Life cycle of nepenthes on heath vegetation of Terengganu

Abstract

Nepenthes is carnivorous plants known for their oddly shaped pitcher that grows at the ends of their leaves and usually grow in extreme habitats and poor of nutrients including heath vegetation on 'beach ridges interspersed with swales' (BRIS) of Terengganu. This study will be useful should this species intend to be developed as part of life showcase for ecotourism and in situ conservation initiative for heath vegetation or wetland ecosystem. The study was conducted in Setiu and Rantau Abang, Terengganu heath vegetation to determine the life cycle of Nepenthes. Terrestrial. and aerial of N. gracilis and N. mirabilis pitchers were followed and their morphological changes were documented at weekly interval. Six stages of morphological characters were identified before, consist of budding, pitcher formation, closed pitcher, open pitcher, half dead and dead. In general, Nepenthes took about 11 to 14 weeks to complete its life cycle. Terrestrial and aerial pitchers showed variations in terms of pitcher's growth morphology and time to complete their life cycle.