Nepenthes palawanensis
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| Nepenthes palawanensis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A lower pitcher of N. palawanensis photographed by Stewart McPherson | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Nepenthaceae |
| Genus: | Nepenthes |
| Species: | N. palawanensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Nepenthes palawanensis | |
Nepenthes palawanensis is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sultan Peak on the island of Palawan in the Philippines, where it grows at elevations of 1,100–1,236 m (3,609–4,055 ft) above sea level.[2] It was discovered in February 2010 by Jehson Cervancia and Stewart McPherson.[3]
The species appears to be most closely related to N. attenboroughii, which grows on nearby Mount Victoria.[3][4] Nepenthes palawanensis can be distinguished from N. attenboroughii by its pitchers, which are even larger, sometimes exceeding 35 cm in height,[5] and with a capacity of 1.5–2 litres (0.33–0.44 imp gal; 0.40–0.53 US gal) of water.[6] (The largest pitchers remain those of N. rajah.)[6] Another difference from N. attenboroughii is that the pitchers of N. palawanensis are lined with orange to red hairs.[6]
Nepenthes palawanensis was featured as number 4 on Chris Packham's "top ten discoveries of extraordinary and weird new species from the last decade" on the BBC programme Decade of Discovery, first broadcast on December 14, 2010.[7][8]
The discovery of N. attenboroughii, by a team that included McPherson, helped to obtain local support for the protection of the Mount Victoria range; following the discovery of N. palawanensis, it was hoped that similar support for the Sultan range might result.[6] To date, neither mountain has been afforded protected status.[9]