- Wed Dec 07, 2022 10:42 pm
#425439
I wouldn’t say that lowland Nepenthes are usually larger than highland species. It varies quite a bit with their specific niches and the particular prey they’ve evolved to catch. For example, N. rajah, N. palawanensis, and N. attenboroughii are absolutely massive highland plants, while N. bellii and N. gracilis are diminutive lowland species.
A common trend can be seen in many alpine plants evolving red coloration, tough/thick leaves, dense indumentum, and small size to survive the harsh, cold conditions associated with those elevations. N. lamii is a good example of this in the CP world. But note that N. lamii is found at the highest elevation of all Nepenthes, and frozen fluid has even been documented in the pitchers in-situ, so I wouldn’t say “highland Nepenthes are smaller” is an accurate generalization to make about the genus.