Nepenthes mirabilis (Lour.) Druce

Terrestrial shrub or climber to 10 m tall. Climbing stems terete, 6-10(-14) mm diam., internodes 1.5-10 cm long, axillary buds inconspicuous. Leaves thinly chartaceous, rarely membranous or thickly chartaceous, petiolate, leaves of rosettes and short stems lanceolate or oblong, apex acuminate, not peltate, margin fimbriate, fimbriae c. 2 mm long, petiole base sheathing, leaves of climbing stems broader, obovate, oblong or lanceolate, (15-)20-40 by 4-10 cm, apex acute, margin entire, petiole canaliculate, rarely slightly winged, 3-20 cm long, clasping the stem by 1/2 its circumference. Longitudinal nerves originating from along the midrib, 4-8 on each side of the midrib, scattered throughout lamina, conspicuous. Pennate nerves numerous, curving towards margin, to almost perpendicular, forming distinct rectangles with longitudinal nerves, conspicuous. Lower pitchers ovoid in lower half, cylindrical in upper half, 8-20 by 2.5-4(-5) cm, with 2 fringed wings 2-3 mm wide, 1.5-2.5 mm long, c. 1.5 mm apart; mouth el-liptic or broadly ovate, slightly oblique, straight; peristome slightly to conspicuously flattened, 2-8(-20) mm broad, ribs c. 0.25 mm apart, conspicuous (var. echinostoma with ribs free, attached only at base, each ridge forming a tooth c. 30 by 1-2 mm with an apical nectar gland), outer edge of peristome entire, inner lacking conspicuous teeth; lid held close to the mouth, elliptic, rarely orbicular, 1.8-2.8 by 1.4-2 cm, apex rounded or slightly retuse, base rounded or truncate, very slightly vaulted, with 2 prominent veins above, lower surface lacking appendages, but often with a slight pucker on the midline, c. 1/8 from apex, nectar glands dense, evenly spread, orbicular, thinly-bordered to volcano-like, 0.15-0.2 mm, smallest towards margin, larger and slightly longitudinally elliptic, 0.25 mm long, along midline; spur flattened, 4-5 by 1 mm, entire or rarely divided into 3 or more branches. Upper pitchers gradually originating from tendril, wholly subcylindrical and slightly laterally flattened, or slightly infundibuliform at base, cylindrical above, with distinct ‘hipped’ point 1/3-1/2 from the base, 12-20 by 2.5-4 cm, with 2 ridges; mouth, peristome and lid more or less as lower pitcher; spur usually entire, dorsiventrally flattened, 4-5 by 1-1.5 mm, apex rounded. Male inflorescence scented of mice droppings, 24-41(-50) by 2(-3.5) cm; peduncle 8-12 (-15) cm long, 2-3(-4) mm diam. at base; partial peduncles 1-flowered (rarely 2-flowered); bracts absent; pedicels c. 14 mm long; tepals broadly elliptic, (2-)4-4.5(-6) by (2-) 3.5-4(-4.5) mm; androphore (2-)2.5-3(-5) mm long; anther head 1-1.5 by 1.5-2 mm. Indumentum usually inconspicuous, of fine white stellate or sparingly branched, crinkled, sometimes with arachnoid hairs 1-3 mm long, soon falling and usually only visible on youngest growth and inflorescence, androphore glabrous; sessile red glands 0.1 mm diam. present on stem; scattered nectar glands present on stem. Colour of pitchers green, rarely streaked or wholly suffused with red.

A lowland species found mainly below 200 m elevation, which is certainly true of known Australian populations, but it has been recorded from 0–1500 m elevation across its range. Typically found on sandy to clay soils along watercourses, along the margins of swamps and in seasonally wet savannahs in fully exposed to moderately shaded situations. It typically favours drier situations than N. rowaniae and N. tenax where the species co-occur, whereas in various parts of Southeast Asia it has been documented growing in permanent bodies of shallow water. High elevation populations are more typically observed in large mountain complexes or upland plateaus as a result of the Massenerhebung (mountain mass) effect, which sees warmer conditions manifested at higher elevations (A. Robinson, pers. obs).