Pitcher Plants of Genting Highlands

Tropical pitcher plants from the genus Nepenthes are fascinating if not grotesque plants that trap insects with passive pitfall traps. Well, these carnivorous plants need little explanation, just remember that the pitchers are the leaves and the 'leaves' that you see are petiole wings.

At Genting Highlands, three intermediate/highland pitcher plants found there are Nepenthes sanguinea, N. ramispina and N. macfarlanei. Also, various hybrids between them are found whenever they grow and bloom in close proximity. First of all, the common Nepenthes sanguinea.

Exhibit No. 1: Nepenthes sanguinea

Exhibit No. 2: Also Nepenthes sanguinea. But this is a large upper pitcher.

Exhibit No. 3:  Nepenthes sanguinea hiding in the undergrowth.

Next we have the slender N. ramispina. These are the upper pitchers, which are smoky lime green on the outside. The lower pitchers are usually dark purple bordering black on the outside.

Nepenthes ramispina upper pitcher

Nepenthes ramispina

Finally, we have the more elusive N. macfarlanei, which have infundibulate lower pitchers on mature plants. N. macfarlanei has a unique feature which is a lawn of hairs on the underside of the pitcher lid.

Nepenthes macfarlanei - large intermediate pitcher

Some of these smaller plants could be small rosettes of N. macfarlanei or hybrids of N. macfarlanei, though I did not observe any other species in the vicinity.

A red seedling, possibly N. macfarlanei.

Another seedling - some hairs on the underside of the lid.

Here's an update: There were more large rosettes of N. macfarlanei on a site further up from where the baby plants were found.

N. macfarlanei lower pitcher. Notice the hairs on the underside of the lid.

Look at the hairs on the underside of this baby Nepenthes macfarlanei!

Remember...take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints.