Alfindra Primaldhi · CC BY 2.0
About
A notable tropical pitcher plant, *Nepenthes insignis* is a weak climber with large, robust pitchers. It is characterized by its distinct, often dark reddish-brown peristome and its tendency to grow epiphytically in moss layers, particularly near rivers.
Field notes
Morphology
The plant is a weak climber with stems up to 80 cm long and 7 mm in diameter. Leaves are coriaceous and linear-lanceolate, up to 35 cm long and 6 cm wide. Lower pitchers are ovate to cylindrical, reaching 35 cm in height, and typically lack fringed wings, possessing a pair of ribs instead. The peristome is flattened, bearing ribs spaced 0.5 to 1 mm apart, and the pitcher lid is orbiculate to broad cordate, up to 8 cm long, with numerous large glands on the underside. Upper pitchers are infundibulate to cylindrical, up to 30 cm high, with an expanded peristome up to 35 mm wide.
Distribution & habitat
Endemic to Western New Guinea and surrounding islands in Cenderawasih Bay, with an altitudinal range of 0–850 m above sea level. A smaller form is also found near sea-level on the island of Biak.
Ecology
The primary prey of *Nepenthes insignis* appears to be big-winged cockroaches, which are suggested to be attracted by the plant's odor. The plant utilizes digestive glands in the inner surface of the pitcher, and it has been studied for its production of the allelochemical plumbagin.
History & etymology
The first known collection was made by August Adriaan Pulle on November 9, 1912, in southwestern New Guinea. B. H. Danser formally described *N. insignis* in his 1928 monograph, basing the description solely on herbarium material.
Conservation
Listed as Least concern on the IUCN Red List.
Habitat
- Altitude
- 0–850 m
- Altitude Class
- lowland
- IUCN Status
- Least Concern
Taxonomy
- Described
- 1928
- Authority
- Danser
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- intermediate
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