JeremiahsCPs · CC BY-SA 3.0
About
A striking, climbing pitcher plant, *Nepenthes hurrelliana*, is notable for its dense, rusty-brown indumentum covering the entire plant. It is believed to be a stabilized hybrid, exhibiting intermediate pitcher characteristics between *N. fusca* and *N. veitchii*.
Field notes
Morphology
The plant is a climbing species. Leaves from Mount Lumarku have winged petioles that clasp the stem and are decurrent for about 1 cm. Lower pitchers are narrowly ovate to infundibular, reaching up to 30 cm in height, with a broadly triangular lid and an extended rear peristome (up to 9 cm long). Upper pitchers are more infundibular, reaching up to 28.5 cm, featuring a much more narrowly triangular lid (up to 8 cm long by 4.2 cm wide) that bears a hook-shaped basal crest and a filiform apical appendage. The plant has a dense reddish-brown indumentum, which covers the upper surface of the lid and the upper lamina.
Distribution & habitat
Endemic to Borneo, found in northern Sarawak, southwestern Sabah, and Brunei. It has a wide elevational distribution ranging from 1,300 to 2,400 m above sea level, with extensive populations recorded on Mount Lumarku and Mount Murud.
Ecology
The typical habitat is tall mossy forest and upper montane forest, where it often grows as an epiphyte up to 10 m off the ground. The pitchers host various infauna, including a small golden-coloured frog of the genus *Philautus*.
History & etymology
The species was formally described by Martin Cheek and Anthony Lamb in 2003. The name *Nepenthes hurrelliana* honors Andrew Hurrell, who conducted field observations on Mount Murud in 1995.
Habitat
- Altitude
- 1,300–2,400 m
- Altitude Class
- highland
- Native To
- Borneo, Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei
- IUCN Status
- Least Concern
Taxonomy
- Described
- 2003
- Authority
- Cheek & A.L.Lamb
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- intermediate
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