已记录到的下位笼最高可达41厘米,容积可达3.5升[10],可装下2.5升消化液,但平时观察到的下位笼的容积一般不会超过200毫升。[12]:72011年3月26日,在沙巴协会(The Sabah Society)组织的一次对马西劳的考察中,安西娅·飞利浦与安东尼·兰姆的儿子艾力克斯·兰博(Alex Lamb)于马西劳线的陡峭便道附近发现了该高达41厘米的捕虫笼。该捕虫笼现保存于马西劳总部。此外,在同一天也发现了另一个高达40厘米的捕虫笼。[8]此前发现的马来王猪笼草最大捕虫笼高为38厘米。[8][9]
马来王猪笼草的下位笼可能是猪笼草属中体积最大的,可与之相提并论的只有美林猪笼草(N. merrilliana),宝特瓶猪笼草(N. truncata)和巨型莱佛士猪笼草(N. rafflesiana var. elongata)。其下位笼位于地面,往往依靠于周围支持物直立。外表面通常呈红色至紫色,内表面呈灰绿色至紫色。这与植株其他黄绿色的部分形成了强烈的对比。马来王猪笼草下位笼的极具特征,能很容易的与其他产于婆罗洲的猪笼草相区别。[4]:26下位笼的内表面覆满腺体,密度为每平方厘米300至800个,底部消化区的腺体为非覆盖型,上部蜡质区的腺体为覆盖型。[4]:120-122[23]下位笼的笼口为水平至倾斜,基部拉长为长2.5至4厘米的唇颈。[4]:120-122下位笼唇的边缘波浪状且大大扩展。其前部宽10至15毫米,基部宽20至50毫米,唇颈处宽10至20毫米。唇上具一系列的平行凸起,称为唇肋,间距0.5至1毫米。其自唇的外缘延伸至内缘,末端形成一个短而锋利的齿状结构,称为唇齿。唇齿明显,长为宽的2至4倍。[4]:120-122唇内缘部分约占截面表面总长度的80%。[26]
薛氏库蚊(Culex shebbearei)也曾被认为是马来王猪笼草的捕虫笼底内生物。[42]1931年的原始记录由F·W·爱德华兹(F. W. Edwards)根据H·M·彭德尔伯里(H. M. Pendlebury)1929年在基纳巴卢山采集到的标本得出。然而鉴于该物种的信息,塚本增久指出“很容易看出,这种新物种(王侯库蚊)在很长一段时间里都被错误的鉴定为薛氏库蚊,而王侯库蚊和薛氏库蚊都存在于基纳巴卢山的马来王猪笼草的捕虫笼中”。[注 5][13]
猪笼草雌雄异株,杂交种的形态取决于亲本。杂交名前半部为雌性亲本,后半部为雄性亲本。杂交种与亲本形态特征通常不同;大多数情况下雌性亲本通常占主导位置,杂交后代更类似于雌性亲本。所以大多数基纳巴卢山猪笼草的野生植株都更近似于马来王猪笼草,所以其杂交名为“N. rajah × N. villosa”。但已发现更接近于长毛猪笼草的植株,其很可能为反交种。类似的情况也发生于马来王猪笼草的其他杂交种中。
Nepenthes Rajah, H. f. (Frutex, 4-pedalis, Low). Foliis maximis 2-pedalibus, oblongo-lanceolatis petiolo costaque crassissimis, ascidiis giganteis (cum operculo l-2-pedalibus) ampullaceis ore contracto, stipite folio peltatim affixo, annulo maximo lato everso crebre lamellato, operculo amplissimo ovato-cordato, ascidium totum æquante.—(Tab. LXXII.)
Hab.—Borneo, north coast, on Kina Balu, alt. 5,000 feet (Low). This wonderful plant is certainly one of the most striking vegetable productions hitherto discovered, and, in this respect, is worthy of taking place side by side with the Rafflesia Arnoldii. It hence bears the title of my friend Rajah Brooke, of whose services, in its native place, it may be commemorative among botanists. . . . I have only two specimens of leaves and pitchers, both quite similar, but one twice as large as the other. Of these, the leaf of the larger is 18 inches long, exclusive of the petioles, which is as thick as the thumb and 7–8 broad, very coriaceous and glabrous, with indistinct nerves. The stipes of the pitcher is given off below the apex of the leaf, is 20 inches long, and as thick as the finger. The broad ampullaceous pitcher is 6 inches in diameter, and 12 long: it has two fimbriated wings in front, is covered with long rusty hairs above, is wholly studded with glands within, and the broad annulus is everted, and 1–1½ inch in diameter. Operculum shortly stipitate, 10 inches long and 8 broad.
The inflorescence is hardly in proportion. Male raceme, 30 inches long, of which 20 are occupied by the flowers; upper part and flowers clothed with short rusty pubescence. Peduncles slender, simple or bifid. Fruiting raceme stout. Peduncles 1½ inches long, often bifid. Capsule, ¾ inch long, ⅓ broad, rather turgid, densely covered with rusty tomentum.
Another steep climb of 800 feet brought us to the Marei Parei spur, to the spot where the ground was covered with the magnificent pitcher-plants, of which we had come in search. This one has been called the Nepenthes Rajah, and is a plant about four feet in length, with broad leaves stretching on every side, having the great pitchers resting on the ground in a circle about it. Their shape and size are remarkable. I will give the measurement of one, to indicate the form: the length along the back nearly fourteen inches; from the base to the top of the column in front, five inches; and its lid a foot long by fourteen inches broad, and of an oval shape. Its mouth was surrounded by a plaited pile, which near the column was two inches broad, lessening in its narrowest part to three-quarters of an inch. The plaited pile of the mouth was also undulating in broad waves. Near the stem the pitcher is four inches deep, so that the mouth is situated upon it in a triangular manner. The colour of an old chalice is a deep purple, but that of the others is generally mauve outside, very dark indeed in the lower part, though lighter towards the rim; the inside is of the same colour, but has a kind of glazed and shiny appearance. The lid is mauve in the centre, shading to green at the edges. The stems of the female flowers we found always a foot shorter than those of the male, and the former were far less numerous than the latter. It is indeed one of the most astonishing productions of nature.
[...] The pitchers, as I have before observed, rest on the ground in a circle, and the young plants have cups of the same form as those of the old ones. While the men were cooking their rice, we sat before the tent enjoying our chocolate and observing one of our followers carrying water in a splendid specimen of the Nepenthes Rajah, desired him to bring it to us, and found that it held exactly four pint bottles. It was 19 inches in circumference. We afterwards saw others apparently much larger, and Mr. Low, while wandering in search of flowers, came upon one in which was a drowned rat.
it seems more likely to conclude that the species [C. rajah] is a new species which has been misidentitied as C. shebbearei for a long time, rather than to think that both C. shebbearei and C. rajah n. sp. are living in pitchers of Nepenthes rajah on Mt. Kinabalu.
This species grows in at least 2 distinct sub-populations, both of which are well protected by Sabah National Parks Authority. One of the populations grows in an area public access to which is strictly prohibited without permit. However, there has been a decline in population of mature individuals in the better known and less patrolled site. This is largely due to damage to habitat and plants by careless visitors rather than organised collection of plants. Nepenthes rajah has become common in cultivation in recent years as a result of the availability of inexpensive clones from tissue culture. I believe that these days commercial collection of this species from the wild is negligible.
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N. abalata N. abgracilis N. adnata N. aenigma N. alata N. alba N. albomarginata N. alfredoi N. alzapan N. ampullaria N. andamana N. angasanensis N. appendiculata N. argentii N. aristolochioides N. armin N. attenboroughii N. barcelonae N. beccariana N. bellii N. benstonei N. biak N. bicalcarata N. bokorensis N. bongso N. boschiana N. burbidgeae N. burkei N. cabanae N. calcicola N. campanulata N. ceciliae N. chang N. chaniana N. cid N. clipeata N. copelandii N. cornuta
N. danseri N. deaniana N. densiflora N. diabolica N. diatas N. distillatoria N. domei N. dubia N. edwardsiana N. ephippiata N. epiphytica N. erucoides N. eustachya N. extincta N. eymae N. faizaliana N. flava N. fractiflexa N. fusca N. gantungensis N. glabrata N. glandulifera N. graciliflora N. gracilis N. gracillima N. gymnamphora N. halmahera N. hamata N. hamiguitanensis N. hemsleyana N. hirsuta N. hispida N. holdeni N. hurrelliana N. inermis N. insignis N. izumiae
N. jacquelineae N. jamban N. junghuhnii N. justinae N. kampotiana N. kerrii N. khasiana N. kitanglad N. klossii N. kongkandana N. krabiensis N. lamii N. latiffiana N. lavicola N. leonardoi N. leyte N. lingulata N. longifolia N. longiptera N. lowii N. macfarlanei N. macrophylla N. macrovulgaris N. madagascariensis N. malayensis N. malimumuensis N. manobo N. mantalingajanensis N. mapuluensis N. maryae N. masoalensis N. maxima N. maximoides N. merrilliana N. micramphora N. mikei N. mindanaoensis
N. minima N. mira N. mirabilis N. mollis N. monticola N. muluensis N. murudensis N. naga N. nebularum N. negros N. neoguineensis N. nigra N. northiana N. ovata N. palawanensis N. paniculata N. pantaronensis N. papuana N. parvula N. peltata N. pervillei N. petiolata N. philippinensis N. pilosa N. pitopangii N. platychila N. pongoides N. pudica N. pulchra N. rafflesiana N. rajah N. ramispina N. ramos N. reinwardtiana N. rhombicaulis N. rigidifolia N. robcantleyi N. rosea
N. rowanae N. samar N. sumudra N. sanguinea N. saranganiensis N. sibuyanensis N. singalana N. smilesii N. spathulata N. spectabilis N. stenophylla N. sumagaya N. sumatrana N. suratensis N. surigaoensis N. talaandig N. talangensis N. tboli N. tenax N. tentaculata N. tenuis N. thai N. thorelii N. tobaica N. tomoriana N. treubiana N. truncata N. ultra N. undulatifolia N. veitchii N. ventricosa N. vieillardii N. villosa N. viridis N. vogelii N. weda N. zygon