Nepenthes truncata explained

Nepenthes truncata (; 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.^[1] The species grows at an elevation of 0–1500 m above sea level.^[2] 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.^{[3] [4]}

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 indoors. Both N. rajah ^[5] and N. rafflesiana^[6] are known to occasionally catch small mammals in the wild.Although it is possible for Nepenthes truncata to trap mice, the calcium heavy bones will not be digested.

Natural hybrids

• N. alata × N. truncata [=''[[Nepenthes × truncalata|N. × truncalata]]]^[7]
• N. mindanaoensis × N. truncata
• ? N. petiolata × N. truncata^{[8] [9]}

References

Carnivorous plant resource. 2019.^[10]

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Macfarlane, J.M. 1927. The Philippine species of Nepenthes. The Philippine Journal of Science 33(2): 127–140.
• Mansur, M. 2001. Web site: Koleksi Nepenthes di Herbarium Bogoriense: prospeknya sebagai tanaman hias. . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120319205635/http://elib.pdii.lipi.go.id/katalog/index.php/searchkatalog/downloadDatabyId/1286/1286.pdf . 2012-03-19 . In: Prosiding Seminar Hari Cinta Puspa dan Satwa Nasional. Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia, Bogor. pp. 244–253.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Siegara . Andree . Yogiara . amp . Bacterial community profiles in the fluid of four pitcher plant species (Nepenthes spp.) grown in a nursery . Microbiology Indonesia . 2009 . 3 . 3 . 109–114 . 10.5454/mi.3.3.3. free .
• 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.
• 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

Notes and References

1. McPherson, S.R. & V.B. Amoroso 2011. Field Guide to the Pitcher Plants of the Philippines. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole.
2. McPherson, S.R. 2009. Pitcher Plants of the Old World. 2 volumes. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole.
3. Cheek, M. 2011. Nepenthes robcantleyi sp. nov. (Nepenthaceae) from Mindanao, Philippines. Nordic Journal of Botany 29(6): 677–681.
4. Mey, F.S. 2011. Nepenthes robcantleyi aka "Nepenthes black truncata". Strange Fruits: A Garden's Chronicle, December 27, 2011.
5. Phillipps, A. 1988. Web site: A second record of rats as prey in Nepenthes rajah. .   Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 17(2): 55.
6. 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.
7. Mann, P. 1998. A trip to the Philippines. Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 27(1): 6–11.
8. Kurata, S. & M. Toyoshima 1972. Philippine species of Nepenthes. The Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 26(1): 155–158. Abstract
9. Cheek, M.R. & M.H.P. Jebb 2001. Nepenthaceae. Flora Malesiana 15: 1–157.
10. Web site: Nepenthes truncata.