Low’s pitcher-plant, Nepenthes lowii, of north Sarawak / Borneo around 2100m ASL

Upper pitchers of Nepenthes lowii, which is a carnivorous plant from the genus pitcher plants (Nepenthes). It was first described around 1859 by botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker. The species name lowii honors the botanist Hugh Low, Jr. (1824-1905), who brought it back from an expedition to Borneo around 1854. Nepenthes lowii, in addition to its insect foraging, has one other unique feature with relation to its food gathering: A whitish, gelatinous substance is excreted by special glands on the lid, which are used to attract small tree shrews of the species Tupaia montana in a specific way. Their excrement falls into the pitchers, providing Nepenthes lowii with additional nutrients. The naturalist and botanist J. Harrison reported on the phenomenon as early as 1960, but he thought the whitish excretions were snail eggs. Because especially at night you often find semi slugs on the upper pitchers.

---

Lower pitcher of Nepenthes lowii