Which Bornean pitcher plant is commonly called Low's pitcher plant?
Answer
Nepenthes lowii
Answer
Nepenthes lowii
Nepenthes lowii is the Bornean pitcher plant commonly called Low's pitcher plant.
The species is endemic to Borneo and was named for Hugh Low, the British administrator and naturalist who discovered it during his 1851 ascent of Mount Kinabalu. Botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker formally described it in 1859.
Nepenthes lowii is especially distinctive among pitcher plants. Its upper pitchers are strongly constricted in the middle, with a broad funnel-shaped opening, and the underside of its lid carries conspicuous bristles. These features help distinguish it from other Bornean species such as Nepenthes rajah and Nepenthes northiana.
It grows in nutrient-poor montane environments, including mossy forests and exposed ridge vegetation, generally at elevations from about 1,650 to 2,600 metres. Research has found that mature plants can obtain much of their nitrogen from tree-shrew droppings deposited in the pitchers.
Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026