Nepenthes rajah

Nepenthes rajah
Large lower pitcher of Nepenthes rajah. Mount Kinabalu, Borneo.
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Nepenthaceae
Genus: Nepenthes
Species:
N. rajah
Binomial name
Nepenthes rajah
Hook.f. (1859)
Borneo, showing natural range of Nepenthes rajah highlighted in green.
Synonyms

Nepenthes rajah /nɪˈpɛnθiːz ˈrɑːdʒə/ is a carnivorous pitcher plant species of the family Nepenthaceae. It is endemic to Mount Kinabalu and neighbouring Mount Tambuyukon in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.[3]: 123  Nepenthes rajah grows exclusively on serpentine substrates, particularly in areas of seeping ground water where the soil is loose and permanently moist. The species has an altitudinal range of 1,500–2,650 m (4,920–8,690 ft) above sea level and is thus considered a highland or sub-alpine plant. Due to its localised distribution, N. rajah is classified as an endangered species by the IUCN and listed on CITES Appendix I.[2]

The species was collected by Hugh Low on Mount Kinabalu in 1858, and described the next year by Joseph Dalton Hooker, who named it after James Brooke, the first White Rajah of Sarawak. Since being introduced into cultivation in 1881, it has always been a sought-after species, although costly and hard to cultivate. Tissue culture has allowed it to become more widespread in cultivation.

N. rajah is best known for the giant urn-shaped traps it produces, which can grow up to 41 cm (16 in) high[4] and 20 cm (7.9 in) wide.[5] These are capable of holding 3.5 L (0.92 US gal) of water[6] and in excess of 2.5 L (0.66 US gal) of digestive fluid, making them probably the largest in the genus.

N. rajah can trap mammals as large as rats.[7] N. rajah occasionally traps small vertebrates such as frogs, lizards, and even birds. Insects, and particularly ants, are its staple prey. The pitchers are host to many other organisms, some so specialised that they cannot survive anywhere else, and are called nepenthebionts. N. rajah has two such mosquito taxa named after it: Culex rajah and Toxorhynchites rajah. The species is able to hybridise in the wild with all other locally-occurring Nepenthes species.

  1. ^ Clarke, C.; Cantley, R.; Nerz, J.; Rischer, H.; Witsuba, A. (2000). "Nepenthes rajah". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2000: e.T39690A10251581. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2000.RLTS.T39690A10251581.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference CITES_A1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Clarke, Charles; Wong, K. M. (1997). Nepenthes of Borneo. Kota Kinabalu: Natural History Publications in association with Science and Technology Unit, Sabah. ISBN 983-812-015-4.
  4. ^ Hamilton, G. 2011. "The Sabah Society Mesilau Trip, March 26–27, 2011" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-09-30. Retrieved 2011-07-02. The Sabah Society.
  5. ^ McPherson, S.R. 2009. Pitcher Plants of the Old World. 2 volumes. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole.
  6. ^ "Focus: Rajah Brooke's Pitcher Plant" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-05-26.
  7. ^ Phillipps 1988, p. 55.