Nepenthales

Article By:

Cronquist, Arthur New York Botanical Garden, New York, New York.

Last reviewed:January 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.448450

An order of flowering plants, division Magnoliophyta (Angiospermae), in the subclass Dilleniidae of the class Magnoliopsida (dicotyledons), but whose members have now been typically reassigned to other plant orders. The order Nepenthales (also known as Sarraceniales) has been subject to a taxonomic reorganization and its members have been redistributed to two other orders: Caryophyllales and Ericales. As characterized in earlier classifications, the order Nepenthales consists of three well-marked families: the Droseraceae, the Nepenthaceae, and the Sarraceniaceae. The plants characteristically grow in waterlogged soils that are deficient in available nitrogen. They are herbs or shrubs with alternate, simple leaves that are modified for catching insects, from which they absorb nitrogenous nutrients. They have regular flowers characterized by having the perianth and stamens attached directly to the receptacle (hypogynous), having the petals separate (polypetalous) or being without petals (apetalous), having the carpels united to form a compound pistil (syncarpous), and having few to many stamens. The seeds have a well-developed endosperm. The pitcher plants (Sarracenia; see illustration), sundew (Drosera), and Venus' flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) are well-known members of the order. See also: Caryophyllales; Dilleniidae; Ericales; Insectivorous plants; Magnoliophyta; Magnoliopsida; Pitcher plant; Sundew; Venus' flytrap

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