Tropical pitcher plant

Description

Nepenthes aristolochioides is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra, where it grows at elevations of 1800–2500 m above sea level. It has an extremely unusual pitcher morphology, having an almost vertical opening to its traps. It is critically endangered by overcollection. The specific epithet aristolochioides is formed from the genus name Aristolochia and the Latin ending -oides, meaning "resembling". It refers to the similarity that the pitchers of this species bear, in both shape and pigmentation, to the specialised flowers of Aristolochia.Nepenthes aristolochioides is a climbing plant. The stem, which may be branched, is terete and grows to 8 m in length and 5 mm in diameter. Internodes are cylindrical to obtusely angular in cross section and up to 15 cm long.Axillary buds are notably conspicuous in this species and are located 1.5–7 mm above the leaf axils.