1859年,約瑟夫·道爾頓·胡克正式描述[注 2]了勞氏豬籠草。[1]約瑟夫·道爾頓·胡克的原始描述和插圖刊登於斯賓塞·聖約翰於1862年出版的《遠東森林生活》(Life in the Forests of the Far East)中。[7]關於京那巴魯山的勞氏豬籠草斯賓塞·聖約翰這樣寫道:[注 3][7]
約翰·繆爾黑德·麥克法蘭在其1908年的專著《豬籠草科》中發表了修改後的描述和插圖。[18]此外,約翰·繆爾黑德·麥克法蘭還在1914年的《林奈學會雜誌》(Journal of the Linnean Society)[19]和1919年的《園藝標準百科全書》(The Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture)[20]上發表了關於勞氏豬籠草的文章。
勞氏豬籠草的上位籠很獨特,其籠蓋外翻,下表面具許多長鬚,有如一個生化馬桶一般。長鬚間上積累了大量白色物質,而這些白色物質是什麼一直被學者們爭論不休。20世紀60年代,J·哈里森(J. Harrison)認為這些白色珠子是蝸牛卵。[52]1961年至1964年,E·J·H· 科納( E. J. H. Corner)領導了皇家學會對京那巴魯山的考察,他寫道:[注 7][53]
暗色豬籠草與勞氏豬籠草的自然雜交種(N. fusca × N. lowii)由羅伯特·坎特利和查爾斯·克拉克在沙勞越的巴杜拉威山發現。[4]最近也在土魯斯瑪迪山也發現了該自然雜交種的單一植株。[69]查爾斯·克拉克後來發現,在沙巴的克羅克山脈,特別是在阿蘭伯山頂峰附近也存在該自然雜交種。[4]該自然雜交種的捕蟲籠中部略微收縮,顏色為綠色至暗紫色。[4]
安西婭·飛利浦和安東尼·蘭姆在其專著《婆羅洲的豬籠草》中提及了勞氏豬籠草與窄葉豬籠草的自然雜交種(N. lowii × N. stenophylla)。因1985年,約翰·布里格斯在沙巴門塔波山採集到了勞氏豬籠草與窄葉豬籠草的自然雜交種的標本,所以其也被稱之為門塔波山豬籠草[5]。在婆羅洲北部也存在幾個原生地,包括了汶萊的巴貢山。[5]
德國Marabini博士最早通過讓葫蘆豬籠草和勞氏豬籠草雜交獲得了一批子代豬籠草,他將這批子代命名為Nepenthes x briggsiana,他聲稱該雜交種是以葫蘆豬籠草為母本,以勞氏豬籠草為父本雜交而來的雜交種,在獲得種子以後,他將一部分種子寄給了多位豬籠草種植者——這其中包括了美國加利福尼亞州的豬籠草種植者比爾·鮑姆加特爾(Bill Baumgartl),比爾將植株進行組織培養克隆,並以加州當地著名的食蟲植物苗圃California Carnivores的老闆彼得·達馬托(Peter D'Amato)的名字來為這種豬籠草命名,這件事情引起了彼得·達馬托的注意,他自豪地將這種豬籠草放在自己的苗圃展示區,並在其代表作《野性花園》裏提到該雜交種[注 9][76]:
“
這個可愛而有活力的雜交品種N.ventricosa x lowii是由德國的約翰內斯·馬拉比尼雜交獲得的的,它們的形態可能相當多變。其捕蟲籠具有很寬開口,籠唇邊緣有一圈細齒,捕蟲籠到腰部逐漸變細,底部呈球狀。蓋子較大且豎立。其中一種名為N.x'Peter D'Amato'的個體由比爾·鮑姆加特爾命名,其捕蟲籠較小且具有色彩濃郁的金色。其他個體的捕蟲籠可能相對較大,但是顏色較淺。
A little way further we came upon a most extraordinary Nepenthes, of, I believe, a hitherto unknown form, the mouth being oval and large, the neck exceedingly contracted so as to appear funnel-shaped, and at right angles to the body of the pitcher, which was large, swollen out laterally, flattened above and sustained in an horizontal position by the strong prolongation of the midrib of the plant as in other species. It is a very strong growing kind and absolutely covered with its interesting pitchers, each of which contains little less than a pint of water and all of them were full to the brim, so admirably were they sustained by the supporting petiole. The plants were generally upwards of 40 ft long, but I could find no young ones nor any flowers, not even traces of either.
Ascidia magna, curva, basi inflata, medio constricta, dein ampliata, infundibuliformia; ore maximo, latissimo, annulo O.
Nepenthes Lowii, H. f.—Caule robusto tereti, foliis crasse coriaceis, longe crasse petiolatis lineari-oblongis, ascidiis magnis curvis basi ventricosis medio valde constrictis, ore maximo ampliato, annulo O, operculo oblongo intus dense longe setoso. (Tab. LXXI.) Hab.—Kina Balu; alt. 6,000–8,000 feet (Low). A noble species, with very remarkable pitchers, quite unlike those of any other species. They are curved, 4–10 inches long, swollen at the base, then much constricted, and suddenly dilating to a broad, wide, open mouth, with glossy shelving inner walls, and a minute row of low tubercles round the circumference; they are of a bright pea green, mottled inside with purple. The leaves closely resemble those of Edwardsiana and Boschiana in size, form, and texture, but are more linear-oblong. I have specimens of what are sent as the male flower and fruit, but not being attached, I have not ventured to describe them as such. The male raceme is eight inches long, dense flowered. Peduncles simple. Perianth with depressed glands on the inner surface, externally rufous and pubescent. Column long and slender. Female inflorescence: a very dense oblong panicle; rachis, peduncles, perianth, and fruit-covered with rusty tomentum. Capsules, two-thirds of an inch long, one-sixth of an inch broad.
We soon came upon the magnificent pitcher-plant, the Nepenthes Lowii, which Mr. Low was anxious to obtain. We could find no young plants, but took cuttings, which the natives said would grow. [...] We at last reached a narrow, rocky ridge, covered with brushwood, but with thousands of plants of the beautiful Nepenthes Lowii growing among them. [...] We sent our men on next morning to wait for us at the cave, while we stayed behind to collect specimens of the Nepenthes Lowii and the Nepenthes Villosa. The former is, in my opinion, the loveliest of them all, and its shape is most elegant. [...] The outside colour of the pitchers is a bright pea-green, the inside dark mahogany; the lid is green, while the glandular are mahogany-coloured. A very elegant claret jug might be made of this shape.
Folia mediocria petiolata, lamina lanceolata v. oblonga, nervis longitudinalibus utrinque c. 3, vagina caulis c. 2/3 amplectente ; ascidia rosularum et inferiora ignota ; ascidia superiora magna, parte inferiore globosa, medio valde constricta, os versus infundibuliformia, costis 2 elevatis, ore expanso operculum versus acuto, peristomio 0, operculo oblongo facie inferiore setis crassis longis, prope basin carina crassa obtusa ; inflorescentia racemus longus pedicellis c. 25 mm longis omnibus 2-floris ; indumentum in partibus iuvenilibus parcum tomentosum v. hirsutum, denique subnullum.
We found ourselves in a strange landscape where low bushes with thick leathery leaves constituted the predominating vegetation. Here and there smaller trees were seen, among them a conifer with trunk and larger branches practically covered with the yellow blossoms of a small, richly flowering, epiphytic orchid. Bright scarlet or snow-white flowers of rhododendron and similar plants were met with everywhere; and most noticeable were the enormous and characteristically shaped pitchers of Nepenthes lowii, hitherto recorded only from Kinabalu and Batu Lawi.
[...] a ringing gonging which we traced to tupaias scampering over the pitchers of N. lowii and banging the old empty and resonant pitchers together. The late Professor J. Harrison of Singapore discovered that a snail laid its eggs in the hairs under the lid and that the tupaias came to eat them.
Most aberrant is N. Lowii, the leaves and the stem of which are coarse, whereas the indumentum is almost absent and the pitchers show a peculiar form and have no peristome, the lid is vaulted, the midrib is keeled but has no appendage, the lower surface is covered with thick hairs, the glands of the inner surface of the pitcher are so large, that the interspaces are reduced to lines. All these characters, however seem to have little taxonomic value. The form of the pitcher is analogous to that of N. inermis of the Montanae group, which also has no peristome. The peculiar bristles on the lower surface of the lid are found less developed in N. Macfarlanei. The large, flat glands on the inner surface of the pitchers are also found in the lower part of the pitchers of N. Rajah. This is the reason why I have not distinguished a separate group for this species.
This lovely and vigorous hybrid ofN.avnr osa x lomii was created by Johannes Marabini in Germany,and can be rather variable.The pitcher shape is wide-mouthed with a thin-toothed peristome,narrowing to a waist,with a bulbous hottom.The lid is large and held upright.One vari cty.named N.x'Peter D'Amato'by Bill Baumgartl,has smaller pitchers sulidly colored blond.Chher clones haive rather sizable pitchers with paler.
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