ISBN: 978-0-9558918-9-2

Never have so many new tropical pitcher plants (Nepenthes) been discovered as during the three years since the publication of the first complete monograph of the genus in 2009. Among them are eighteen new species, two revised species, one new variety, and two new but incompletely diagnosed taxa from across Borneo, Indochina, New Guinea, the Philippines and Sulawesi. The newly discovered plants include many of largest, most extraordinary and colourful carnivorous plants ever found. This work documents all of the new Nepenthes, in many cases for the very first time.

The chapters in this work are arranged as regional groupings of new Nepenthes. The first is entitled New Discoveries in Borneo, and includes descriptions of two spectacular new Bornean Nepenthes, N. appendiculata and N. epiphytica.

The next chapter, entitled New Discoveries in Indochina, documents six new Indochinese Nepenthes and one new variety described since the publication of Pitcher Plants of the Old World, namely N. andamana, N. chang, N. holdenii, N. kerrii, N. suratensis, N. thai and N. mirabilis var. globosa. The recent rediscovery of Nepenthes thorelii is also published here, along with a report of its rediscovery. Finally, an account of a newly discovered population of Nepenthes holdenii in Cambodia is presented, along with observations relating to an unidentified Nepenthes in the Cardamom Mountains of southern Cambodia.

The subsequent chapter, entitled New Discoveries in the Philippines, opens with an account of nine expeditions to the highlands of Palawan that includes descriptions of all highland Nepenthes of that island, including N. gantungensis, N. leonardoi, N. palawanensis and N. sp. ‘Anipahan’, all of which were discovered after the publication of Pitcher Plants of the Old World. Also included in this section of the chapter is a report that significantly increases the known range of N. attenboroughii. The observations amassed during these nine expeditions has offered a much better understanding of the relationships between the highland Palaweño species, summarised in the section entitled, Comparison of the highland Palaweño Nepenthes. The next section moves on to examine new discoveries that add to the understanding of the diversity and ecology of N. philippinensis, and the identity of mysterious populations of Nepenthes on many of the peaks of Palawan that resemble this taxon. The next section in the chapter is entitled Exploration of Mount Kiamo, and documents the first observations of the Nepenthes of that mountain following ascents made earlier this year, resulting in the description of N. ceciliae and N. pulchra in this work. The next part of the chapter opens with a brief account of the exploration of Mount Hamiguitan in Mindanao, and describes N. hamiguitanensis, a recently described species that was formerly treated as a natural hybrid, as well as a further plant described as a new species from Mindanao and recently named Nepenthes robcantleyi. The final part of the chapter is entitled Discovery of an incompletely diagnosed pitcher plant from Luzon, and recounts the discovery of an incompletely diagnosed taxon referred to here as N. sp. ‘Luzon’.

The next chapter is entitled New Discoveries in Sulawesi and briefly recounts the discovery of two new species, N. nigra and N. undulatifolia, along with their formal descriptions. Also included is an account of a new population of N. pitopangii which, whilst morphologically identical to the type population, exhibits distinct leaf and pitcher colouration.

The last chapter concerning new Nepenthes in this work is entitled New Discoveries in New Guinea, and includes a description of a new Nepenthes, and an emended description of N. lamii, with which the former was previously confused.

The concluding chapters of this work comprise Societies and Recommended Suppliers, Appendix, Glossary, Bibliography, Index and About the Author pages, which also provide biographical information for the editor and artists who have contributed so greatly to this work.

Attached are a selection of photographs of the spectacular new plants that feature in this work.

Stewart McPherson