Nepenthes rafflesiana
Nepenthes rafflesiana
Nepenthes rafflesiana is a carnivorous plant in the genus of pitcher plants ( Nepenthes ). It is native to Borneo, Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula.
Description
Nepenthes rafflesiana is a perennial, evergreen, climbing shrub, which can grow up to 4, rarely up to 15 meters high often.
Nepenthes rafflesiana forms short shoots, are arranged distributed their leathery, stalked leaves. The 2-10 cm long petiole is furrowed and narrowly winged, at his approach, he includes the stem leaf sheath-like one-half to two-thirds. The lanceolate - spatulate, rounded at the top and tapering and the approach towards partly abruptly tapered leaf blade is 8 to 30 inches long and 1.5 to 5 centimeters wide. From the petiole arise three to five longitudinal parallel ridges, the numerous side ribs run obliquely to the edge. The Blattaderung is irregular reticulate. The tendrils are as long or slightly longer than the leaf blade, bent down or droopy and without curls.
The leaves of the long shoots are those of the short shoots similar, they differ from by a obround to lanceolate leaf shape, are 12 to 30 centimeters long and 3-10 centimeters wide, towards the tip usually blunt, often pointed. The petiole is half as long to as long as the leaf blade. The realization of the midrib spring four or five longitudinal side ribs running parallel in the outer two -thirds of the leaf blade. The vines are longer than the spreading usually bearing vines can form a curl.
The cans have a distinct dimorphism. The so-called ground pitchers are rounded in the lower part and are tapered toward the top. They are 5 to 25 inches high and the bottom 3 to 10 inches wide. Over the entire length of run two fringed, up to 35 mm wide wing bars. The individual fringes are filiform, up to 15 millimeters long and are at intervals of 0.5 to 3 millimeters each other. Can The opening is highly inclined and extends down to a 2 to 5 centimeters long transition to the can lid. The peristome is flattened, the ribs are 0.5 to 1 millimeter apart, the teeth of the inner edge are three to six times as long as wide. The surface of the can inside is filled up to two thirds of its height from 1800 to 2500 tiny, bulging glands per square centimeter. The lid is ovate to cordate at the base and most - arched. On its top there are a few thread-like appendages. In the center of the lid is drüsenlos, toward the edge, he has numerous, relatively large, sunken glands on. The close to the lid -faceted spur is unbranched and up to 20 millimeters long. The upper pitchers, so that the long shoots are similar to the ground pitchers, but 10 to 40 inches high and up 3 to 6.5 inches wide. Can The opening is very strong inclined. The peristome is flattened and rolled up on the outer edge. The inside is completely covered with glands. The lid 5 to 10 centimeters long and 3.5 to 8 inches wide.
The male inflorescences are cylindrical grapes. The inflorescence is 6 to 18 inches, the inflorescence axis from 10 to 50 inches long, on approach she has a diameter of 3 to 5 millimeters. The flower stalks are flowered, rarely two flowered, tragblattlos, the bottom 10 to 25 millimeters long, the upper slightly shorter. The bloom are oblong - round to elliptic, 4-10 mm long, the anthers are in one to two whorls. The female inflorescences similar to the male, they are only slightly shorter. The ovary is strongly tapered at its approach almost to a stem. The fruit is strongly tapered at the base, 25-50 mm long and 4-8 mm wide. The seeds are filiform and contain tiny, spindle-shaped seed 10 to 20 mm in length.
Ecology
For attracting prey, the pitchers especially at the peristome strong ultraviolet patterns, which are particularly noticeable for insect eyes. About 20% of the pitchers also produce scents, making them nearly twice as much to attract prey, such as fragrant loose cans. On the air cans in addition is a possible case of mimicry Bates shear, are imitated in the flowers.
All these features lead to Nepenthes rafflesiana is one of the species with the widest range of prey of all pitcher plants. Their prey is derived from three classes (insects, arachnids, centipedes ) and fifteen orders, thereby presented ants with 88.7 % in soil cans and 64.3 % in air cans the most part, in ground pitchers followed by 7.3% and termites in air cans of 19.1 % Diptera. If the particular liquid is decisive for the success of the animals by the movement in the liquid it will be extremely visco-elastic, so that an escape is no longer possible.
The Hardwick - wool bat Kerivoula hardwickii uses the great pitchers of Nepenthes rafflesiana as parasite- poor overnight accommodation. It also benefits the plant of nutrients from the faeces of the animals.
Distribution and habitat
Nepenthes rafflesiana is widespread at altitudes between sea level and 1000 meters in Borneo, but rarely in Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula and Singapore. It grows in open vegetation on swampy soils up in shady forests, often they can be found on roadsides in herbaceous nursery.
System
Nepenthes rafflesiana was first described in 1835 by William Jack, the specific epithet honors Thomas Stamford Raffles, founder of Singapore. Confusion pin Ender manner described Hugh Low in 1848 also a Nepenthes under this name. His name is invalid, the kind within the meaning Lows was renamed as Nepenthes hookeriana, but has now been determined as a natural hybrid of Nepenthes rafflesiana Nepenthes with ampullaria ( Nepenthes × hookeriana ).
Due to the extreme variability of the type numerous varieties and embodiments have been described in particular Borneo, which today are all considered to be synonymous.