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Nepenthes is a genus of tropical pitcher plants comprising woody or subwoody shrubs, subshrubs, lianas, and herbs.^[2][3] It encompasses more than 150 species that collectively exhibit a high degree of morphological variability in all major features.^[4][5][6]

A typical Nepenthes plant consists of a flexible stem with a spiral arrangement of leaves. Moving outwards from the stem, each leaf consists of a lamina (leaf blade), a narrow tendril, and a water-impounding pitcher (derived from and considered to be the true leaf). The lamina may either be directly connected to the stem or have an intervening narrowing termed a petiole. The pitcher consists primarily of the pitcher cup, a container formed from the expanded leaf into which digestive enzymes are secreted and where prey animals are trapped. A ring of hardened tissue, called the peristome, surrounds the entrance to the pitcher cup. It serves multiple functions, playing a role in prey attraction, capture, and retention, and also provides structural support for the pitcher. A lid, or operculum, usually covers the trap's opening, aiding in prey capture and preventing rain from diluting the digestive fluid within the pitcher or displacing its contents. Like the peristome, the lid lures insects into a precarious position over the pitcher mouth. A small spur is inserted near the base of the lid, on the pitcher's dorsal surface, and this represents the true apex of the leaf. Two fringed wings are often present at the front of the trap; the function of these structures is uncertain. Most species produce at least two distinct types of pitchers; lower pitchers are produced by rosettes and usually rest on the ground, whereas upper pitchers are typically associated with older, climbing stems and are held in the air. Upon reaching maturity, the plant produces an inflorescence in place of a new leaf, with the stem subsequently continuing as a lateral branch. The lateral axes of the inflorescence may bear only a single flower or be secondarily branched and hold up to 40. Nepenthes are the only carnivorous plants that are dioecious, having separate male and female plants. Pollen is dispersed in spiny tetrads (groups of four). Fruits typically each contain several hundred seeds, which in most species are thread-like to aid in wind dispersal. Most Nepenthes have a shallow system of fine, fibrous roots, but a number of pyrophytic species from Indochina produce a well developed rootstock. Many species possess an indumentum of hairs on various vegetative and floral parts; this covering is highly variable in both form and extent.

In most species, the stem and leaves exhibit stage-dependent heteromorphy, their morphology changing markedly when the plant transitions from a low-growing rosette to a climbing liana.^[2] This is most clearly seen in the dimorphism of the pitchers. Older specimens may have more than one stem, with additional shoots originating from activated subapical nodes on the original stem (and thus producing a branched stem), from the main rootstock, or from runners, depending on the plant architecture.

Unfavourable environmental conditions can give rise to ecophenes with aberrant morphological features and growth habits. While all Nepenthes are perennials and most experience little or no seasonal variation, an exceptional group of closely related species from Indochina commonly undergoes seasonal dieback and dormancy.