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Useful Tropical Plants

Nepenthes distillatoria

L.

Nepenthaceae

+ Synonyms

Common Name:

Nepenthes distillatoria
Growing plant
Photograph by: Suranjan Fernando
Creative Commons License
Nepenthes distillatoria Nepenthes distillatoria Nepenthes distillatoria

General Information

Nepenthes distillatoria is an evergreen, climbing shrub, scrambling over other plants for support. An insectivorous plant, producing pitcher-like traps at the ends of its leaves into which insects fall and are digested in the fluid at the bottom of the pitcher.
Said to be one of the most useful fibre plants in Sri Lanka, where it is commonly gathered from the wild for use as a tying material and to make baskets. The digestive enzymes in the pitcher are believed to be of use in the research into the treatment of AIDS.
The plant has been listed as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2010)[
338
Title
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References


Range

E. Asia - Sri Lanka.

Habitat

Found in great abundance in wet low country, particularly where the wet ground has a sandy bottom[
454
Title
Useful Fiber Plants of the World
Publication
 
Author
Dodge C.R.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
Publisher
USDA; Washington.
Year
1897
ISBN
 
Description
A rather dated, but very comprehensive catalogue of fibre plants from around the world. The book can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. Waterlogged open scrub, along road embankments and other cleared areas, also in forest; from sea-level to 700 metres[
338
Title
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].

Properties

Conservation StatusVulnerable
Medicinal Rating *  *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *  *
HabitEvergreen Climber
Height0.00 m
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the humid tropics. It grows best in areas where the temperature does not fall below 18°c in the cool season and can go as high as 38°c in the hot season[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Requires ample moisture and a humid atmosphere[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

This plant produces enzymes called nepenthesin I & II in its pitcher fluid and the enzymes are active at a low pH of 2.3. These digestive enzymes are valuable for medical research as they are similar to pepsin. The ultimate goal of the future research is to use these enzymes in research to help people infected by HIV from getting any symptoms of AIDS.

Other Uses

The long trailing stems are used in making baskets and as a tying material[
454
Title
Useful Fiber Plants of the World
Publication
 
Author
Dodge C.R.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
Publisher
USDA; Washington.
Year
1897
ISBN
 
Description
A rather dated, but very comprehensive catalogue of fibre plants from around the world. The book can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. Known as 'one of the most useful cordage plants of Sri Lanka', the stems are widely used in building fences, walls, and sometimes in fixing the rafters of native cottages[
454
Title
Useful Fiber Plants of the World
Publication
 
Author
Dodge C.R.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
Publisher
USDA; Washington.
Year
1897
ISBN
 
Description
A rather dated, but very comprehensive catalogue of fibre plants from around the world. The book can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. The pliable stems are extremely easy to manipulate when making baskets[
454
Title
Useful Fiber Plants of the World
Publication
 
Author
Dodge C.R.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
Publisher
USDA; Washington.
Year
1897
ISBN
 
Description
A rather dated, but very comprehensive catalogue of fibre plants from around the world. The book can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. They are used for making small, durable, fancy baskets, teapot holders etc[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
].

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-12-13. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Nepenthes+distillatoria>

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