Discovery of Nepenthes edwardsiana at Marai Parai

Abstract

Write-up of a travel on the search for Nepenthes edwarsiana, which occurred in April 2003. The plants are present in small number in the area known as “Marai Parai” on the slopes of Mt. Kinabalu. They are located at the top on the saddle between two hills, with the very steep slopes which does not allow correct exploration of the zone. Only a small part can be visited, and it is there that we discovered three sites with plants. The plants climb up to the canopy, the size of the traps appeared impressive: close to 30 cm high. The texture of the trap remained very flexible, including the prominent rings of the peristome, whose only low zone, carrying digestive glands was rigid. More surprising was the white colour of the inside of the trap which contrasts with the outside red. The plants did not seem anymore to be regenerated by sexual reproduction: neither male or female floral stalk, nor young seedlings; only adult plants, looking obviously identical, which let think that maybe these plants represented only one individual which would have been naturally layered