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''Nepenthes rajah'' is an insectivorous pitcher plant species of the Nepenthaceae family. It is endemic to Mount Kinabalu and neighbouring Mount Tambuyukon in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.〔Clarke 1997, p. 123.〕 ''Nepenthes rajah'' grows exclusively on serpentine substrates, particularly in areas of seeping ground water where the soil is loose and permanently moist. The species has an altitudinal range of 1500 to 2650 m a.s.l. and is thus considered a highland or sub-alpine plant. Due to its localised distribution, ''N. rajah'' is classified as an endangered species by the IUCN and listed on CITES Appendix I. The species was collected by Hugh Low on Mount Kinabalu in 1858, and described the following year by Joseph Dalton Hooker, who named it after James Brooke, the first White Rajah of Sarawak. Hooker called it "one of the most striking vegetable productions hither-to discovered".〔Hooker 1859.〕 Since being introduced into cultivation in 1881, ''Nepenthes rajah'' has always been a much sought-after species. For a long time, the plant was seldom seen in private collections due to its rarity, price, and specialised growing requirements. However, recent advances in tissue culture technology have resulted in prices falling dramatically, and ''N. rajah'' is now relatively widespread in cultivation. ''Nepenthes rajah'' is most famous for the giant urn-shaped traps it produces, which can grow up to 41 cm high〔Hamilton, G. 2011. The Sabah Society.〕 and 20 cm wide.〔McPherson, S.R. 2009. ''Pitcher Plants of the Old World''. 2 volumes. Redfern Natural History Productions, Poole.〕 These are capable of holding 3.5 litres of water and in excess of 2.5 litres of digestive fluid, making them probably the largest in the genus by volume. Another morphological feature of ''N. rajah'' is the peltate leaf attachment of the lamina and tendril, which is present in only a few other species. The plant is known to occasionally trap vertebrates and even small mammals, with drowned rats having been observed in the pitcher-shaped traps.〔Phillipps 1988, p. 55.〕 It is one of only two ''Nepenthes'' species documented as having caught mammalian prey in the wild, the other being ''N. rafflesiana''. ''N. rajah'' is also known to occasionally trap small vertebrates such as frogs, lizards and even birds, although these cases probably involve sick animals and certainly do not represent the norm. Insects, and particularly ants, comprise the staple prey in both aerial and terrestrial pitchers. Although ''Nepenthes rajah'' is most famous for trapping and digesting animals, its pitchers are also host to a large number of other organisms, which are thought to form a mutually beneficial (symbiotic) association with the plant. Many of these animals are so specialised that they cannot survive anywhere else, and are referred to as nepenthebionts. ''N. rajah'' has two such mosquito taxa named after it: ''Culex rajah'' and ''Toxorhynchites rajah''. Another key feature of ''N. rajah'' is the relative ease with which it is able to hybridise in the wild. Hybrids between it and all other ''Nepenthes'' species on Mount Kinabalu have been recorded. However, due to the slow-growing nature of ''N. rajah'', few hybrids involving the species have been artificially produced yet. ==Etymology== Joseph Dalton Hooker described ''Nepenthes rajah'' in 1859, naming it in honour of Sir James Brooke, the first White Rajah of Sarawak.〔Kurata 1976, p. 61.〕 In the past, the Latin name was written as ''Nepenthes Rajah'',〔〔Masters 1881.〕〔Reginald 1883.〕〔Hemsley 1905.〕〔Danser 1928, 38.〕 since it derives from a proper noun. However, this capitalisation is considered incorrect today. 'Rajah Brooke's Pitcher Plant'〔Phillipps & Lamb 1996, p. 129.〕 is an accurate, but seldom-used common name. ''N. rajah'' is also sometimes called the 'Giant Malaysian Pitcher Plant'〔Gibson 1983.〕 or simply 'Giant Pitcher Plant', although the binomial name remains by far the most popular way of referring to this species. The specific epithet ''rajah'' means "King" in Malay and this, coupled with the impressive size of its pitchers, has meant that ''N. rajah'' is often referred to as the "King of ''Nepenthes''".〔Steiner 2002, p. 94.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Nepenthes rajah」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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