Nepenthaceae (2001 monograph)


"Nepenthaceae" is a monograph by Martin Cheek and Matthew Jebb on the tropical pitcher plants of Malesia, which encompasses Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Singapore. It was published in 2001 by the National Herbarium of the Netherlands as the fifteenth volume of the Flora Malesiana series. The species descriptions presented in the monograph are based on the authors' field observations in Borneo, New Guinea, and Peninsular Malaysia, as well as the examination of plant material deposited at 20 herbaria.

Content

Cheek and Jebb recognised 83 species from Malesia, including three nothospecies and one "little known species". In addition, they mentioned four "excluded species": N. cincta, N. cristata, N. lindleyana, and N. neglecta.
In "Nepenthaceae", Cheek and Jebb revised several of the taxonomic determinations made in their 1997 monograph, "A skeletal revision of Nepenthes ". They supported Charles Clarke's interpretation of N. borneensis and N. faizaliana in Nepenthes of Borneo, synonymising the former with N. boschiana and restoring the latter as a distinct species, separate from N. stenophylla. In addition, N. philippinensis, which the authors had previously considered a doubtful taxon, was treated as distinct. Of the species described since the preparation of their skeletal revision, Cheek and Jebb accepted N. benstonei, N. lavicola, N. mira, and N. sibuyanensis. However, the authors rejected N. angasanensis, sinking it in synonymy with N. mikei.

Species

The following taxa are covered in the monograph, with 83 recognised as valid species.
  1. N. adnata
  2. N. alata
  3. N. albomarginata
  4. N. ampullaria
  5. N. argentii
  6. N. aristolochioides
  7. N. bellii
  8. N. benstonei
  9. N. bicalcarata
  10. N. bongso
  11. N. boschiana
  12. N. burbidgeae
  13. N. burkei
  14. N. campanulata
  15. N. clipeata
  16. N. danseri
  17. N. densiflora
  18. N. diatas
  19. N. dubia
  20. N. edwardsiana
  21. N. ephippiata
  22. N. eustachya
  23. N. eymae
  24. N. faizaliana
  25. N. fusca
  26. N. glabrata
  27. N. gracilis
  28. N. gracillima
  29. N. gymnamphora
  30. N. hamata
  31. N. hirsuta
  32. N. hispida
  33. N. × hookeriana
  34. N. inermis
  35. N. insignis
  36. N. × kinabaluensis
  37. N. klossii
  38. N. lamii
  39. N. lavicola
  40. N. lowii
  41. N. macfarlanei
  42. N. macrophylla
  43. N. macrovulgaris
  44. N. mapuluensis
  45. N. maxima
  46. N. merrilliana
  47. N. mikei
  48. N. mira
  49. N. mirabilis
  50. N. mollis
  51. N. muluensis
  52. N. murudensis
  53. N. neoguineensis
  54. N. northiana
  55. N. ovata
  56. N. paniculata
  57. N. papuana
  58. N. pectinata
  59. N. petiolata
  60. N. philippinensis
  61. N. pilosa
  62. N. rafflesiana
  63. N. rajah
  64. N. ramispina
  65. N. reinwardtiana
  66. N. rhombicaulis
  67. N. sanguinea
  68. N. sibuyanensis
  69. N. singalana
  70. N. spathulata
  71. N. spectabilis
  72. N. stenophylla
  73. N. sumatrana
  74. N. tentaculata
  75. N. tobaica
  76. N. tomoriana
  77. N. treubiana
  78. N. × trichocarpa
  79. N. truncata
  80. N. veitchii
  81. N. ventricosa
  82. N. villosa
;Little known species
  1. N. deaniana
;Excluded species
  1. N. cincta
  2. N. cristata
  3. N. lindleyana
  4. N. neglecta

    Reviews

Taxonomist Jan Schlauer reviewed "Nepenthaceae" in the March 2002 issue of the Carnivorous Plant Newsletter. He wrote that the monograph "contains essentially the same information as the "skeletal revision" published in 1997". Schlauer also added:
Unfortunately, recent work on previously overlooked type specimens and on Sumatran species was not considered in the present account. Molecular identification and classification methods would have been more useful than the selection of epitypes to stabilize the names N. stenophylla and N. pilosa.

Laura S. Meitzner Yoder gave a positive appraisal of the monograph in the January 2005 issue of Economic Botany:

Species descriptions include comprehensive references and characteristics of vegetative and floral parts. As upper and lower pitchers are prominent and important for identification, the authors give ample information about these features. Notes for each species give expert tips on avoiding confusion with similar species, observations on existing collections, and unique ecological notes and anecdotes. These notes make readers feel privy to trail discussions on an expedition with those who know well and appreciate each species in the family.
Well illustrated, with 19 mostly full-page drawings, this volume is indispensable not only for the botanist and horticulturist, but also recommended for botanically inclined travellers who may encounter these curious plants in the wild.

"Nepenthaceae" was also reviewed by Charles Clarke in the September 2001 issue of the Bulletin of the Australian Carnivorous Plant Society.