Nepenthes mirabilis (Lour.) Druce

Taxonomic Naming

Nepenthes mirabilis (Lour.) Druce, whose specific epithet comes from the Latin word mirabilis meaning "wonderful", is a carnivorous plant species belonging to the family Nepenthaceae.

Common Names

Its common names are common swamp pitcher-plant and tropical pitcher plant.

Broad Distribution Range

It is the most geographically widespread species of the genus Nepenthes, with a range covering continental Southeast Asia and all major islands of the Malay Archipelago (excluding the Lesser Sunda Islands and the northern Philippines), extending from southern China in the north to northern Australia in the south.

Morphological Variability

The species shows high morphological variability across its entire range.

Notable Variety

One prominent variety, N. mirabilis var. echinostoma, is endemic to Borneo and has an exceptionally broad peristome.

Conservation Status

Nepenthes mirabilis is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, and it is a protected species in Hong Kong under Forestry Regulations Cap. 96A.

Cultural Use

Per the work of Matthew Jebb and Martin Cheek, the pitchers of N. mirabilis are used as toy phallocrypts in New Guinea.

Country and Region Distribution

This species has the widest distribution of any Nepenthes species, and has been recorded from the following countries and regions: Australia (Cape York Peninsula), Borneo, Cambodia, Caroline Islands (Palau and Yap), China (Guangdong Province, Hainan, Hong Kong, Macau), D'Entrecasteaux Islands, Java, Laos, Louisiade Archipelago, Maluku Islands, Myanmar, New Guinea, Peninsular Malaysia, Philippines (Dinagat and Mindanao), Sulawesi, Sumatra, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Smaller Island Distribution

It has also been documented on many smaller islands, including Babi, Bangka, Banyak Islands, Batu Islands, Bengkalis, Enggano, Ko Lanta, Ko Tarutao, Langkawi, Mendol, Mentawai Islands (North Pagai, Siberut, Sipura, and South Pagai), Meranti Islands (Padang, Rangsang, and Tebing Tinggi), Nias, Penang, Phuket, Riau Islands (Lingga Islands and Riau Archipelago), Rupat, Tawi-Tawi, and possibly Wowoni.