Nepenthes albomarginata is a tropical pitcher plant native to Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia, and Sumatra.

The specific epithet albomarginata, formed from the Latin words albus (white) and marginatus (margin), refers to the white band of trichomes that is characteristic of this species. This name, along with all others, was dropped from the much-expanded second edition, published in 2008.

Description

Nepenthes albomarginata is a climbing plant. The stem may reach lengths of up to and is up to in diameter. Internodes are cylindrical in cross section and up to long. A dense band of short white trichomes is present directly below the peristome, although these may be missing from pitchers that have caught termites. The glandular region covers the bulbous portion of the pitcher's inner surface. The lid or operculum is suborbicular and lacks appendages. An unbranched spur (≤ long) is inserted near the base of the lid.

Most parts of the plant are covered in a dense indumentum of very short, stellate white hairs. However, the underside of the lamina bears a dense covering of long hairs. It has an altitudinal distribution of 0–1200 m above sea level.

thumb|left|220px|N. albomarginata growing in Sumatran heath forest

Its typical habitat consists of kerangas forest, but it has also been recorded from the summit vegetation of lowland peaks.

Carnivory

<!--thumb|An upper pitcher lacking the white band of trichomes-->

Nepenthes albomarginata is notable for specializing in termites; most of the species in the genus Nepenthes are unselective about their prey. According to botanist Marlis A. Merbach and coworkers, this specialization to a single prey taxon is unique amongst carnivorous plants.

Nepenthes albomarginata has a unique morphological feature: a rim of living white trichomes directly below the peristome. The rim's hairs tend to be missing from pitchers that have caught termites. Merbach said "For several days, nothing would happen, then &mdash; after a single night &mdash; pitchers would fill with termites and their rim hairs would disappear."

Merbach investigated this phenomenon by placing fresh intact pitchers, together with pitchers with their white rims removed, near to the head of foraging columns of the termite Hospitalitermes bicolor.

  • N.&nbsp;albomarginata var. tomentella (Miq.) Beck (1895)
  • N.&nbsp;albomarginata var. typica Beck (1895)

Natural hybrids

thumb|N.&nbsp;albomarginata × N.&nbsp;gracilis

  • N.&nbsp;albomarginata × N.&nbsp;ampullaria
  • ? N.&nbsp;albomarginata × N.&nbsp;chaniana
  • N.&nbsp;albomarginata × N.&nbsp;clipeata
  • N.&nbsp;albomarginata × N.&nbsp;gracilis
  • N.&nbsp;albomarginata × N.&nbsp;hirsuta
  • N.&nbsp;albomarginata × N.&nbsp;rafflesiana
  • N.&nbsp;albomarginata × N.&nbsp;reinwardtiana [=N. × ferrugineomarginata]
  • N.&nbsp;albomarginata × N.&nbsp;veitchii

N.&nbsp;albomarginata × N.&nbsp;reinwardtiana

Its natural range covers the islands Borneo and Sumatra. The type specimen was collected by Shigeo Kurata in Kenukat, West Kalimantan, in 1981. Kurata described the hybrid the following year.

References

Further reading

  • [Anonymous] 1877. Reports of Societies. Royal Horticultural. The Gardeners' Chronicle 8(197): 441.
  • [Anonymous] 1883. Mr. A. E. Ratcliff's Nepenthes. The Gardeners' Chronicle 20(497): 18–19.
  • Adam, J.H. 1997. Prey spectra of Bornean Nepenthes species (Nepenthaceae) in relation to their habitat. Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science 20(2–3): 121–134.
  • Beveridge, N.G.P., C. Rauch, P.J.A. Keßler, R.R. van Vugt & P.C. van Welzen 2013. A new way to identify living species of Nepenthes (Nepenthaceae): more data needed! Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 42(4): 122–128.
  • Blondeau, G. 2001. Nepenthes albomarginata. In: Les Plantes Carnivores. De Vecchi, Paris. p.&nbsp;69.
  • Bonhomme, V., H. Pelloux-Prayer, E. Jousselin, Y. Forterre, J.-J. Labat & L. Gaume 2011. Slippery or sticky? Functional diversity in the trapping strategy of Nepenthes carnivorous plants. New Phytologist 191(2): 545–554.
  • Dixon, W.E. 1889. Nepenthes. The Gardeners' Chronicle, series 3, 6(144): 354.
  • Fashing, N.J. 2010. Two novel adaptations for dispersal in the mite family Histiostomatidae (Astigmata). In: M.W. Sabelis & J. Bruin (eds.) Trends in Acarology: Proceedings of the 12th International Congress. Springer Science, Dordrecht. pp.&nbsp;81–84.
  • Hernawati & P. Akhriadi 2006. A Field Guide to the Nepenthes of Sumatra. PILI-NGO Movement, Bogor.
  • Hooker, J.D. 1859. XXXV. On the origin and development of the pitchers of Nepenthes, with an account of some new Bornean plants of that genus. The Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 22(4): 415–424.
  • Kato, M., M. Hotta, R. Tamin & T. Itino 1993. Inter- and intra-specific variation in prey assemblages and inhabitant communities in Nepenthes pitchers in Sumatra. Tropical Zoology 6(1): 11–25. Abstract
  • Kitching, R.L. 2000. Food Webs and Container Habitats: The natural history and ecology of phytotelmata. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
  • Kurniawati, R. 2010. Serangga yang terdapat pada kantong Nepenthes albomarginata T. Lobb ex Lindl. dan Nepenthes eustachya Miq. di Kawasan Cagar Alam Lembah Harau Kabupaten Limapuluh Kota. Thesis, Andalas University, Padang. <!--https://www.webcitation.org/6JN6ENzSo-->
  • 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.
  • Lecoufle, M. 1990. Nepenthes albo-marginata. In: Carnivorous Plants: Care and Cultivation. Blandford, London. pp.&nbsp;128–129.
  • Lee, C.C. 2000. Recent Nepenthes Discoveries. [video] The 3rd Conference of the International Carnivorous Plant Society, San Francisco, USA.
  • Macák, M. 1998. Portréty rostlin - Nepenthes albomarginata. Trifid 1998(3–4): 57–59. (page 2, page 3)
  • Macfarlane, J.M. 1914. Family XCVI. Nepenthaceæ. [pp.&nbsp;279–288] In: J.S. Gamble. Materials for a flora of the Malayan Peninsula, No. 24. Journal & Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 75(3): 279–391.
  • Mansur, M. 2001. Koleksi Nepenthes di Herbarium Bogoriense: prospeknya sebagai tanaman hias. In: Prosiding Seminar Hari Cinta Puspa dan Satwa Nasional. Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia, Bogor. pp.&nbsp;244–253. <!--https://www.webcitation.org/6N4U7jyaF--> <!--also as N. tomentella-->
  • Mansur, M. 2007. Keanekaragaman jenis Nepenthes (kantong semar) dataran rendah di Kalimantan Tengah. [Diversity of lowland Nepenthes (kantong semar) in Central Kalimantan.] Berita Biologi 8(5): 335–341. Abstract
  • Mansur, M. & F.Q. Brearley 2008. Ecological studies on Nepenthes at Barito Ulu, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Jurnal Teknologi Lingkungan 9(3): 271–276.
  • Masters, M.T. 1872. The cultivated species of Nepenthes. The Gardeners' Chronicle and Agricultural Gazette 1872(16): 540–542.
  • McPherson, S.R. & A. Robinson 2012. Field Guide to the Pitcher Plants of Borneo. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole.
  • 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. Molekular-systematische Untersuchungen an den Familien Nepenthaceae und Ancistrocladaceae sowie verwandter Taxa aus der Unterklasse Caryophyllidae s. l.. Ph.D. thesis, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich. <!--https://www.webcitation.org/6LJEfYI5A-->
  • 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.
  • Merbach, M.A., G. Zizka, B. Fiala, U. Maschwitz & W.E. Booth 2001. Patterns of nectar secretion in five Nepenthes species from Brunei Darussalam, Northwest Borneo, and implications for ant-plant relationships. Flora 196: 153–160. <!--https://www.webcitation.org/6Ms0xefiI-->
  • Moran, J.A., W.E. Booth & J.K. Charles 1999. Aspects of pitcher morphology and spectral characteristics of six Bornean Nepenthes pitcher plant species: Implications for prey capture. Annals of Botany 83: 521–528.
  • Murniati, Syamswisna & A. Nurdini 2013. Pembuatan flash card dari hasil inventarisasi Nepenthes di hutan adat desa Teluk Bakung. Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pembelajaran 2(1): [unpaginated; 14&nbsp;pp.] Abstract <!--https://www.webcitation.org/6JC3R0wt2-->
  • Nurita, E. 2010. Mikrosporogenesis pada kantung semar (Nepenthes albomarginata T.Lobb ex Lindl). Thesis, Andalas University, Padang. <!--https://www.webcitation.org/6JLMA2y3F-->
  • Osunkoya, O.O., S.D. Daud & F.L. Wimmer 2008. Longevity, lignin content and construction cost of the assimilatory organs of Nepenthes species. Annals of Botany 102(5): 845–853.
  • 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.
  • Riedel, M., A. Eichner, H. Meimberg & R. Jetter 2007. Chemical composition of epicuticular wax crystals on the slippery zone in pitchers of five Nepenthes species and hybrids. Planta 225(6): 1517–1534.
  • Shivas, R.G. 1984. Pitcher Plants of Peninsular Malaysia & Singapore. Maruzen Asia, Kuala Lumpur.
  • Smythies, B.E. 1965. The distribution and ecology of pitcher-plants (Nepenthes) in Sarawak. UNESCO Humid Tropics Symposium, June–July 1963, Kuching, Sarawak.
  • Sukamto, L.A. 2005. Kultur Nepenthes albomarginata secara in vitro. In: Laporan Teknik Pusat Penelitian Biologi-LIPI. Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia, Bogor. pp.&nbsp;433–438.
  • Syamsuardi & R. Tamin 1994. Kajian kekerabatan jenis-jenis Nepenthes di Sumatera Barat. Project report, Andalas University, Padang. <!--https://www.webcitation.org/6JLCTvrXg-->
  • Syamsuardi 1995. Klasifikasi numerik kantong semar (Nepenthes) di Sumatera Barat.[Numerical classification of pitcher plants (Nepenthes) in West Sumatra.] Journal Matematika dan Pengetahuan Alam 4(1): 48–57. <!--https://www.webcitation.org/6JN8nxPsh-->
  • Takeuchi, Y., M.M. Salcher, M. Ushio, R. Shimizu-Inatsugi, M.J. Kobayashi, B. Diway, C. von Mering, J. Pernthaler & K.K. Shimizu 2011. In situ enzyme activity in the dissolved and particulate fraction of the fluid from four pitcher plant species of the genus Nepenthes. PLoS ONE 6(9): e25144.
  • Thorogood, C. 2010. The Malaysian Nepenthes: Evolutionary and Taxonomic Perspectives. Nova Science Publishers, New York.
  • Wan, A.S., R.T. Aexel, R.B. Ramsey & H.J. Nicholas 1972. Nepenthaceae: sterols and triterpenes of the pitcher plant. Phytochemistry 11(1): 456–461.

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  • Photographs of N.&nbsp;albomarginata at the Carnivorous Plant Photofinder
  • Nepenthes albo-marginata of Penang Hill