Borneo’s mountains reveal a new species of orangutan-colored giant pitcher plant

A team of botanists at Malaysia’s Sabah Forestry Department’s Forest Research Centre, working with a pair of colleagues from Australia, has identified a new species of giant pitcher plant growing on the ultramafic mountains in central Sabah, Borneo. In their paper published in the Australian Journal of Botany, the group describes how they came to know of the plant and what they found when they ventured to the site where the plant had reportedly been sighted.

Giant pitchers are plants characterized by large, distinctive bell-shaped upper and lower pitchers and narrow, upright lids. The purpose of the pitcher is to capture both rainfall and insects.

In this new effort, the research team investigated reports of an unknown pitcher plant growing in the ultramafic mountains in a central part of Sabah that had reportedly been photographed in 2004 but never investigated. New photographs were reportedly taken by others in 2018, prompting the members of this new team to venture to the site to have a look for themselves. Due to the pandemic, they did not get there until 2023.

The researchers found what they were looking for on the third day of their arrival to the region, which they note is little more than a pile of igneous boulders. The site seemed suitable for a plant that captures rainwater because there is no other running water in the area.

The research team noted that the plant had unique leaves, and its pitcher was covered with long red hair, nearly the same color as the orangutans that live in the same area. For that reason, they named the new species Nepenthes pongoides. They also explained that it was very large. Upon return to their lab, subsequent research showed the plant to be the largest pitcher ever identified.

The researchers wound up making two expeditions to the region, and in so doing, found 39 of the plants, which were useful for research purposes, but also demonstrated the uniqueness of the plant and its vulnerability. They note that poachers have already caught wind of the findings and have been harvesting them.

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