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An account of Nepenthes in New Guinea

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Front cover of the March 1991 issue of Science in New Guinea

"An account of Nepenthes in New Guinea" is a monograph by Matthew Jebb on the tropical pitcher plants of New Guinea. It was published in the March 1991 issue of Science in New Guinea, a journal of the University of Papua New Guinea.[1] It remains the only major monograph devoted to the tropical pitcher plants of the island.

Background

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The monograph was the result of work carried out by Jebb during an extended stay at the Christensen Research Institute in Papua New Guinea.[2] It was preceded by a brief account of New Guinea Nepenthes published in the 1989 book The Carnivorous Plants.[3]

Content

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Jebb provided a species key and descriptions of 11 taxa: N. ampullaria, N. insignis, N. klossii, N. maxima, N. mirabilis, N. neoguineensis, N. paniculata, N. papuana, N. treubiana, N. vieillardii (confused with N. lamii; now known to be endemic to New Caledonia),[4][5] and one undescribed species (later described as N. danseri).[4]

In addition to its species descriptions, "An account of Nepenthes in New Guinea" includes a survey of the prey assemblage found in 52 pitchers (belonging to 20 plants) of N. mirabilis.[1] Data is tabulated to compare the prey caught by lower and upper pitchers and to show the relationship between pitcher height and prey type.[1]

Reviews

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Botanist Martin Cheek reviewed the monograph in the December 1992 issue of the Carnivorous Plant Newsletter.[6] He praised the line drawings and noted that "with this account an outstanding gap has been filled".[6] Cheek continued:[6]

No other regional monograph of Nepenthes is as scientific in approach or as fully illustrated.

[...] Jebb excels in elaborating the architecture and predatory pattern of Nepenthes. As far as I am aware, he is the first to link the onset of 'upper' pitcher production with the initiation of flowering.

[...] Little detracts from this account. Very few typo's came to light [...].

Discussing the section on prey assemblage, Cheek wrote that "[f]or perhaps the first time then, the hard facts are provided on predatory patterns in Nepenthes".[6] Cheek concludes by writing: "Anyone interested in any aspect of Nepenthes is urged to get and read this work."

References

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  1. ^ a b c Jebb, M.H.P. 1991. An account of Nepenthes in New Guinea. Science in New Guinea 17(1): 7–54.
  2. ^ Jury, S.L. 1994. "Visitors" (PDF). Herbarium News 34: 20.
  3. ^ Jebb, M.H.P. 1989. Some observations on Nepenthes in Papua New Guinea. In: B.E. Juniper, R.J. Robins & D.M. Joel. The Carnivorous Plants. Academic Press, London. pp. 314–316.
  4. ^ a b Jebb, M.H.P. & M.R. Cheek 1997. A skeletal revision of Nepenthes (Nepenthaceae). Blumea 42(1): 1–106.
  5. ^ McPherson, S.R. 2009. Pitcher Plants of the Old World. 2 volumes. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole.
  6. ^ a b c d Cheek, M. 1992. Nepenthes of New Guinea: Book Review by Martin Cheek. Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 21(4): 108–109.
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