Nepenthes truncata

Nepenthes truncata
A pitcher of N. truncata found in northern Mindanao at an elevation of 230 m
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Core eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Nepenthaceae
Genus:	Nepenthes
Species:	N. truncata
Binomial name
Nepenthes truncata Macfarl. (1911)[1]
Synonyms
Nepenthes megamphora Merr. & Quis in sched. (1915)

Nepenthes truncata (/nᵻˈpɛnθiːz trʌŋˈkɑːtə/; from Latin: truncatus = terminating abruptly) is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to the Philippines. It is known from the islands of Dinagat, Leyte, and Mindanao.^[2] The species grows at an elevation of 0–1500 m above sea level.^[3] Nepenthes truncata is characterised by its heart-shaped (truncate) leaves and very large pitchers, which can reach up to 40 cm in height.

Nepenthes robcantleyi was once considered a dark, highland form of this species.^[4][5]

Carnivory

On September 29, 2006, at the Botanical Gardens in Lyon, France, a Nepenthes truncata was photographed containing the decomposing corpse of a mouse. This incident is the first record of a mammal being successfully trapped in the pitchers of N. truncata. Both N. rajah^[6] and N. rafflesiana^[7] are known to occasionally catch small mammals in the wild.

• 
  An epiphytic N. truncata from the Pantaron Range near San Fernando
• 
  A pitcher with typical colouration from the Pantaron Range, Mindanao
• 
  A pitcher with an unusually dark peristome from the Pantaron Range
• 
  Illustration of N. truncata from Macfarlane's type description of 1911

Natural hybrids

• N. alata × N. truncata [=N. × truncalata]^[8]
• N. mindanaoensis × N. truncata^[3]
• ? N. petiolata × N. truncata^[9][10]

References

1. Macfarlane, J.M. 1911. New species of Nepenthes. Contributions from the Botanical Laboratory of the University of Pennsylvania 3(3): 207–210. (plates I–II)
2. McPherson, S.R. & V.B. Amoroso 2011. Field Guide to the Pitcher Plants of the Philippines. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole.
3. McPherson, S.R. 2009. Pitcher Plants of the Old World. 2 volumes. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole.
4. Cheek, M. 2011. Nepenthes robcantleyi sp. nov. (Nepenthaceae) from Mindanao, Philippines. Nordic Journal of Botany 29(6): 677–681. doi:10.1111/j.1756-1051.2011.01449.x
5. Mey, F.S. 2011. Nepenthes robcantleyi aka "Nepenthes black truncata". Strange Fruits: A Garden's Chronicle, December 27, 2011.
6. Phillipps, A. 1988. "A second record of rats as prey in Nepenthes rajah." (PDF). (203 KiB) Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 17(2): 55.
7. Moran, J.A. 1991. The role and mechanism of Nepenthes rafflesiana pitchers as insect traps in Brunei. Ph.D. thesis, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland.
8. Mann, P. 1998. A trip to the Philippines. Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 27(1): 6–11.
9. Kurata, S. & M. Toyoshima 1972. Philippine species of Nepenthes. The Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 26(1): 155–158. Abstract
10. Cheek, M.R. & M.H.P. Jebb 2001. Nepenthaceae. Flora Malesiana 15: 1–157.

Further reading

• 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. doi:10.1111/j.1420-9101.2011.02406.x
• Cantley, R. 2000. Nepenthes of the Philippines. [video] The 3rd Conference of the International Carnivorous Plant Society, San Francisco, USA.
• Cheek, M. & M. Jebb 2014. Expansion of the Nepenthes alata group (Nepenthaceae), Philippines, and descriptions of three new species. Blumea 59: 144–154. doi:10.3767/000651914X685861
• Clarke, C.M.; R. Cantley; J. Nerz; H. Rischer & A. Witsuba (2000). "Nepenthes truncata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2006. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 11 May 2006. Listed as Endangered (EN B1+2d v2.3).
• Clarke, C. & J.A. Moran 2011. Incorporating ecological context: a revised protocol for the preservation of Nepenthes pitcher plant specimens (Nepenthaceae). Blumea 56(3): 225–228. doi:10.3767/000651911X605781
• Co, L. & W. Suarez 2012. Nepenthaceae. Co's Digital Flora of the Philippines.
• Elmer, A.D.E. 1915. Nepenthaceae. [pp. 2785–2787] In: Two hundred twenty six new species—II. Leaflets of Philippine Botany 8: 2719–2883.
• (German) Gronemeyer, T. 2008. Nepenthes auf den Philippinen – Ein Reisebericht. Das Taublatt 60(1): 15–27.
• Kurup, R., A.J. Johnson, S. Sankar, A.A. Hussain, C.S. Kumar & S. Baby 2013. Fluorescent prey traps in carnivorous plants. Plant Biology 15(3): 611–615. doi:10.1111/j.1438-8677.2012.00709.x
• Macfarlane, J.M. 1927. The Philippine species of Nepenthes. The Philippine Journal of Science 33(2): 127–140.
• (Indonesian) Mansur, M. 2001. "Koleksi Nepenthes di Herbarium Bogoriense: prospeknya sebagai tanaman hias." (PDF). In: Prosiding Seminar Hari Cinta Puspa dan Satwa Nasional. Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia, Bogor. pp. 244–253.
• (German) McPherson, S. & T. Gronemeyer 2008. Die Nepenthesarten der Philippinen Eine Fotodokumentation. Das Taublatt 60(1): 34–78.
• 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. doi:10.1055/s-2001-12897
• (German) Meimberg, H. 2002. "Molekular-systematische Untersuchungen an den Familien Nepenthaceae und Ancistrocladaceae sowie verwandter Taxa aus der Unterklasse Caryophyllidae s. l.." (PDF). 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. doi:10.1055/s-2006-924676
• 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. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.11.023
• Rasco, E.T. Jr. & M.A.D. Maquilan 2005. Initial studies on in vitro germination and early seedling growth of Nepenthes truncata Macf.. Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 34(2): 51–55.
• Rasco, E.T. Jr., G.K.R. Oguis & C.S.C. Silvosa 2012. In vitro rooting of Nepenthes truncata Macf.. Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 41(4): 135–139.
• Renner, T. & C.D. Specht 2011. A sticky situation: assessing adaptations for plant carnivory in the Caryophyllales by means of stochastic character mapping. International Journal of Plant Sciences 172(7): 889–901. doi:10.1086/660882
• Siegara, A. & Yogiara 2009. Bacterial community profiles in the fluid of four pitcher plant species (Nepenthes spp.) grown in a nursery. Microbiology Indonesia 3(3): 109–114.
• Silvosa, C.S.C., E.T. Rasco Jr. & M.A.D. Maquilan 2013. Agricultural waste materials as component of organic potting media for the endangered Nepenthes truncata Macf. (Philippine pitcher plant). Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 42(2): 47–56.
• (Czech) Svítek, M. 2002. Portréty rostlin - Nepenthes truncata (Macf.) syn. Nepenthes megamphora (Merr. & Quis). Trifid 2002(1): 37–39. (page 2, page 3)
• Exploration of Mount Anipahan and Mount Kiamo. [video] Redfern Natural History Productions.
• WGAL News: Carnivorous Plant Eats Mouse at French Garden