Borneo: Its Mountains and Lowlands

Impressed by the beauty and elegance of the pitcher plants of the family Nepenthaceae, the author and his wife made annual trips for 12 years to Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysian states on the island of Borneo, to study and photograph the numerous endemic pitcher plants in their natural, frequently remote, habitats. They were fascinated by the biological singularity of the nutrition, survival and propagation cycle of these plants, and particularly by their carnivorous technique and exodigestion of proteins. The author also became increasingly attracted by the beauty of these plants’ homelands, the peaks, the highlands and lowlands of Borneo, which he visited with expert guides on many expeditions. In this book the pitchers (and plants) of all Nepenthes species of Sabah and Sarawak, and some endemic Kalimantan species, are illustrated. Their particularities, including many natural hybrids, are described. The threats to these wonderful tropical plants as well as possible ways of ensuring their survival in their original habitat are also discussed. The book will interest both scientists and naturalists as it endeavours to give a simple approach to this family of plants from the tropical forests of Borneo.