Nepenthes attenboroughii was discovered in 2007. Alastair Robinson, Stewart McPherson, and Volker Heinrich found it during an expedition surveying pitcher plants in the Philippines.
The species was discovered on Mount Victoria in central Palawan, where it grows at high elevations on rocky, ultramafic soils. Its large, bell-shaped pitchers and upright lids distinguish it from many other Nepenthes species. The plant is named after broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough, a well-known enthusiast of pitcher plants.
A common mix-up is the difference between discovery and formal scientific description. The plant was found in June 2007, but its formal description was published in February 2009 in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. Thus, 2009 refers to publication, not discovery.
Nepenthes attenboroughii is also notable for its conservation status and unusual prey records. It is endemic to the Victoria Massif and has been assessed as Critically Endangered. A dead shrew was later documented inside one of its pitchers.