What is a giant pitcher plant?

The giant pitcher plant, also known as Attenborough pitcher plant, was first discovered by two missionaries on the summit of Mount Victoria in central Palawan, Philippines. It was later confirmed by British botanists that this plant is a new species of pitcher plant, which is so large that it can even devour prey the size of a mouse, distributed between 1600 and 1726 meters above sea level in Palawan province of the Philippines.

Giant pitcher plants are terrestrial herbs or lianas. The stem can be 3.5 cm in diameter and 1.5 m high, showing a cylindrical shape. Leaves sessile or petiolulate, leaves of rosette plants can be up to 30 cm long and 10 cm wide, while leaves of climbing stems can be up to 40 cm long and 15 cm wide. The leaf is oval, the leaf tip is obtuse, the leaf base is attenuate, enclosing 2/3 of the perimeter of the stem, extending 2 to 3 cm.

Giant pitcher plants can produce very large pitcher cages, sometimes even larger than the typical size of King Malay pitcher plants, with a capacity of more than 1.5 liters and occasionally more than 2 liters. The lower cage is very brittle, bell-shaped, up to 30 cm high and 16 cm wide. The cage vine is 30 to 40 centimeters long and 4 to 9 millimeters in diameter. The cage vine is flat and the cross section is flat and round. The upper cage is similar to the lower cage, but it is generally funnel-shaped, which can be up to 25 cm high and 12 cm wide.

The inflorescence of giant pitcher plant is a raceme, which can be up to 80 cm long. the male inflorescence has about 100 pedicled flowers, and the inflorescence axis can be up to 45 cm long. Flowers ebracteate, with red tepals. Perianth segments broadly ovate, obtusely pointed. Female inflorescences are short, up to 65 cm long, unforked, about 70 pedicellate flowers, and inflorescence rachis up to 20 cm long. Perianth segments brown to purple, ovate, acute.

Giant pitcher plants are distributed in Palawan Province of the Philippines and grow on Mount Victoria at an altitude of 1600 m to 1726 m. Later, giant pitcher plants were found on Mount Sagpaw and its adjacent ridges in the Victoria Heights. They grow in bushes with a height of 0.8 to 1.8 m and are co-distributed with several other pitcher plant species.