KOTA KINABALU: Scientists have discovered a new species of pitcher plant that is rusty red like orangutan fur.
The new species is named Nepenthes pongoides (Nepenthaceae) due to its similarities with orangutan (scientific name Pongo).
The plant has been classified as "critically endangered" on the International Union on Conservation of Nature Red List. The Bornean orangutan is also critically endangered.
The discovery by Malaysian and Australian scientists was published in the paper "Sabah's hidden giant: Nepenthes pongoides (Nepenthaceae), a micro-endemic tropical pitcher plant from northern Borneo" in the Australian Journal of Botany.
Alviana Damit, a researcher at the Sabah Forestry Department's Forest Research Centre, said it was incredible to be among the first scientists to study the plant.
She was part of the expedition team that made the discovery in central Sabah last year, with botanical assistants Jemson Jumian and Nur Adillah Yusof and Dr Alastair Robinson from the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Melbourne.
Alviana said the team found the plant on a mountain late one morning during an expedition.
The plant is large, has distinct leaves, ornate pitchers and long red tendrils.
The team found the remains of prey in the plant's pitchers, like beetles, centipedes, giant millipedes and even a freshwater crab. Most pitcher plants are too small to trap these prey.
The team proposed naming the plant after the orangutan during the expedition.
Sabah Chief Conservator of Forests Datuk Frederick Kugan said the discovery would enhance biodiversity conservation efforts in the state.
Initial findings show that the Nepenthes pongoides is endemic to a relatively low-elevation mountain range and only 39 mature plants have been documented across two sub-populations.
The plant was classified as critically endangered due to its small population size and vulnerability to poaching.
Illegal collection is the most significant threat to wild Nepenthes populations.
Though new to science, the plant was first photographed in 2004.
It was not recognised as a new species due to the limited perspective of the two pictures.
In 2018, a handful of new photos of the plant revealed details that led Nepenthes experts to believe it was likely an unknown species.