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Nepenthes alata
One of the oldest and best-known names in the genus, but also one of the most misunderstood. Nepenthes alata — 'winged', after the winged petiole — was described in 1837 by the Spanish Augustinian Francisco Manuel Blanco in his Flora de Filipinas. For more than a century and a half the name was used for a highly variable species from almost the whole Philippine archipelago, from sea level to 1900 m. In 2013 Martin Cheek and Matthew Jebb re-established the identity of the name and restricted the species to a hairy montane plant of northern and central Luzon. Most other populations have borne other names since.
Identification
In the strict sense of Cheek and Jebb (2013), a climber of montane forest with persistently hairy stems. The main field character is the hairiness of the pitchers: more than half of the outer surface is covered in grey stellate hairs, giving the pitchers a soft, velvety look. In addition, the upper pitchers carry fringed wings in their upper part, and the underside of the lid is densely and evenly set with small nectar glands 0.15 to 0.2 mm across. As throughout the Nepenthes alata group, the petioles are winged, the lid bears a basal ridge on its underside, and the upper pitchers are usually broadest near the base. Because the descriptions with measurements in older literature concern the species in the broad sense, and no verifiable measurements were found for the species in the strict sense, this guide gives no dimensions.
Similar species
The confusion lies mainly in the name. What was published as Nepenthes alata before 2013 includes plants now called Nepenthes graciliflora (the widespread, sparsely hairy plant known in cultivation as 'typical alata'), Nepenthes negros from Negros and Biliran, and Nepenthes ramos from Mindanao. Close relatives in the group further include Nepenthes mindanaoensis, Nepenthes hamiguitanensis, Nepenthes leyte, Nepenthes kitanglad and Nepenthes extincta. On Luzon itself Nepenthes ventricosa is a montane species in the same region; it has angular stems and creamy white hourglass-shaped pitchers and is therefore easy to tell apart.
The trap and how it works
A pitfall trap of the usual kind with two pitcher forms: lower pitchers on the rosettes of young plants, upper pitchers on the climbing stem. Distinctive is the dense hairiness of the outer wall, which characterises the species in the strict sense; what it means for capture has not been studied. The fringed wings at the top of the upper pitchers may guide crawling insects to the mouth. The underside of the lid is densely set with nectar glands that lure insects to the rim, where they slip on the wet peristome into the digestive fluid. No prey study of the species in the strict sense was found; much older research under this name concerns other species of the group.
Habitat and ecology
Mossy montane and submontane forest, from about 550 m upward (B1). That is a much narrower ecological niche than the old concept suggested, in which the species ranged from the lowlands high into the mountains. This is cool, damp forest with a thick layer of moss, where the plant climbs through the vegetation or grows in the light on open patches and forest edges. No upper limit is given in the sources consulted, so the elevation field is left empty.
Distribution and elevation
Endemic to the Philippines and in the strict sense confined to northern and central Luzon, mainly north of Manila. Its centre lies in the Cordillera Central of north-eastern Luzon (the provinces of Benguet, Bontoc, Ilocos Norte, Nueva Vizcaya, Mountain Province and Ifugao), with rarer records in the Zambales Mountains and the Sierra Madre. Our own species list gives 'Philippines', which was correct for the old, broad concept; since the 2013 revision the species is known only from Luzon. Records from other islands concern other species.
- Recorded (one-degree cells)
Forms and variation
No wild varieties or forms belonging to the species in the strict sense are recognised. Much of the colour and shape variation attributed to Nepenthes alata in older literature in fact concerns other species of the group. The same holds for the long list of hybrids reported under this name: most concern plants from outside Luzon, and thus Nepenthes graciliflora or other now recognised species. Which natural hybrids the species in the strict sense forms is not worked out in the sources consulted.
Where and when to see it
The Cordillera Central of northern Luzon is easily reached from Baguio and the mountain towns of Benguet, Mountain Province and Ifugao. Search in remnants of mossy montane forest on slopes and ridges, not in the pine forests. When identifying, look for the dense grey hairs on the pitchers and the fringed wings at the top of the upper pitchers: plants without that hairiness are rare in northern Luzon and elsewhere in the archipelago probably belong to another species. Respect the rules of protected areas and the rights of indigenous communities.
Conservation status
Assessed on the Red List as Least Concern. That assessment probably still reflects the species in the broad sense, distributed across almost the whole archipelago; the much smaller species in the strict sense, confined to the montane forest of Luzon, would need a fresh assessment. As a member of Nepenthes it is listed in CITES Appendix II, so international trade in wild plants requires a permit. The cloud forest of northern Luzon is under pressure from conversion to vegetable farming, logging and road building.
Scientific name
Nepenthes alata | Blanco, 1837
Described by Francisco Manuel Blanco in 1837, in his Flora de Filipinas. The species is endemic to the Philippines. The name derives from the Latin alatus (winged) and refers to this species' winged leaf stalks.
World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), via Plants of the World Online (POWO), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.