| English Name | Pitcher Plant |
|---|---|
| Status in China | Vulnerable (VU) |
Description:
Perennial herbs; Stem prostrate or climbing, up to 2 m long. Leaves basal and alternate on stem, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, 10-25 cm long and 4-8 cm wide; midrib prolonged into a tendril which is greatly expanded and hollowed at end forming the "pitcher". The pitcher cylindrical, 8-16 cm long, 2-5 cm in diam., with a orbicular lid at apex. Plants dioecious; flower unisexual, red or purple-red, in a terminal raceme; pedicels 5-15 mm long; tepals 4 (-3), elliptic, 4-7 mm long. In male flower, stamens 4-25 connate into a column; in female flower, ovary 1, superior, 4-3-celled. Capsules ellipsoidal, 15-30 cm.
Distribution:
Tai Lam Chung, So Kwun Wat, Castle Peak, Lantau. Hainan, Guangdong; Indochina peninsula, Malaysia.
Habitat and Ecology:
In grasses and crevices of marshes.
This plant is a good example of carnivorous plant for educational and research purposes. In mainland of China the species is only sparsely distributed in marshes of Guangdong and Hainan Province and is endangered by destruction of habitats and over-collection for cultivation as ornamentals. In Hong Kong, some localities of its occurrence are in Country Parks under protection. This species is also protected by the Forestry Regulations (Cap. 96 sub. leg.) and the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586).
References:
阮雲珍，1984：中國植物誌，34（1）：12，圖版5。科學出版社，北京。
