.
• Thong, J. 2006. Web site: Travels around North Borneo – Part 1. . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110707184733/http://www.vcps.au.com/journals/81_Sep_2006Public.pdf . 2011-07-07 . Victorian Carnivorous Plant Society Journal 81: 12–17.
• Turnbull, J.R. & A.T. Middleton 1981. A preliminary review of the Sabah species of Nepenthes, including a regional list and some selected localities. Unpublished mimeograph report to the Sabah Parks Trustees.
• Thorogood, C. 2010. . Nova Science Publishers, New York.

Notes and References

1. Phillipps, A. & A. Lamb 1996. Pitcher-Plants of Borneo. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu.
2. Clarke, C.M. 1997. Nepenthes of Borneo. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu.
3. Steiner, H. 2002. . Toihaan Publishing Company, Kota Kinabalu.
4. Phillipps, A., A. Lamb & C.C. Lee 2008. Pitcher Plants of Borneo. Second Edition. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu.
5. Cheek, M.R. & M.H.P. Jebb 1999. Nepenthes (Nepenthaceae) in Palawan, Philippines. Kew Bulletin 54(4): 887–895.
6. Schlauer, J. 2000. Web site: Literature Reviews. . Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 29(2): 53.
7. Introgression is widespread in the radiation of carnivorous Nepenthes pitcher plants . 10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107214 . 2021 . Scharmann . Mathias . Wistuba . Andreas . Widmer . Alex . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 163 . 34052438 . 2021MolPE.16307214S .
8. McPherson, S.R. 2009. Pitcher Plants of the Old World. 2 volumes. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole.