| Nepenthes alba | |
|---|---|
| An unusually reddish upper pitcher of N. alba growing on Mount Tahan | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Core eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Nepenthaceae |
| Genus: | Nepenthes |
| Species: | N. alba |
| Binomial name | |
| Nepenthes alba Ridl. (1924)[1] |
|
Nepenthes alba is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Peninsular Malaysia.[2] The specific epithet alba is derived from the Latin word albus, meaning "white", and refers to the colour of the upper pitchers.[2]
In Nepenthes of Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia, Charles Clarke lists the natural hybrid N. gracillima × N. macfarlanei.[3] At the time of the book's publication, N. alba was considered a heterotypic synonym of N. gracillima. Since then, however, N. alba has been elevated to a species.[2] As both N. alba and N. gracillima occur on Mount Tahan, from which Clarke recorded the hybrid, it is unknown which taxon was involved in the cross.
Incompletely diagnosed taxa: N. sp. Misool • N. sp. Papua • N. sp. Sulawesi
Possible extinct species: N. echinatus • N. echinosporus • N. major