Nepenthes hirsuta

Nepenthes hirsuta (from Latin: hirsūtus "hairy, bristly"), the hairy pitcher-plant, is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Borneo. It is characterised by an indumentum of thick brown hairs, which is even present on the inflorescence. Pitchers are mostly green throughout with some having red blotches on the inside surfaces.

N. hirsuta grows at an elevation of 200–1100 m. It is present in a wide range of habitats, including kerangas forest, mossy banks in lower montane forest, open areas, and disturbed vegetation on lower ridges. It grows mostly on sandstone substrates.

Taxonomy
N. hirsuta is most closely related to N. hispida and N. macrovulgaris. Botanists Matthew Jebb and Martin Cheek suggest that N. hirsuta is also related to N. philippinensis, a species endemic to Palawan in the Philippines.

In his Carnivorous Plant Database, taxonomist Jan Schlauer treats N. hispida as a heterotypic synonym of N. hirsuta.

Infraspecific taxa

 * Nepenthes hirsuta var. glabrata Macfarl. (1908)
 * Nepenthes hirsuta var. glabrescens W.G.Sm. (1882) [=N. distillatoria]
 * Nepenthes hirsuta var. glabrescens rubra auct. non Hort. ex Rafarin: Nichols. (1892) [=N. distillatoria]
 * Nepenthes hirsuta var. typica Macfarl. (1908) nom.illeg.

Natural hybrids
The following natural hybrids involving N. hirsuta have been recorded.


 * N. albomarginata × N. hirsuta
 * N. ampullaria × N. hirsuta
 * ? N. hirsuta × N. lowii