Nepenthes madagascariensis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nepenthes madagascariensis

Nepenthes madagascariensis in habitat. Tôlanaro (Fort Dauphin), Madagascar.

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Nepenthaceae
Genus:	Nepenthes
Species:	N. madagascariensis

Binomial name

Nepenthes madagascariensis
Poir. (1797)

Distribution of N. madagascariensis.

Synonyms

Nepenthes cristata
Brongn. (1824)
[=N. alata/N. madagascariensis]
Nepenthes distillatoria
auct. non L.: Brion (1855)
"Anramitaco"
de Flacourt (1658)
"Amramitico"
H.Steiner (2002) sphalm.typogr.

Nepenthes madagascariensis (pronounced /nəˈpɛnθiːz mædəˈɡæskəɹiːˌɛnsɪs/, from Latin: Madagascar = Madagascar, -ensis = from) is one of two Nepenthes pitcher plant species native to Madagascar, the other being N. masoalensis.

1 Botanical history
2 Ecology
3 Infraspecific taxa
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Botanical history

N. madagascariensis was the first Nepenthes species to be discovered; Etienne de Flacourt recorded it in 1658 under the name Anramitaco. He published a description of the plant in his seminal work Histoire de la Grande Isle de Madagascar. It reads:^[1]

It is a plant growing about 3 feet high which carries at the end of its leaves, which are 7 inches long, a hollow flower or fruit resembling a small vase, with its own lid, a wonderful sight. There are red ones and yellow ones, the yellow being the biggest. The inhabitants of this country are reluctant to pick the flowers, saying that if somebody does pick them in passing, it will not fail to rain that day. As to that, I and all the other Frenchmen did pick them, but it did not rain. After rain these flowers are full of water, each one containing a good half-glass. [translated from French in Pitcher-Plants of Borneo]^[2]

[edit] Ecology

N. madagascariensis occurs along the eastern coast of Madagascar, as far north as the Masoala Peninsula. It is most common in the south of the island, around Tôlanaro. This species grows along the edges of swamps and in peaty or sandy soils at low altitudes.^[3]

[edit] Infraspecific taxa

N. madagascariensis var. macrocarpa Scott Elliot (1891)
N. madagascariensis var. cylindrica Dub. (1906)

[edit] References

^ de Flacourt, E. 1658. Histoire de la Grande Isle de Madagascar.
^ Phillipps, A. & A. Lamb 1996. Pitcher-Plants of Borneo. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu.
^ Clarke, C.M., R. Cantley, J. Nerz, H. Rischer & A. Witsuba (2000). Nepenthes madagascariensis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Listed as Vulnerable (VU D2 v2.3).

Ratsirarson, J. & J.A. Silander 1996. Structure and dynamics in Nepenthes madagascariensis pitcher plant micro-communities. Biotropica 28(2): 218–227. doi:10.2307/2389076
Schlosser, E. 2005. Notes on some little known carnivorous plants from Madagascar. Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 34(4): 100–105.