Nepenthes gymnamphora IN BUKIT ANDAM, MOUNTAIN HALIMUN SALAK NATIONAL PARK

Last year in July 2011, I went to Mountain Halimun Salak National Park. I studied morphological variation of Calamus javensis, one species of rattans, in there for my thesis. I spent about 1 week for collecting my samples. Besides collecting samples, I looked around and found many interesting plant species. One of those is Nepenthes gymnamphora. Here is my note about Nepenthes gymnamphora in MHSNP.

Contents:
1. Bukit Andam
2. Nepenthes gymnamphora
3. Morphology of Nepenthes
4.The Function of the Pitcher



1. Bukit Andam

        Bukit Andam (1300 m.a.s.l.) is one of amazing places in MHSNP. It is located near Cikaniki Research Station (1000 m.a.s.l.). From Cikaniki Research Station to Bukit Andam, it takes about 45--60 minutes trip. Because of its quite extreme track, healthy body is needed. I suggest you to go jogging one week before you go there.
        According to the altitudinal zonation, Bukit Andam is located in submontane forest zone (1000--1500 m.a.s.l). During the trip, we can find many species of trees, like rasamala (Altingia exelsa) and puspa (Schima wallichii), and many species of rattans, like Calamus spp. and rotan badak (Plectocomia elongata).
        The higher the altitude, the vegetation changes. When arriving in Bukit Andam, we can see little trees but many shrubs. It is an opened area, dominated by ferns, Gleichenia linearis (Paku Andam). That is why it is called Bukit Andam. This species likes sun light and it can colonizes rapidly in an opened habitat.




2. Nepenthes gymnamphora

Nepenthes gymnamphora can be found within this Glechenia linearis. Well, it is a bit difficult to find it. These are the pictures of Nepenthes gymnamphora that I found in Bukit Andam. Oh, I made a movie too.

Movie by: Merry Hemelda

Nepenthes does not grow well on fertile soil. On the contrary, they commonly grow on poor soil with preferable habitats being rather exposed to sunlight (Hernawati & Akhriadi, 2006).  Seems like Bukit Andam is a suitable habitat for Nepenthes.

Let's see the pictures below. They are the pictures of Nepenthes gymnamphora in Bukit Andam, MHSNP.

Photos by: Merry Hemelda

3. Morphology of Nepenthes

        Nepenthes gymnamphora is one species of Nepenthaceae family. It is clearly distinguished from the other families by its leaves. All species of Nepenthaceae have spirally arranged and pinnately nerved leaves. Moreover, their leaves elongate, but the elongation is blade-less midrib, called tendril, ending in the pitcher (a cup-shaped to ampullaceous body enclosing a large cavity).

       Uniquely, Nepenthes have pitchers at the end of its leaves. Then what are these pitchers' function? Nepenthes are called carnivorous plants. They are also called insectivorous plants because they eat arthropods, mostly insects. However, one species of Nepenthes, Nepenthes rajah, is the world's largest carnivorous plant, producing pitchers with capacities that may exceed 2 liters. This species is a montane species that occurs only on Mount Kinabalu, Borneo. It is said that N. rajah is a "rat catching" plant, but there is no empirical evidence that vertebrate capture is central to its nutritional strategy (Chin et.al., 2010).

This is the morphology of a pitcher of Nepenthes

4. The Function of the Pitcher

Let's see the picture above. It is the illustration of how an insect is trapped in Nepenthes' pitcher.
        Pitcher is a useful part supporting Nepenthes' live. The pitcher is filled by liquid containing digestive enzymes. Once an insect perches on the lip of the pitcher's mouth, it will fall down into the liquid inside the pitcher. The insect will die then, and it will be digested by digestive enzymes. These enzymes are used as catalyst in digestion process obtaining essential nutrient from the insect that may be absent from the soil where they grow (Hernawati & Akhriadi, 2006). That is why Nepenthes can even survive in poor soil.

Okay, thank you for reading. :)

References:

Chin, L., J.A. Moran, & C. Clarke. 2010. Trap geometry in three giant montane pitcher plant species from Borneo is a function of tree shrew body size. New Phytologist 186: 461--470.
Hernawati & P. Akhriadi. 2006. A field guide to the Nepenthes of Sumatera. Bogor, PILI-NGO Movement: xiii + 153 pp.

http://www.odec.ca/projects/2006/rosk6e2/pg.htm