 Covers showingN. northiana (left) andC. follicularis (right) | |
| Author | Stewart McPherson |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Redfern Natural History Productions |
Publication date | May 2009 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | xvi + 1399 |
| ISBN | 978-0-9558918-2-3 (Volume I) ISBN 978-0-9558918-3-0 (Volume II) |
| OCLC | 437275713 |
Pitcher Plants of the Old World is a two-volumemonograph byStewart McPherson on thepitcher plants of thegeneraNepenthes andCephalotus. It was published in May 2009 by Redfern Natural History Productions and covers all species known at the time.[1] The work was edited byAlastair Robinson and Andreas Fleischmann.[1]
The monograph was followed in 2011 byNew Nepenthes: Volume One, a supplementary work covering the manyNepenthestaxa documented in the preceding few years.[2]
In an interview withThe Hoopoe, McPherson explained his reasons for writing the book and the extensive field work that it involved:[3]
I preparedPitcher Plants of the Old World in response to the lack of available information on dozens of species ofNepenthes. Since many species ofNepenthes are not in cultivation, and also because there is often confusion concerning those that are, I resolved to study and photograph each species ofNepenthes andCephalotus in the wild, in order to document each adequately. After graduating from university in 2006 at the age of 23, I began three years of intense research focusing onNepenthes andCephalotus, and spent a cumulative total of eighteen months in the field. Over the last three years, I climbed over one hundred mountains across Southeast Asia in search of species ofNepenthes. Many of these journeys were relatively simple, lasting just a few days or less. Others required more extensive effort, and in a few cases, I spent more than one week to find a singleNepenthes taxon.
The book gives a detailed account of the singularCephalotus follicularis as well as 120 species ofNepenthes, including one described for the first time (N. micramphora). A further five "incompletely diagnosed taxa" are included:N. sp. Misool,N. sp. Papua (later identified asN. lamii),[4]N. sp. Phanga Nga (later described asN. mirabilis var.globosa),[5]N. sp. Sulawesi (later described asN. nigra),[6] andN. sp. Trang (later described asN. kerrii).[7]Nepenthes hamiguitanensis—which would be described in McPherson's next book,Carnivorous Plants and their Habitats—is treated here as anatural hybrid betweenN. micramphora andN. peltata.[8]
In addition toCephalotus follicularis, the following 120 species and 5undescribed taxa ofNepenthes are covered in the book.
The book has been praised for its scope, detail, and high-quality photographs.[9][10][11][12] In their review for the journalPhytotaxa, Maarten J. M. Christenhusz and Michael F. Fay wrote:[10]
This is to date the only publication dealing with the genusNepenthes throughout its geographical range. He [McPherson] humbly refers the reader to other taxonomic works, but these are all regional treatments. The level of information provided on all the species ofNepenthes is outstanding and has no precedent.