Nepenthes spathulata /nɪˈpɛnθiːz ˌspæθjʊˈlɑːtə/ is a tropical pitcher plant native to Java and Sumatra, where it grows at elevations of between 1100 and 2900 m above sea level.

The specimen Lieftinck 11 was collected in January 1935[note a] on Mount Tanggamus near Lampung, Sumatra, at an altitude of 2000 m.[5] Nepenthes spathulata was formally described by B. H. Danser later that same year,[2] the first of two Nepenthes species described by the Dutch botanist following the publication of his 1928 monograph, "The Nepenthaceae of the Netherlands Indies".

[6] The next major taxonomic treatment of N. spathulata came only in 1986, when Rusjdi Tamin and Mitsuru Hotta treated the species in synonymy with N. singalana.

[5][7] On Mount Dempo, Mike Hopkins, Ricky Maulder and Bruce Salmon found what they believed to be a new species of Nepenthes.

It reads:[3] We headed back up the line and went to G. Dempo as we wanted to climb at least one unknown mountain.

[11] Two years later, it was given the informal name N. adrianii /nɪˈpɛnθiːz ˌædriˈæniaɪ/ by Batoro, Wartono, and Matthew Jebb,[12][13][14][15] and was treated as a distinct species in the book Trubus Info Kit: Nepenthes.

The glandular region covers the ovoid portion of the pitcher's inner surface;[5] the waxy zone above is well developed.

Its natural range stretches from Mount Tanggamus in the south to Lake Kerinci in the north.

Nepenthes spathulata is also known to grow terrestrially in high altitude peat swamp forest near Lake Kerinci, at an altitude of 1100 m. At this location, N. spathulata grows alongside N. ampullaria, N. gracilis, N. mirabilis, N. reinwardtiana, and N. tobaica.

Of particular note are plants growing on Mount Masurai, which appear intermediate in form between these two species and cannot be definitively assigned to either.

These plants exhibit significant morphological variability, particularly in the development of the peristome, with some resembling N. singalana and others N. spathulata.

[5] Nepenthes spathulata is also allied to N. densiflora, a fact noted by B. H. Danser in his 1940 description of the latter species.

[10] Nepenthes densiflora can be distinguished from N. spathulata on the basis of its upper pitchers, which are typically infundibular rather than cylindrical.

However, a number of N. densiflora plants on Mount Kemiri are known to produce unusual cylindrical aerial pitchers.

However, the poorly known N. junghuhnii is easily distinguished from these species on the basis of its strongly petiolate leaf bases.

[5] The upper pitchers of N. spathulata, which are ovoid in the lower part and cylindrical above, distinguish it from other related species such as N. bongso and N.

[5] In 2001, Clarke performed a cladistic analysis of the Nepenthes species of Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia using 70 morphological characteristics of each taxon.

The following is part of the resultant cladogram, showing "Clade 3", which comprises N. spathulata and three other related species.

Seven putative hybrids have been recorded to date, at least three of which are known from a unique highland peat swamp habitat around Lake Kerinci.

[5][23] Nepenthes mirabilis × N. spathulata is one of the hybrids recorded from the Lake Kerinci peat swamp.

The pitchers of N. mirabilis × N. spathulata are reddish-brown with dark speckles and a bright yellowish-red peristome.

It differs from N. mirabilis in its wider peristome, which bears distinct teeth and more pronounced ribs.

[5] A seventh putative hybrid with N. spathulata has been observed on Mount Belirang in Jambi.